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How to Finish a Huge Assignment or Project Overnight

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The great American writer Mark Twain once said,

“Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.”

When we live by that advice, though, we sometimes find ourselves chugging concentrated coffee at 2 a.m. in a valiant effort to stay awake and finish a huge project that’s due in 6 hours.

As productive as I’d like to think I am… I’ve been there.

If you’ve been there as well – or maybe if you’re there right now – this week’s video is for you. I’m not going to waste time lecturing you about the importance of planning, there are other videos for that – let’s just look at the best plan of attack when you find yourself in a time crunch.

Now, we’re going to look at some specific concepts related to planning and willpower in a minute – The Impact Effort Matrix, Ego Depletion – but let’s start with the foundation: location selection .

I think your location is vital when you’re working under pressure, and personally I like to pick my study locations based on their “vibe” – that is, what’s going on around me. I tend to favor coffee shops and libraries – I still go to my university library at times even though I’ve graduated – because I work well when I’m surrounded by other people who are also working. Also, close proximity to caffeine is helpful.

The most important part of location selection, though, is avoiding the “call of the pillow”. When you’re studying in a time crunch, it’s likely you’ll be doing it late into the night. That’s why you want to get as far away from your bed as possible.

The later it gets, the more you’ll start rationalizing how good a nap might be and the more you’ll start deciding that certain parts of your project don’t matter. So pick a place where going to bed would be more effort than finishing the next part of your project.

That piece of business taken care of, it’s now time to plan your efforts . Before you start working, take some time to break down your workload into individual parts. Then, it’s time to figure out which ones should get the bulk of your attention.

Dwight Eisenhower often remarked that,

“What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.”

In the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , Steven Covey popularized the “Eisenhower Decision Matrix”, which is based on this principle. In the matrix, tasks are categorized based on their importance and urgency.

When you’re in a time crunch, though, everything can seem urgent – so importance is the factor you should focus on in this case. To that end, let’s use a similar but more fitting tool – the Impact/Effort matrix .

Here, tasks in a project are given scores based on their impact to the overall success of the project and the effort it will take to implement them. To illustrate how this works, here’s an example from my life.

When I was a senior in college, one of my final projects was building a web app. My idea was called AMPanic, and it was an app that would require you to log in and tell if you’re awake before a certain time – otherwise it would send an embarrassing email to someone. This was actually the precursor to the early wake-up system I use now, which I detailed in this video .

With this project, though, I found myself in a time crunch trying to finish it. So I broke my project down into different parts that I’d have to code and prioritized them using this Impact/Effort matrix.

The core functionality – the code that would let you set an alarm and an email message, the code that would schedule and send the email on time, and the function to cancel the email if the user checked in on time in the morning – those required a lot of effort to build, but they also had the highest impact on the project.

On the other hand, some parts of the site – like the About, FAQ, and Contact pages – didn’t have as high of an impact, but they were low-effort tasks. Since they didn’t take much time to create, I made sure to include them to make the site look more complete.

The main element of the site that I chose NOT to focus on was the user registration and login system. A proper one needs functions for resetting passwords, but I decided that the core alarm setting functionality would be more important to my grade since that was the point of the whole project. So I used a login system I had written for an old project and didn’t bother creating a way to reset passwords.

In the end, it was a worthwhile decision; the alarm system was more advanced than most of the other projects in the class, so I ended up getting an A.

To assign Impact/Effort scores to each component of your project – or each assignment if you’re juggling multiple – consider the following factors:

• What the core deliverables are
• The grading criteria for the project, what which components count for the most points
• What percentage of your grade each assignment counts for
• How much each component will contribute to the knowledge you need to have for tests, which usually impact your grade the most

Once you’e assigned scores to each component, I think it’s a good idea to tackle the ones with the highest impact and highest effort first. This is due to Ego Depletion – a phenomenon explained in Daniel Kahneman’s book Thinking, Fast and Slow . Citing research from the psychologist Roy Baumeister, he reveals that:

“…an effort of will or self-control is tiring; if you have had to force yourself to do something, you are less willing or less able to exert self-control when the next challenge comes around.”

Use the bulk of your willpower to complete the harder tasks first; that way, you’ll only have to deal with low-effort, high-impact tasks when you’re feeling drained.

That’s where we’re going to close for this week. If you select your location well, plan based on impact and effort, and tackle your tasks in a way that utilizes your willpower effectively, you’ll make if through your time crunch in one piece.

Need help finishing a personal project you’ve been procrastinating on? Read this next .

If you’re unable to see the video above, you can view it on YouTube .

Looking for More Study Tips?

You’ll find more tips on planning, study environments, and maintaining willpower in my free 100+ page book called 10 Steps to Earning Awesome Grades (While Studying Less) .

The book covers topics like:

• Defeating procrastination
• Getting more out of your classes
• Taking great notes
• Reading your textbooks more efficiently

…and several more. It also has a lot of recommendations for tools and other resources that can make your studying easier.

