Careful time management will let you give equal attention to the content of your essay (what you’re saying) and the structure and grammar of your essay (how well you’re saying what you have to say).
It is important to divide your time so that you have equal amounts of time to write and edit, but you should also leave some time for planning and polishing.
For example, if you have 2 hours to write, divide it this way:
15 – 20 minutes to plan
- Brainstorm ideas, connections
- Outline
- Look up vocabulary in prompt
45 minutes to write first draft
- Don’t stop to look up words – make a box off to the side and list them
- Don’t stop to edit
45 minutes to proofread, look up words, etc.
- Print out rough draft (if possible)
- Read backwards from last sentence to first (out loud if possible)
- Check vocabulary, spelling, etc.
15 minutes to print final draft, add word count, etc.
- Print out final draft
- Add word count if your instructor requires it
- Review the instructions once to be sure that you have completed every part of the task
Marcella Spruce March 2017
