You’ll find that once you do, you feel more accomplished, more able to stick to a plan, and much more able to stay focused on homework!
However you break it down is up to you and how many words you want the final essay to be.
I always like to organize my research into easy-to-read notes, and many times I’ve used index cards to write down each fact and then you can arrange the index cards into the structure you want your essay to take later on.
Once you have your outline down, it’s time to figure out how many words should go in each section.
Study Tools You Need RIght Now
This seems like extra work up front, but writing an essay that is properly outlined and has word counts attached to it can give you motivation because you see that it is already starting to come together before you even start writing. Suddenly, it seems a lot easier and that’s what encourages us to forge ahead.
Writing essays is an essential part of school and college life, but most people dread writing them.
Especially if you’re writing for a high school paper, a lot of times it can be a good idea to start with a quote in your introduction.
Remember that the quote doesn’t always have to exactly be about your topic or have the exact wording of your topic, but maybe it’s from an important person that you’re writing about in your essay or they’re talking about a general concept that you’re including in your essay.
Regardless, looking for quotes surrounding your topic is a great idea to give yourself some inspiration to write an essay and give you the motivation to start.
Once you have your outline down, it’s time to figure out how many words should go in each section.
It could be something small like a television show you watch or, if the essay is part of a longer string of assignments, taking an hour break afterwards.
6. Look Up Quotes
Sure, some essays already have the topic handed out and in that case, you don’t have much of a choice, but many times you do.
Writing essays is an essential part of school and college life, but most people dread writing them.
This seems like extra work up front, but writing an essay that is properly outlined and has word counts attached to it can give you motivation because you see that it is already starting to come together before you even start writing. Suddenly, it seems a lot easier and that’s what encourages us to forge ahead.
If it’s truly the motivation to write the essay that you struggle with and not the difficulty, team up with a friend and plan writing sessions where you set goals for how far along in your essays you want to be by the end of it.
You should also create a deadline to go along with this goal. When do you need to complete the work by?
If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to keep writing after you start a project, we’ve put together a list of 10 ways to motivate yourself to write.
The funny thing is, that writing you cranked out in 5 or 10 minutes might be the best thing you write all day.
At my desk, I have a picture of a sheep. Yes, really, a sheep. I write with the goal of being able to afford enough land to have my own flock of sheep.
4. Set a goal.
Even the most well-disciplined writer can struggle with motivation to finish a story or writing assignment.
Having a friend you meet with regularly to talk about writing can help you stay motivated. Find a friend who loves to write, or just likes to read. Schedule a regular time every week or every two weeks to talk about what new things you are writing.
Whatever your goal is, it should be measurable. How will you know you met the goal?
I still keep track of business metrics. But I try not to let them spoil the joy of content creation.
You love writing, but sometimes … you wonder why you torture yourself so much.
The opposite might be true: you can only write well for your readers if you also write for yourself.
[Monet] loved to paint and, indeed, he lived to paint—and yet he claimed to find painting an unremitting torment. “This satanic painting tortures me,” he once wrote to a friend, the painter Berthe Morisot. To a journalist he said: “Many people think I paint easily, but it is not an easy thing to be an artist. I often suffer tortures when I paint. It is a great joy and a great suffering.
2. Focus on the process rather than your goal
Do you know the feeling?
Will this be good enough? Will people like it? Will I ever be able to finish it? Is it worth all this effort? Do I seem silly? Do I sound boring?
When I think about these personal benefits of writing, I stop getting upset about being a slow writer. I get less frustrated. I procrastinate less. And I enjoy my writing more.
Many writers slouch in chairs that don’t support their backs (they may even write in bed), tapping away at tiny keyboards in poorly lit rooms that force them to squint. They’re usually bumping elbows into something too, like the arm of a chair. Their heads are forward, their shoulders are hunched, and their wrists … well. Carpal tunnel syndrome, anyone?
No one can do anything well when they’re coming into it cold. You need to warm up and get into the rhythm before you can write something amazing.
Build a routine that you follow each time you want to write. For example, go for a 15-minute walk. Or listen to two rockin’ songs as you set up your laptop on the porch. Make a cup of tea or coffee. Put on your special writing hat.
You need a window of writing opportunity that stays wide open — and that can’t be shut by someone else.
Second step: Get some space
I bet this sounds familiar to some of you: You get an idea, sit down to write, start that first sentence … and your kid hollers at you. Or your partner comes home from work and wants to spend time with you. Or your email keeps filling up with client stuff.
I have a coffee and clear out my email so that I can ignore new ones for an hour or two. No stress. Then I break my mental state from “email processing” by getting up to walk around for five minutes. I loosen up, relax and step outside for a few breaths of fresh air.
If you’ve carved out time to write, go the distance and carve some space as well. Find a brightly lit room that makes you feel good about being in it. Get a good desk for your computer, and sit straight in a proper chair, with no arms to bump into or rest elbows on.
Your smooth writing flow is gone with the wind, my friend. Sayonara.