If you’d like a free copy of the book, let me know where I should send it:

I’ll also keep you updated about new posts and videos that come out on this blog (they’ll be just as good as this one or better) 🙂

Video Notes

• Eisenhower Decision Matrix
• Impact/Effort Matrix
• Ego Depletion

What other topics related to working under tight deadlines would you like to see covered in the future?

Do you have any additional tips? Share them below 🙂

If you liked this video, subscribe on YouTube to stay updated and get notified when new ones are out!

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How many times have you found yourself still staring at your textbook around midnight (or later!) even when you started your homework hours earlier? Those lost hours could be explained by Parkinson’s Law, which states, “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” In other words, if you give yourself all night to memorize those geometry formulas for your quiz tomorrow, you’ll inevitably find that a 30 minute task has somehow filled your entire evening.

We know that you have more homework than ever. But even with lots and lots to do, a few tweaks to your study routine could help you spend less time getting more accomplished. Here are 8 steps to make Parkinson’s Law work to your advantage:

1. Make a list

This should be a list of everything that has to be done that evening. And we mean, everything—from re-reading notes from this morning’s history class to quizzing yourself on Spanish vocabulary.

2. Estimate the time needed for each item on your list

You can be a little ruthless here. However long you think a task will take, try shaving off 5 or 10 minutes. But, be realistic. You won’t magically become a speed reader.

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3. Gather all your gear

Collect EVERYTHING you will need for the homework you are working on (like your laptop for writing assignments and pencils for problem sets). Getting up for supplies takes you off course and makes it that much harder to get back to your homework.

The constant blings and beeps from your devices can make it impossible to focus on what you are working on. Switch off or silence your phones and tablets, or leave them in another room until it’s time to take a tech break.

Read More: How to Calculate Your GPA

5. Time yourself

Noting how much time something actually takes will help you estimate better and plan your next study session.

6. Stay on task

If you’re fact checking online, it can be so easy to surf on over to a completely unrelated site. A better strategy is to note what information you need to find online, and do it all at once at the end of the study session.

7. Take plenty of breaks

Most of us need a break between subjects or to break up long stretches of studying. Active breaks are a great way to keep your energy up. Tech breaks can be an awesome way to combat the fear of missing out that might strike while you are buried in your work, but they also tend to stretch much longer than originally intended. Stick to a break schedule of 10 minutes or so.

8. Reward yourself! 

Finish early? If you had allocated 30 minutes for reading a biology chapter and it only took 20, you can apply those extra 10 minutes to a short break—or just move on to your next task. If you stay on track, you might breeze through your work quickly enough to catch up on some Netflix.

Our best piece of advice? Keep at it. The more you use this system, the easier it will become. You’ll be surprised by how much time you can shave off homework just by focusing and committing to a distraction-free study plan.

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An approaching deadline is a source of worry for most students! What if you realize you have an assignment due for submission tomorrow, and you haven’t even started writing it? It will put you in a state of worry! Right? 90% of students, in this case, started searching google or asking friends how to do an assignment in a day? 

Well! It’s time to put your worries aside as you have hit the right place. We have written this blog solely to answer this query and help you get stress free. After reading this blog, you can quickly write your assignment in a day. It seems Interesting, right? Keep reading to find out the recommended tips by experts!

13 Tips for you- How to do an Assignment in a Day!

With no further ado, you can dive right into the steps to know, “How to do an assignment in a day?”

1. A Productive Start to Your Day

When you ask how to do an assignment in a day, the first step would be to give a productive start to your day. Start your day off with a nutritious and energizing breakfast to provide your body and mind with the energy to stay organized and productive. You are now ready to begin working on your task. The most crucial step is to choose a suitable workplace, as this will ensure that you complete the task on time. It is preferable to turn off your phone and go somewhere peaceful, where you will not face any disturbance.

2. Plan Your Time

When your deadline is approaching, students often start writing assignments. But it is not the right way! To achieve optimal productivity, create a plan of action by dividing the time left in hand for doing different tasks. For example, if you only have 8 hours available, allocate an hour for research, two hours for brainstorming ideas and organizing points, four hours for writing the assignment, and an hour for proofreading and editing.

3. Overcome the Distractions

Do you feel that social media consumes all your time, but you can’t stop using it? Let me share a fact! Studies have shown that social media sites and other texting applications are two of the most common roadblocks to completing your homework before the deadline. To meet the deadline, you must try to overcome distractions in your life. Log off of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and do not speak with your buddies on Whatsapp for some time, as they will stop you from completing your assignment on time.

4. Understand the Topic and Read the Guidelines

Every assignment is usually centered on a single topic, and depending on the nature of the topic, students must provide an objective or subjective response. As a result, it’s critical to comprehend the problem and know what you’re supposed to write in the assignment. Also, read your professor’s directions carefully because you get all the requirements you must follow while completing the assignment. Therefore, you can prevent making serious errors in your assignment by spending a few minutes comprehending the topic and reading the instructions. 

