by Rachel Robinson

There are few things more intimidating to a student (or, for that matter, any writer) than a blank page. Sometimes, the empty screen staring back at you can appear to reflect your state of mind: empty. At this point in the writing process it’s common to feel overwhelmed at the amount of work still to be done, and simply thinking about the due date doesn’t necessarily make the ideas or writing any better. As philosophy students, writing papers is something that we’re familiar with, yet that doesn’t mean that we don’t occasionally fall prey to the beast that is procrastination. As a former Peer Tutor at the Write Place at King’s College at UWO, and as someone who’s written her fair share of papers, here are a few ideas to help you cope with the temptation to wait until tomorrow to work on that assignment.

• Brainstorm. Before trying to write down anything formal, begin by writing everything that you know about the topic at hand. Set a time limit – say, 15 minutes – and in that time write down any possible ideas and trains of thought that occur to you about the topic. Don’t worry about the spelling, grammar or sentence structure at this point in time – the idea is just to get your mind thinking and engaged with the topic.
• Look at your brainstorming. You will (hopefully!) be surprised at how much you already know about the topic, and what great potential some of those ideas have. Sometimes, just seeing that you have an opinion can be encouraging, even if you don’t end up using all of your rough work.
• Pay attention to when you get your ideas. Sometimes, our best ideas for papers come to us during our down-time. For example, I find that brushing my teeth is often when I have a major idea for a paper, and I have to write it down on a post-it afterwards so that I don’t forget it later on. This doesn’t mean that it’s alright to spend days just waiting for inspiration – often we don’t have that kind of luxury. Rather, I mean to take time away from your work so that your mind can renew itself, instead of just obsessing over how little you feel that you’ve accomplished.
• Similar to the previous point: write down your ideas when they come to you! Too many times we’ll say something interesting or useful in conversation, and then forget what it was when it’s time to write. Literally writing down your idea, instead of just making a mental note of it, will make it easier to remember later on when you’re at the computer.
• Set up a schedule for writing – and actually stick to it. You probably know your writing style, and how many pages or words you can comfortably write per day. Do your best to set aside some time each day for writing, and don’t worry if it isn’t your best possible work. During the writing period, it’s important just to organize and explain your project in your own words. Having a daily goal to accomplish will help to make sure that the paper is being worked on, and not being neglected until the last day. If possible, write at the same time each day, when you’re at your most focused. This is habit-forming, and your mind will know to write during that period.
• When possible, wait a day in between writing your first draft and editing it. The mind needs time to step away from the project, and come back to it with a fresh perspective.
• Leave ample time for proof-reading. While proof-reading isn’t the most exciting part of the writing process, it is definitely necessary. This is the time to be harsh with your work. Read each sentence out loud (or, better yet, have someone else read the work out to you) and make sure that what you intend to say is actually what you’ve written down.