Procrastinating is a problem for both students and professional writers.Fear of failure, lack of interest in the topic, embarrassment, and a desire to simply be doing anything else are some of the causes of writing procrastination.If you organize your time and break it down into manageable chunks, you can avoid staring at a blank screen for hours.Try to set aside enough time and not put too much pressure on yourself because it's normal to Procrastination a bit.
Step 1: Break the essay into smaller pieces.
A good way to organize your work is to break it down into smaller pieces.If you do this, you will be able to progress through the essay piece by piece, stay focused and measure your progress more easily.You will never be too far from the end of a particular task if you have clearly defined sections of work.If you start with a blank page and want to write the entire essay in one sitting, it will be very difficult.This could cause you to be lazy.Research, essay plan, introduction, first draft, part one of essay, conclusion, referencing, and proofreading are some of the blocks you could use.It is easier to maintain motivation if you know you are only doing one thing at a time.
Step 2: You should set a limit on the research you do.
There is a need for a thorough knowledge of a subject before a person can begin writing.For others, the research is the more enjoyable part of the assignment, where there is less pressure and you can browse the internet and books without putting pen to paper.Remember that you are writing an essay, not a book, so you need to limit the amount of research you do and not let it take up all your time.You won't be able to finish your essay on time if you end it down a rabbit hole.If you have made a lot of notes on your research, you won't be able to use them all in your essay.Try to keep your research focused on the topic of your essay and avoid the temptation to broaden it out too far.
Step 3: Make a to-do list.
You can organize your priorities once you break your tasks down into manageable sections.Drawing up a to-do list will help you see how much work you have to do and how long it will take.Attach deadlines to each job by structuring your list around the sections you have already identified.If you want to finish your research two weeks before the essay is due, write it down on your list and stick to it.It is possible to give yourself a set number of pages or words to write each day.A good daily target is two pages or 1000 words.As you complete them, be sure to cross off items.This can be enjoyable.As you progress, your list of tasks will diminish, which will help you to maintain focus and motivation.
Step 4: Put together a time schedule.
You need to plan your time around these jobs once you have broken down all your tasks and organised them into a list of things to do.You can set aside time each day to work on your essay by going through your diary.Try to assign tasks to specific times.You could write Monday 7pm - 8pm: revise introduction.The amount of time each task will take you should be realistic.Being too optimistic about how quickly you can work can cause you to be behind schedule right from the start.It is very personal and different people have different approaches to writing, so think about whether you are someone who writes freely but needs more time to proofread.Maybe you write more slowly, but your writing is accurate.
Step 5: The schedule should include non-work activities.
You should not forget about the world outside the essay when you are working on it.Go through your timetable and mark the times when you are usually occupied with other work, social, family and sporting activities.To give you a break from the essay, try to protect some of these.This schedule will show you how much time you have to do the essay, which is likely to be less than you think.You will be able to plan your work schedule more effectively if you have a clear picture of how you are spending your time.You might think you have two weeks to do the essay, but once you factor in all your commitments you can see the number of free hours shrinks dramatically.
Step 6: Blocks of time can be used.
You might think that you need to set aside a couple of hours in order to make it worthwhile when you are scheduling in time to work.This is not necessarily the case.One hour blocks, or 50 minutes with a 10 minute break, may be the best way to organize your schedule, but if you concentrate you can still get a good amount of work done.
Step 7: Don't change the schedule.
It's important that you stick to your schedule and push through any rough patches.Clear goals can help motivate you.If you lose essay time doing something else be sure to make it up later.As you progress through your work, reward yourself.Anything from a cup of tea to a break watching an episode of something on TV can be a good reward to work towards.Taking breaks can help you study more effectively.The Pomodoro Technique encourages you to set a timer for a certain period of time, such as 35 or 50 minutes, and then take a break when the timer rings.It's important to have a scheduled break, but you need to be careful not to extend it into a 30 minute break or a half hour break.Don't give yourself a hard time, but make up for lost time if you notice that a break has run on.You might need to take a break from other things to make up for it.
Step 8: Do you know how much time things take?
You can use the experience of writing an essay to improve your work in the future.Keep a record of how long certain tasks take.Remember this the next time you come to write an essay, if you find yourself spending more time on your introduction than you thought.Learning how long tasks actually take is an important part of improving your study skills.If you learn from the experience, you will be able to write the best essay every time.
Step 9: Pick a structure for your essay.
A complete plan for the structure of your essay is required before you begin writing.The plan will allow you to organize your thoughts before you start writing.One of the most important things to remember is to keep focused on the essay question.A basic structure for your essay is: introduction, discussion, conclusion.One way to plan an essay is to break the question down into sub-questions, but be sure to answer the main question fully.Sub-questions could include "What is the impact of nature?"What is the impact of nurture?You could ask questions such as "What are sources of nature and nurture?"You can have a clear argument in your essay if you plan.
Step 10: Write the drafts.
People delay because they don't feel they have enough knowledge of a topic or an idea of their argument.Procrastination is thought to be caused by the fear of failure.If you allow yourself to write a first draft that is not up to your usual standard, you will be able to counter this.This is not the finished article and nobody needs to see it apart from you.A first draft can give you an idea of what you want to write about.You can see where there are gaps and weaknesses in your knowledge and argument by analyzing a draft.If you see the draft, ask yourself if you are addressing the essay question.Ask a friend or fellow student if they think you're on track if you aren't sure.You can ask your teacher or professor to look over your essay if you finish the draft before the due date.You can use facilities such as tutoring or a writing center consultation.
Step 11: When you're writing, keep the word count in mind.
One way to keep in mind when writing an essay is to be aware of the page count.If you know how many pages or words you need to produce, you should try to stick to the outlines you give yourself.If you say your introduction will be half a page, stick to it.You can see the progress you are making in the essay if you keep the word count in mind.Monitoring the word count as you write and revise your essay will give you the best chance of producing a well-balanced and structured essay which doesn't end before you have fully made your argument.If you're having trouble meeting your word goals, try something silly such as Written Kitten, a website that rewards you with funny cat pictures for every set number of words you write.If you respond more to fear as a motivator, you can try Write or Die, which will sound alarms or start deletion of your writing if you don't meet your set goal in a certain timeframe.
Step 12: Give yourself time to read.
Before you submit your essay, you should set aside time to make some changes.Reading through your essay thoroughly will give you the best chance to analyze its strengths and weaknesses and ensure that you are focused on the essay question.You can see which parts you can cut out to get back under the limit if you go over the word or page limit.Think about the precision and concision of your language when you are checking it out.The passive voice makes your writing less clear."Your writing is made less clear by the passive voice, which you can see is wordier and not as clear."It's important to check that you've written and referenced it according to the style guidelines.The more practice you get, the better you will be at analyzing your writing in the future.
Step 13: It's a good idea to avoid distraction.
If you are trying to write an essay but you have other things on your mind, you should be able to Procrastination.Try to avoid distraction by finding a quiet comfortable place to work, switch off your phone and think about turning off the wi-fi on your computer.Even if you install browser applications that block specific websites like Facebook, you can still use the internet for research.Make sure everyone in your house knows you are studying.If music doesn't distract you, listen to it.For some people instrumental music can help them focus, but this doesn't work for everyone.
Step 14: Don't be negative.
Sometimes it can be helpful to try and modify your attitude towards the essay and think of it as an opportunity rather than a chore.Taking a positive attitude towards a task will help you stay focused.Think about the writing and research skills you are learning.Discuss the topics with your friends and classmates.You could join a writing group where you sit and write quietly in the same room.If you are going to discuss your essays together at the end, being in a room full of people writing can be a good motivational tool.