It is the dreaded assignment. It can be the hardest type of homework or project for a class and can determine your final grade too. They are usually assigned weeks–or months–in advanced and the teacher expects you to work on it during that time. However, most of that time will be spent hanging out with friends, watching TV, playing video-games and other fun things. It won’t be until the last minute that something is cranked out and presented to the teacher, after spending an all-nighter to finish it. It is the essay, term paper, written opinion–whatever you want to call it, it is still avoided like the plague.
So, how exactly can you finish the essay without stressing yourself out and pulling an all-nighter? Easy! Here are 10 ways to stay focused on an essay.
Write in increments.
Instead of just focusing on the main goal of getting the paper finished, think of the essay as a step-by-step process. Most papers are set up that way when written, anyway. There is an introduction paragraph (or thesis), then usually three to four supporting paragraphs and then a closing paragraph. Once you are assigned the project, section off the paper and only work on one or two parts for a week or day, it depends entirely on how much time the teacher has given you to finish the paper.
This will make the work load a lot easier to handle. This is why you’re given so much time in the first place: to think things out, research, edit and create a pretty awesome essay. This is especially easier when you have other projects to do, too.
Before you know it, you’ll have a finished paper and extra time to water your crops in FarmVille.
Do the hard stuff first.
Though it might sound horrible, getting the hard or tedious stuff done first will make the writing process a lot smoother. Do your research first, figure out what information you will want to use and even possibly which parts you want to quote in your paper. Keep a mock Works Cited list of all of your different outlets of research until you have a final list of stuff you actually used. Highlight, underline, memorize, re-write any sort of information you want to use so it is easier to refer back to once you start writing your essay.
“But,” you ask “what if my entire paper is hard and tedious?” Figure out what you find the easiest to do and do it last, figure out the harder portion first because they are going to take a bit more time to complete.
Ban yourself from the Internet, video-games, etc.
Find a place where you can’t get access to the stuff that distracts you. Go to your school’s library, the public library, the coffee shop–wherever you can get work done. Cut off yourself from the outside world by turning off your cellphone and switching the Wi-Fi off on your laptop (or find a place where you can’t find a connection that you can mooch off of). Make it so you have to focus on your paper, nothing else.
Though this is probably the hardest thing to do, it is a must. Most of our homework and study time gets lost to Facebook or just randomly surfing the Internet. To make it even easier, if you’re using all online resources, get them printed off and ready to use by your side so you don’t become distracted by the web when researching.
Write in groups.
Though this can end up being a distraction, a ‘study group’ for an essay can work wonders, too. Find a place to work, whether it is at someone’s house or the library, and use each other for feedback and even reference. Someone in your group might know more about a topic than you previously thought, or, they understand the dynamics of writing an essay better and can proof-read your work.
Also, being surrounded by people who are working on the same goal can help you focus better.
The incentive method.
This is a type of method that is cited a lot in how to articles. It basically states that if you give yourself a goal to reach after finishing the essay–say, for example, you get to go shopping or play that new game you just got after you finish your project. While this is a good method, it is not exactly the best. This can take a lot of control, because some of us might think “Oh, well, I’ll just go and do what I want to do right now to clear my head,” and then the essay will be completely put off until the last minute.
Rather, the incentive method also needs lots of concentration and self-control. You should also think of being distracted as a type of punishment; you’ll be working much more on the essay rather than doing the stuff you want to do. Psyche out your own mind to think that this essay must be done or else there will be consequences: failing the class, getting in trouble for a bad grade, maybe even losing a scholarship. Reward yourself when it is finally over!
Make your own due dates.
While the teacher will give you due dates for when your final draft is due and maybe even a first draft or your thesis, also give yourself due dates on how much progress you make. This goes hand-in-hand with the writing in increments method. Write in small bursts and give yourself a date when you should be finished with certain parts of the essay. Plan it out across the time given to you by the teacher. Seeing progress being made and certain hurdles being accomplished can make you feel like things are actually getting done.
Make time of quiet time in class.
Do you have periods in your other classes where you have a moment to catch up on work? Well, you can also use that time to work on your essay. Once you have completed whatever you needed to get done, start cracking on that paper! This is possibly some of the best moments for writing an essay, because you won’t be distracted by a lot of things and are in a working environment.
Though it might be tempting to just sit there and text your friend, make use of the time given to you–you see less of it when you are college, anyway.
Free write.
A lot of people don’t like to brainstorm and organize their thoughts before diving into an essay (me included). However, free writing can be a lot simpler to do and can help you in the long run for those longer essays. Instead of drawing out brainstorming bubbles or creating a rough draft, just write whatever is on your mind about the topic of your essay. Get all of your thoughts out, no matter how silly it may sound. The point of free writing is to just essentially get everything unto paper with no limitations of sentence structure, grammar and so forth.
Once you have all of your thoughts out, start piecing together what would work in your essay and then ditch the less supporting stuff. This can be used as an outline later on and help you breeze through that paper quicker because your thoughts are already down on paper and ready to be refined.
Take a break or sleep on it.
Overworking yourself can result in a writer’s block and eventually nothing can be done about it. This is another method that is referred to numerous times in study guides. Take a break from the essay for a few hours–don’t even think about it. Eat something, watch some television or get out for a bit; whatever helps to get the creative juices flowing again.
And lastly…Don’t sweat it. Just do it.
However you slice it, you have to get the work done in order to get the grade and move on with your life. Fussing over an essay eats at the time you could be spending to get it done and being able to hang out with friends or just relaxing. If you feel like your writing is a bit weak, have someone you know who is good with writing read it over for you and help you out–just don’t bribe them to do it!
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