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How to Write a Paper in One Night
Need to finish a paper during the night?
While doing an assignment in the last minute and at night isn’t usually ideal, it’s not impossible. In fact, with the right mindset and dedication, you can write a high-quality paper in one night. Some people are just more productive at night.
So, what does it take to achieve this feat?
You can do a couple of things to make you a smart student when it comes to paper writing.
These are:
Choose a Comfortable Space and Carry Everything You Need
You will need to look for a comfortable and quiet room to achieve maximum concentration when you write at night.
Decide what materials and devices you will need to write your task and carry only that.
Bring water with you to keep you hydrated. And if you feel hungry at night, carry healthy snacks, too. Having everything you need will save you from taking frequent breaks to reach for something in another room.
Get Rid of Distractions Including Social Media
If you know you spend a lot of time on your phone at night, don’t bring it with you. And if you can’t stay long without it, take 5-minute breaks every 2 hours to check it.
Get rid of any other things that might also distract you when you write at night. That includes TV and gadgets you are not using for assignment purposes.
Use the One Hour Analyze and Understand the Assignment
Don’t dive into the writing process immediately because you are working at night. Take 30 minutes to 1 hour to thoroughly analyze the instructions and requirements.
- What does your professor want you to write?
- How long is the paper expected to be?
Analyze everything and set goals that you intend to achieve by the end of the one night.
If you haven’t been assigned a topic, you must develop one that you’ll write about. Pick a topic that’s manageable, easy to research, and find relevant literature on.
Break Down the Assignment and Set Time Limits
When you have a good idea of what the paper entails, break it down. You want it to be in manageable chunks that you can cover for most of the night.
Once you outline all the tasks you need to do, set timelines for each one. For example, you can set aside 1 hour between 10-11 to research and compile your sources.
Research Well and Organize Your Evidence
Once you know what you want to write about, i.e., your topic, it’s time to research it. Research is crucial as it gives you the information you need to write your paper.
Also, research will help you gather the references you will need to write your bibliography.
Since you are doing your paper at night, consider using online resources instead of books from the library.
In this case, ensure you define keywords to make your searches more specific. Also, going through your notes from previous lecturers can help you find one or more valuable references.
Some referencing tips you may find useful include:
- Find direct quotes quickly and easily by using Google Scholar;
- Gather as many sources as you can find within the time allocated and then sort them out;
- Take advantage of MS Word automatic referencing system to get the style right;
- Compile your citations as you write rather than doing them at the end.
Create a Paper Outline to Make Writing Easy
After the research stage, you have everything you need to write. Create an outline so that your work for the rest of the night remains, expanding your ideas.
A quick outline should be pretty straightforward.
For an essay, write an introduction, the body (list your ideas for each paragraph), and a conclusion.
Take a Breather Before Proofreading Your Paper
Once you write your paper, one final stage remains. And that is proofreading and editing.
Always took some time between writing your paper and proofreading (15-30 minutes). During this night break, do something that enables you to destress and unwind.
The process can take several minutes to one hour, depending on the paper’s length and your speed.
Final Words
Ensure that you conform to all the necessary steps of paper writing: planning, researching, writing, and proofreading.
If you have little time to write your paper, use the above-discussed tips to write your assignment faster. If you’re exhausted and still need to write a paper at night, try taking a 60-90-minute power nap first.
The important thing is making your night productive.
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