Students know it well that writing is a hard task, not just because of the technical aspects of writing but also because of the numerous distractions in real life. When you have to produce written content in a short span of time, you must be very careful about time management. In this post, we will provide some time-saving tips for writing essays. Here you will also find some tips on how to study better.
No matter what type of essay you are going to write, you should have familiarity with that particular type of essays. You can use a free essay database to find some ideas and inspiration. You should also have some knowledge about plagiarism checkers because a good plagiarism checker lets you know whether your content is original.
1. Remove all distractions
When you have very little time to complete an essay, you do not want to get distracted by electronic gadgets such as your smartphone. Don't think that your smartphone is a harmless device. It can certainly eat up your valuable time. When you are in a hurry, you don't have the luxury of indulging in procrastination.
Removing distractions is also one of the most important tips to study better. So, switch off your phone and take a short break from distractions such as YouTube, iPlayer, WhatsApp etc. Tell the people in your house that you are working on a very urgent assignment. Work in a silent room where you are not distracted by noise.
2. Read the question carefully
Working within a tight deadline has an obvious disadvantage: you tend to skim over important questions when you need to read them carefully and understand them. Once you have completed writing, you don't want to discover that you moved in the wrong direction. Changing the main focus of an essay is a very time-consuming process.
Make sure you clearly know what questions you need to answer. Don’t start writing until you have understood the question. If necessary, find the key instructional words and underline them. It will help you stay on track.
3. Type your text; avoid handwriting
These days, most students can type. Type your essay unless you have been instructed to handwrite it. A typed text is easier to edit than a handwritten text. If you can type fast, you will produce more words in a short period of time.
You teacher will also like it because typed document is easy to read. There is an added bonus of typing your text: you will not suffer because of an aching hand, and as a result, you can maintain a consistent speed when writing your essay.
4. Be very aware
Before you get started, you should have a clear idea about the requirements of the essay. Talk to your professor to know what he wants you to include in the essay. Ask questions and remember the answers when writing your essay. A free essay database can give you some useful ideas.
5. Mention the obvious
Build the foundation of your essay in the first 3 minutes after you to get started. By foundation, we mean position for a thesis statement. Clearly explain to your reader what your main argument is. State what the essay is about.
Once you are sure what you are going to write in the essay, it will be easy for you to maintain a logical sequence. Be direct and obvious. “Contend”, “dispute”, “explain”, “guide” and “survey” are some action-oriented verbs. Use more of them.
6. Manage your word count
To make sure you are not overwhelmed by the enormity of the task, you can divide the word count into sections. Draft a compact paragraph instead of working on the entire essay at a time. It will give you confidence that you are going to complete the essay.
When it comes to writing college essays, managing your word count is very important. You are trying to get the job done in a short time because you need to meet a deadline. Later, you can merge the drafted sections into other sections.
7. Borrow from yourself!
Stealing from other writers is never recommended. What you need to do is to borrow from yourself. How will you do so? If you have previously written essays, in some cases it is okay to cut and paste some phrases from those essays. This is a great way to lighten the process. You will get the job done faster.
However, too much of this practice is not recommended. Make sure that the borrowed material is adjusted appropriately, and fits the new essay. The essay you are writing should have enough new material. And in case you have to use some material from the Internet, use a plagiarism checker to check whether your content is 100% original.
8. Find your voice
You might have your own thoughts about how your essay should be read. Do not hesitate to express your philosophy and your personality in your writing because like every other writer, you are unique. Remember, your own voice is your brand. If you see some examples of great essays, you will find that each essay has a distinct tone.
When you have a tight deadline, following your own voice can be an advantage for you because you are relying less on external sources and more on your own thoughts and perceptions. Your writing flows when you stop striving to be someone else. Every student should try to find his or her own voice.
9. Write notes into the document
In some cases, your notes can be used as an essay plan, and it will certainly speed up your work. By notes, we mean one-sentence summaries. You can use the summaries to write paragraphs later on. You can also make bullet points of the evidences you are going to use in your essay. If you write your notes in this way, you will find it easy to make a sensible structure.
10. Do not copy and paste
By doing a little bit of research, you can find online what you are exactly going to write. And that may make you tempted to copy and paste text from the Internet. Always try to avoid it. Plagiarism is immoral. You can see samples of the type of the essay you are going to write, but you should not plagiarize. It is also a punishable crime.
If you plagiarize, you will not be able to go deep into your subject. This practice will make you poorly prepared for future exams. And if your teacher discovers that you have stolen the content from somewhere else, you will get the marks you deserve! It is easy to detect plagiarism because there are numerous plagiarism checkers.
The bottom line
Writing is a skill that gets better with practice. When you have a tight deadline, the main challenge is to maintain the quality of your writing. With enough dedication and practice, you will figure out how to write faster. We hope the tips provided in this post will help you.
