How to Put Together Puzzles Faster

People often ask me, “How do you finish puzzles so quickly?” The truth is, most of my speed comes from experience—I’ve built a lot of puzzles over the years. But many of the little tricks I’ve picked up can help anyone, whether you’re just starting out or curious about speed puzzling.

If you’re new to puzzling, don’t worry about racing the clock—practice and repetition are the biggest factors in improving your time. These beginner-friendly tips are here to make puzzling feel smoother and more fun, and they can give you a boost if you ever decide to try puzzling against the clock.

The puzzle used for this post is Chemin des lanternes by Nathan. 

1. Flip and Sort Every Piece

Yes, it’s a little boring, but trust me—sorting and flipping your pieces at the start is worth the time. I flip every piece face-up and immediately pull out the border pieces. I usually put the border in one tray and start organizing the rest by color or area: sky, greenery, brick walls, faces—whatever stands out.

If you’re working on a larger puzzle or don’t have a lot of trays, you can still group pieces roughly. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The goal is to reduce the chaos so you’re not digging endlessly in a big box of mystery pieces.

I use sorting trays, but shirt boxes, shallow bins, or even paper plates can do the trick!

2. Build the Border First (If Possible)

I always start with the border if the puzzle allows it. It gives me a clear frame to work within and acts like a grid to help place the rest of the pieces.

If your puzzle has an irregular or shaped edge, or the border is all one color, it might make sense to skip this step—or at least build parts of the border as you go.

3. Start With the “Obvious” Areas

Once the edge is in place, I move on to sections that really stand out. Look for high-contrast colors, repeating patterns, or items that are easy to spot in the image—like a red umbrella, blue windows, or someone’s face.

These become your anchor areas. Not only are they satisfying to complete, but once in place, they give you reference points for everything else.

4. Slide Finished Sections Into the Right Spot

After completing a small area—like a cluster of flowers or part of a building—I’ll move it close to where it belongs inside the puzzle frame. You don’t need to connect it right away, but placing it near its final position helps reduce shifting things around later.

It’s kind of like setting the stage: the pieces are ready and waiting for the final act.

To make puzzling easier - The Scoop by Ceaco helps you pick up large sections of pieces and put them in place!

5. Tackle Medium-Difficulty Sections Next

Now that some of the easier work is done, you can start connecting sections together and filling in the areas that have more variation—like textured backgrounds, water, or mixed patterns. At this point, you’ll probably start recognizing pieces even faster. You’re in the zone!

6. Save the Trickiest Parts for Last

Most puzzles have a few “tough zones”—big areas of sky, dark corners, or just random leafy green. That’s when I switch focus from color to shape. I start scanning for unique connectors: a fat tab, a skinny hook, or a three-knob piece that only fits one way.

If I pick up a piece and it clearly doesn’t fit anywhere yet, I set it aside in a “not yet” zone. Don’t waste time forcing pieces. Trust that you’ll find their place later.

7. Let Experience Work in Your Favor

The more you put together puzzles, the better your brain gets at it. You’ll start to see subtle color shifts, memorize edge shapes faster, and make smarter guesses about where things go. And yes, it totally counts as brain training!

And if you’re working on a big puzzle over several days, invest in a puzzle board or a cover to protect your progress from pets, kids, or accidental bumps.

Final Thoughts

For those interested in speed puzzling, two brands you’ll want to know are Nathan and Ravensburger. Ravensburger sponsors the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship and many national competitions worldwide, so it’s a familiar choice for racers. Nathan is Ravensburger’s French brand—it offers the same high quality under a different name and often features similar mages from Ravensburger’s European catalog that aren’t typically available in the U.S. Getting familiar with these brands can give you a feel for the puzzles most commonly used in competitive events.

I hope you found this post helpful, but just remember the most important part. Enjoy the process. Speed is fun, but the joy of puzzling comes from that little click when everything falls into place.

Happy puzzling!