How do you edit your own writing?

By separating the passes — because editing for structure, for sentences and for errors are different activities using different attention, and attempting them simultaneously produces a polished paragraph in the wrong chapter.

The order, which matters enormously:

Structural editing first. Does the whole thing work? Is the argument in the right order, is anything missing, is anything present that earns nothing? Cutting a section is far cheaper before you have perfected its sentences, and the reluctance to cut well-written material that does not belong is the most expensive attachment in writing.

Then line editing. Clarity, rhythm, word choice, transitions, voice.

Then copy-editing. Grammar, consistency, style adherence.

Then proofreading. Typos and formatting, on the final version.

Doing them in reverse — which is what people naturally do — means proofreading sentences you will later delete.

What actually makes self-editing possible. The fundamental problem is that you read what you intended, not what you wrote. Everything below is a trick for defeating that:

Time. Distance is the most effective single tool. A day is useful; a week is better.

Change the medium. Print it, change the font, read it on a different device. Novelty forces genuine reading.

Read it aloud, which catches rhythm problems, repetition and unsayable sentences — this is the single highest-value technique and is uncomfortable, which is why people skip it.

Read backwards, sentence by sentence, for proofreading. It destroys the meaning and exposes the text.

Read the beginnings of paragraphs only, which reveals structure quickly.

Specific things to look for: sentences over about 25 words; repeated words within a paragraph; every instance of "very", "really" and "just"; passive constructions where an actor matters; and paragraphs that could start one sentence later.

Cut the first paragraph. It is frequently the writer clearing their throat.

Know what you personally overuse, and search for it.

Accept the limit. Self-editing cannot replace another reader, because you cannot un-know what you meant.