How To Focus On Assignment Writing: 5 Things To Do
Have you ever found yourself staring at blank screens for thirty minutes, unable to start writing an assignment with your mind as blank as the screen? Assignment writing in school and college can be tough. You might not feel like working and put it off, procrastinating till the deadline.
Research shows that at least 80 per cent of college students are procrastinators. You might be one yourself, but that doesn’t mean you are lazy or incompetent. In fact, social psychologist Devon Price suggests that you might have anxieties about your performance or you might not understand the assignment.
Procrastination is the death of productivity. It is, however, manageable. Psychology professor Josh Wede suggests that the only way to get around procrastination is to stop staring at a blank page and start writing lists or outlines.
When the blank page has content, you automatically feel geared to start filling more of the page.
But how do you fill this page? It’s simple: you follow this guide for assignment writing.
1. Time Yourself – Learn To Plan And Set Deadlines
Assignment writing can be overwhelming in general, but it is more overwhelming when you are racing against the deadline. The solution: set your own deadlines.
Get started two weeks ahead of time and plan to finish a day before you have to submit. Plan three phases for the assignment: a research phase, a writing phase, and an editing phase. Spend the longest time writing and researching.
You also need to make sure that you get the assignment done well before the deadline. This will let you have more time for proof-reading and fact-checking. Make sure to fix those pesky typos!
2. Break It Down: Make Assignment Writing Easier
One of the things that can cause anxiety is the sheer scale of some assignments. You can draw a blank just wondering what to write. But it can get easier if you break down the tasks. Just as you would work in three phases, you could break down the phases into smaller goals and tasks.
Need to research Cleopatra? Start with her early life, then her coronation and early political career, and then move onto her later rule. Breaking down tasks can give you a concrete and simplified roadmap of what to do and when to do it.
3. Self-Care: Take A Break From Assignment Writing
You can sometimes forget to take yourself while working on assignments. The hectic pace of student life can mean you don’t sleep, eat, drink, or rest while studying. This can go very badly.
Not only does this impact your physical and mental health, but it can also affect your academic performance.
When you are not well-rested, how can you focus on an assignment? When you rely on caffeine to stay awake, how can you keep anxiety levels low?
Assignment Writing can be a grueling process, so be sure to give yourself plenty of short breaks. You need to eat, bathe, exercise, and listen to music. You are a human, and you need to practice self-care for any academic success.
4. Note It Down: Make Notes For Each Assignment
Assignment Writing cannot work if you do not make detailed notes. When you are researching, take note of every date, event, quote, and statistic. This will help get material for your assignment and help create an outline.
When you have to write an essay on Poland, search all the interesting facts about the country and compile them in a notebook or an electronic document. At the end of your research, look through your notes.
Do you notice any interesting facts, patterns, or arguments about the country? Have you gathered more information about its culture, its economy, or its politics?
Details like these will help you with the direction of your essay, and you can outline your basic arguments, including evidence from the notes.
5. Keep Your Eye On The Prize: Manage Your Distractions
Distractions can be a major detriment in the writing process. This is why you need to allot a particular space and time for your writing. Always work in particular time slots in the day and a clear, distraction-free zone.
For instance, you can write continuously from 5 to 6 pm in a quiet room with comfortable seating and writing tables. These writing sprints will help you get focused, organized, and productive.
Other than writing sprints, going offline is a major help in writing assignments. When you are writing, turn off all of your apps and devices and just focus on the assignment at hand.
Writing is hard work, but you can get through it with a little perseverance and a little help. If you are ever facing a short deadline, don’t sweat. Buy assignments from EssaysnAssignments, and you will get a finished assignment in no time.