Essay season is upon us, especially for English majors such as myself. Even though I do enjoy writing a lot more than I like studying or taking tests, it can be stressful to have two fifteen-page papers, two three-page papers, and one six-page paper due roughly in the same time period. I’ve discovered a few things that I’ve found to be extremely helpful in reducing my anxiety and helping me reach that word count with plenty of time to spare.
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Start far in advance
I know this one’s hard, especially if the due date isn’t until weeks away. But I know I’d rather do one page every few days for three weeks than pull an all-nighter writing ten pages at once!
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Set deadlines
I like to pace myself by setting my own “due dates” for a certain number of pages and marking these dates in red pen on my calendar. If a ten-page paper is due in two weeks, I might try to write one page every day for ten days and use the other four days to edit.
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Step away
If you spend four hours staring at your computer screen doing nothing but writing, eventually you’re going to get burned out. Take time every hour or so to listen to music, go to the gym, talk to friends, watch Netflix, or go for a walk. You’ll feel much better and come back with renewed energy to focus on your paper!
Good luck, and happy essay season!