4 Tips for Staying Motivated on Long Writing Assignments

When you first get an assignment for a big writing project, you may not be sure what the project requires and if you have the tools to stay motivated. The key to victory is creating a game plan to help you stay focused on the goal—successfully completing your assignment.

Don’t let an extensive writing project overwhelm you. Here are four tips for staying motivated on long writing assignments.

Make a plan

As soon as you get your assignment, start on the right foot by planning not only what you want to write, but also how you will prepare to do so. First, decide on your topic. That will help you set progress goals and have a clearer focus when doing your research or other preparation. For example, if the assignment is to analyze the impact of an invention from the 19th century, don’t just identify photography as your subject—be more specific by examining the impact of photography on a specific aspect of culture such as art, communication, or politics.

When you’re ready to start researching your topic more thoroughly, set up a system for organizing your note taking and copies of any source material you may need to reference later.

Create an outline

Outlines are a great tool for keeping any kind of writing assignment focused and organized.  Outlines are especially important for longer writing assignments since you’ll be juggling a lot of information all at once. Try outlining in stages, starting with a basic vision for each aspect of your essay to expand on later. Then, fill in details as you learn more about your topic and formulate your important points. An outline can also help you identify gaps in your research and see where you need to delve deeper to present a well-rounded paper.

Set goals and reward yourself

The most important way to stay on task with any large project is to break it into smaller pieces. This will help you avoid procrastination and prevent burnout from working long hours to finish. When you get your assignment, establish incremental deadlines leading up to the due date. Make separate deadlines for research, outlining, and your first draft. Once you start the writing...

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