In an ideal situation, you have all the time in the world to write a great essay. But things don’t always work out in your favour. For one reason or another, you find yourself staring down a fast-approaching deadline, and you have to produce a good piece of work even with the limited time. It doesn’t matter whether the teacher created the time constriction or you put off writing the essay until the last minute. What you need now is to know how to write an essay quickly.
Change your mindset
Being under the pressure of time can make you panic and feel as though you don’t have enough time to complete the essay. You might even feel defeated before you’ve even started. But, to be successful, you need to shut out those negative feelings and get yourself in the right mindset for the seemingly arduous task ahead of you.
You might need to give yourself a pep talk and convince yourself that you can get it done and deliver an impressive essay. Have a goal to prove to yourself that you can take on the challenge, enjoy it and smash it in record time. Take a deep breath, focus, and get down to work!
Get rid of the distractions
You don’t have much time, so you can’t afford distractions from your phone and social media networks. Every minute counts! The fewer distractions you have, the more you can concentrate and the more you can get done. Procrastination is also not an option at this late stage. Ban yourself from your phone and any other distractions. Pick a quiet spot and turn on any productivity programs on your computer, like a full-screen text editor, to force yourself to look at your essay and nothing else. You can also get browser apps that keep you off social networks for a period of your choosing.
Once you have the right mindset and environment, it’s time to start writing your essay quickly.
Plan your time
You have a limited amount of time to have the paper ready. You have to make the most out of each minute available to you. That’s why you need to plan your time. If you have 30 minutes to complete the essay, set aside 10 minutes for outlining, 15 minutes for writing the body of the essay, and 5 minutes for revision.
If you have an hour, redistribute the time accordingly. Generally, at least 20% of your time should be spent on structuring, 50% on writing and shaping the essay’s body and the rest for revision.
Ditch the ink and grab your laptop
Most people type faster than they write. So unless you’ve been told the essay must be hand-written, type it.
By typing, you cut down the time spent writing the essay by almost half because you don’t have to write it and then type it. Typing on your computer is a good tip when learning how to write a good essay fast.
A typed document will also be easier for your teacher to read than a hand-written document. What’s more, you won’t suffer an achy arm when you complete the essay, which is an added bonus.
Read your essay question and understand it
Take time to read and understand the question of the essay. If you understand it vaguely, you’ll be forced to go back to it multiple times when you should focus on writing. Answer the question in your head so you have an idea of what you want to write about. If you have a problem getting started, brainstorm by writing down anything that comes to your mind and then chooses what fits the essay best.
Research to the point
If you’re not conversant with the essay topic or question, take some time to research. However, the research has to be on point. Look for the most specific information, and search for key concepts you will use in your paper. Remember, you don’t have a lot of time to complete the essay. You have to make your research brief and concise. Get to the points that apply and have value to your essay.
Write down the key sentences for each paragraph
You need strong and concise sentences that hook and relay information at the beginning of your paragraph. Because you’ve already drafted the paragraphs in the outline, it shouldn’t be hard to come up with the sentences. Normally, this won’t take more than a couple of minutes because you can come back and write the rest.
Make a solid introduction and conclusion
Write a hook preceding your thesis statement. A quote, a relevant anecdote in a sentence or two, or even some statistical information related to your topic is a great way to start. Towards the end of the introduction, make a transition to the body of your essay. The conclusion summarises the thesis statement and links it to the evidence you provide in the body paragraphs. The purpose of the conclusion is to put the information in your paper into context. Just like the introduction, writing a conclusion for your essay is just as crucial.
Spare some time for revision
Writing an essay under the pressure of time increases the chances of making errors. Sparing some time for revisions is crucial to avoid submitting an error-ridden essay. You might have done some of the proofreading as you go along, but you will need one last read before the essay is ready for submission.
Closing Remarks
Writing an essay quickly is more about planning than actual writing. Knowing how to spend each minute and fully use it increases your chances of delivering top-quality work that doesn’t look like it was hastily put together. The outline suggested above should help you prepare yourself mentally and plan yourself adequately to give you the best chance of scoring top marks in the essay.
