Get ahead of the game and meet your deadlines by following these steps.
Essays, coursework, and other assignments can be stressful, especially when the deadline is tomorrow. Here are some tips on working to deadlines.
Keep your deadlines visible
Forgetting about an assignment until right before the deadline when it’s too late is an easy mistake to make when you’ve got lots of other things on your plate. Writing your project deadlines on a wall planner, whiteboard, or on your phone will remind you of what you have got to do.
Another way you can stay on top of your assignment dates is to install a countdown app on your phone. This ensures that you know exactly how much time you have got to do your work and can plan accordingly.
Start early
It sounds obvious, but getting ahead is the best way to avoid leaving your deadlines until the last minute. Just making a start, whether that’s doing some research, or writing a brief outline of what you want to include in your project will set you up for successful submission. Starting early gives you time to review and polish your work, as well as the opportunity to ask for any guidance if you need it.
Most importantly, starting early can help to reduce stress in the long run, as you won’t have to deal with that last-minute panic if you’ve already done your work. Keeping on top of your assignments will help you to keep on top of your well-being.
Avoid putting it off due to lack of motivation
If you’re feeling mentally exhausted, then it’s not the best idea to start an important assignment. However, try not to fall into the trap of waiting until you’re ‘in the right mood’ and feeling motivated, as you are more likely to end up putting it off until the last minute.
Even if you don’t feel like writing a load of paragraphs out, do 20 minutes of research or planning. Making a start, no matter how small, may motivate you enough to do more than 20 minutes and, if it doesn’t, at least you’ll have done something.
Break the work down into manageable chunks
Breaking your work down into bite-sized pieces will make it less overwhelming and simpler to spread the work out over multiple days, which is easier than trying to do it all in one go the night before. For example, one chunk could be some research on the topic and gathering sources, while another could involve forming a plan of your key points and essay chapters. Plan to do one chunk each day or every other day, and you’ll start making good progress well ahead of the deadline.
Set goals
It’s important to have realistic goals for each of your study sessions. For example, rather than your goal being, ‘I’ll write the whole essay tomorrow,’ it might be more useful to have a goal like ‘I’ll write the introduction and the first paragraph tomorrow morning.’ This is important because achieving a goal will help you feel more productive and, ultimately, more motivated.
Rewarding yourself for achieving your goal may also improve your motivation and help you get your work done sooner, rather than leaving it to the last minute.
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