The activities we engage in as students go beyond studying. Incorporating a job and an everyday social life can be challenging. With our schedules and assignments so packed, we forget to check them. No matter how much we promise to complete our obligations early, we still put them off until the last minute.
Submitting an essay within a couple of hours can cause overwhelming stress. Fortunately, this article explains how you can finish your paper quickly while maintaining high-quality standards. You will find some tips and tricks here that will be useful whenever you are in such a situation. So, read on to find out.
Tips For Writing Last-Minute Essays
Last-minute essays give you shivers. No matter how early you plan to start, you are always in a race against time. This writing does not equate to compromising quality. Here are some smart ways to complete your last-minute essay.
Don’t Panic
Your anger, self-loathing, and guilt are at this point. The college essay keeps looming over your head, and you hate yourself for putting it off. Such thoughts are inevitable, but thinking about them will only distract you and make it difficult for you to concentrate.
You must stop panicking and start actively working toward it to approach a last-minute essay effectively. Creating a positive workspace and mindset is crucial for maximizing its potential.
Avoid Distractions
You start working on your college essay, and then you receive a phone notification, and before you know it, you have spent the next few hours doing everything but writing your essay. Nothing is worse than getting distracted and losing track of time, but you must remind yourself of this.
Since you have limited time, paying complete attention to an essay at the last minute is best. Don’t get distracted by Instagram, Netflix, or even your friends; concentrate on your paper.
Prepare an Outline
You may need more time to work on your essay outline. Structured essays are always worth writing.
With an outline, you make sure you cover all the essential points and maintain a logical flow. With a research paper, for instance, your design should include the following sections:
- Title
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methodology
- Results
- Conclusion
- References and Citations
After establishing these, you can write out the points you plan to cover in each section.
Create Micro-Deadlines
The ideal situation would be to finish the essay all at once, but we all know that’s impossible. As we get older, we reach a point of exhaustion, and attempting to work beyond that leads to failure.
Keeping a mini-deadline after determining your college essay length or other amounts of work you have and breaking your writing into parts will help you avoid writer’s burnout. Consider finishing three sections in four hours and then relaxing. The more you detail the paper, the clearer your mind will be.
Speed Up Your Typing
Slow writers will find it challenging to finish their essays quickly. The faster you type, the quicker you can complete your writing. What are some ways you can speed up your typing? As you type, maintain good posture and avoid looking at your screen at an angle. Elevate your wrists slightly and rest your elbows on the table.
Keep your hands off the keyboard as you type. As a result, you will type faster. Time-saving tools can help you write and edit faster. Are you interested in saving time? You can automate some editing and writing processes to save time and get your work done more quickly.
Proofread
It is crucial to proofread your college essay regardless of your available time. It becomes evident even more when writing in a hurry.
An essay with grammatical and formatting errors would be the last thing you want to submit after putting so much effort into it. Don’t rush through proofreading your essay; take your time. It would be best to share a copy of your work with your parents or friends.
Take Short Breaks
You still have time to take short breaks while writing your college essay, even if it is the last minute and you have to finish it fast. The mental and physical strain of sitting at a desk for too long can impede your writing ability.
Clogged minds inhibit the flow of ideas, and you may not weave meaningful sentences together. Hence, taking short breaks of five to ten minutes is a good idea, after which you can return to your table and write fresh.
Conclusion
It is not ideal for writing an essay at the last minute, but it is often unavoidable. Next time you’re in a similar situation, avoid panicking and randomly approaching the report. Instead, follow these smart tips, and keep your time constraints from affecting your quality.