This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Penn chapter.
It happens to everyone. We’ve all waited until very last minute, until it’s down to the wire, to start a paper due the next day. It’s stressful, especially since we have no one to blame but ourselves. Just remember that people have been doing this successfully since the very first generation of college students. With these tips, you can do it, too.
1. Organize, organize, organize!
Organization is the most critical step. Approaching a last minute paper haphazardly will create a poor end product, and ultimately, force you to spend more time on the assignment than strictly necessary. Sit down, read the prompt carefully, and create a skeleton for the paper. Ideally, you can take this outline and simply begin to fill it in. As you begin to find the sources that you will use, go ahead and cite them as you write. It’ll end up saving you the task of going back through all your material and searching for the quotes you used. Every minute counts.
2. Take breaks!
Writing a quality paper, even the night before its due date, is a marathon – not a sprint. Pace yourself. Once you accomplish a section on your outline, take a short break. Check your email, make a snack, go out and buy a coffee. Nothing long, but take at least five minutes away from the computer to recharge. Taking a scheduled break is actually a great way to prevent yourself from wasting time. If you know you have a break coming up, it motivates you to finish the section you are working on, and also prevents you from deciding to check Facebook and accidentally spending 30 minutes on your newsfeed. The last thing you want is to find yourself staring at the computer screen, eyes glazed over, minutes ticking by as your brain stalls. While you are writing, focus only on writing. When it’s time for a break, focus on absolutely anything else.
3. Proofread!
All of your hard work is spoiled if you don’t check it before handing it in. If you fail to proof read, all your professor will see are the glaring typos and run on sentences. After you finish writing, congratulate yourself and take a break, but then force yourself to sit back down and reread what you’ve written. Send it to a friend you know is still awake, and have them read it, too. You’ll be surprised at the mistakes your eyes skipped over. Wake up early the next morning and read it one final time. Then you can hand in a truly well-done final product. No one ever has to know it was written the night before.
Image courtesy of : BestDelegate.