Did you ever notice a phrase that you start to hear in one or two places, and then it starts to spread like wildfire to the point that every time you hear the phrase, you want to cringe? For me, the phrase That Being Said, is rapidly becoming just such a phrase.

So I am asking you to think before you use it, and I am even offering you some tips on how to avoid it.

This is how it is normally used:

Blogging is hard work. It requires concentration, motivation, and relentless editing. That being said, I love to blog.

*cringe*

Next time you are tempted to use that phrase, think about what else you could put in the sentence. Last time I checked there were 10 gazillion blogs out there and so it pays to differentiate yourself from the crowd. Here are some suggestions:

I love to blog, despite the fact that it requires concentration, motivation, and relentless editing.

Blogging tends to require hard work in the form of concentration, motivation, and relentless editing; however, I love to blog.

Blogging is hard work in that it requires concentration, motivation, and relentless editing. Nonetheless, I love to blog.

Blogging is hard work in that it requires concentration, motivation, and relentless editing. Still, I like blogging.

I’ll admit that there still might be some appropriate places to use this phrase (see? I could have used it in this sentence but I restrained myself.) All I am saying is, think before you use it, (or any overused phrase for that matter) and you will elevate your level of writing.