5. Establish Deadlines

Establishing deadlines helps you effectively manage your time. Effective time management can make a huge difference in your ability to succeed. Set a deadline for every task you perform (for example, brainstorming, generating an outline, writing the entire assignment, and complying with the specific guidelines of your professor) and stick to your schedule. Remember to take some time out to refresh your head. Otherwise, you will not be in a position to complete your work.

6. 1-hour Extensive Research on the Topic

Although it may appear counterintuitive, students can conduct significant research on any topic in just one hour. Read all you can get your hands on regarding the subject to add to your knowledge bank. It will help if you read multiple perspectives and viewpoints on the same issue by skimming through pages of books and articles online. It guarantees that you have compiled all the essential details regarding the subject without going into extensive analysis. In less than an hour, you’ll have read all of the resources on the subject that will help you create your perspective. It is the best technique to conduct research when short on time.  

7. Make a Rough Note of all the Points you want to Include

After you’ve completed your research and written all the vital points, it’s time to brainstorm and consider the facts and data that will help you create your perspective. Make a list of all the points you wish to cover in your assignment. This stage ensures that you don’t get caught in your thoughts and don’t waste time reiterating your opinions when writing.

8. Form a Skeleton of your Assignment

Do you know what the skeleton of an assignment is? An introduction, a thesis statement, the body of the assignment, and a conclusion. Therefore, before you begin writing, make a skeleton by outlining all of your ideas and points on paper.

9. Spend Time Creating a Good Hook for your Introduction Paragraph

It is finally time to write after completing the preparation, researching, brainstorming, and constructing the skeleton of the paper. The way you begin an assignment significantly impacts your score. It is critical for you to develop an intriguing first sentence or the hook to make your assignment enticing. Avoid introduction paragraphs to ensure originality and creativity.

10. For Writing Assignments, Logically Listing Points in Order

Following the introduction, you must logically list all the points to support your argument. It will ensure content flow in the assignment.

11. Conclude Strongly

Always make it a point to finish your assignment with a strong note, especially while writing a research paper. It would help you score high if you reiterated the main ideas in your assignment conclusion. 

12. Take Small Breaks When you Feel Exhausted

When you work till the wee hours to finish an assignment at the last minute, your mind and body will be exhausted. As a result, it will affect the quality of your work. Therefore, it’s critical to take small pauses now and again to avoid fatigue. 

13. Proofread and Edit

The last step to how to do an assignment in a day. Proofreading is a must if you are dealing with Online Assignment writing services . After you’ve completed the writing process and taken a small break, proofread your piece to look for and correct grammatical and logical errors. If you find any issues, trim them immediately to ensure that your assignment is error-free. Besides, you must dwell time to ensure that your assignment is factually correct.

Hassle-Free Assignment Writing Experience with TutorBin!

If the fear of deadlines does not let you write your assignment in a day, we have a piece of good news for you. At TutorBin, we relieve all your stress and give you a hassle-free assignment writing experience. Our assignment helper ensures that all your requirements get fulfilled. If you have a question like “How to do an assignment in a day?”- TutorBin is the solution to your query. We have a pool of expert tutors in here for making impeccable assignments for you.

They will craft your assignment to the instructions given by your institutes & help you fetch high grades. Not just that, they understand the consequences of missing deadlines. Hence, they ensure to deliver it before the deadline.

Final Verdict

Though we don’t advocate leaving your assignment till the last minute, we hope that this post will assist all students who are terrified of deadlines. It will be a boon for the students who don’t know how to do an assignment in a day.

If you found this article helpful and are searching for similar content regularly, TutorBin is there for you. We share such content regularly to help you with your studies. We wish you luck in your academic endeavors!

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Uni life is super full on. Between classes, internships, placement and working, it’s pretty easy to forget that you actually have to do assignments.

If you’re like me, it means you’ve probably found yourself freaking out with 24 hours before a deadline trying to figure out how to smash out your assignment.

Luckily, the people over at DeskTime did a study on the most efficient way to have workers acting productively, and it works for last minute assignments too . The answer is simple: take more breaks. It’s 52 minutes working, 17 minutes break, rinse and repeat.

If that explanation isn’t clear enough, here is a pretty basic run down on how to finish a dreaded 1500 word essay in one day.

9am: Wake up

We’re not actually making you start work at 9am, but this will give you a solid hour to prepare yourself for the day. Have some breakfast, have a coffee, sit outside and listen to birds. Spend the morning relaxing! You have a busy yet productive day ahead.

10:00 – 10:52: Get That (Essay) Body Shaking  

Generally for essays your intro and conclusion should be written last, so start with the body. Your goal should be around is 300 words. It doesn’t sound like much but time will fly.

10:53 – 11:10: Check Your Socials

You’ve probably been tempted for the past 52 minutes. Well now you can.

11:10 – 12:02: Keep That Body In Shape

Another 300 words! Another paragraph! Another 52 minutes of great self control to get that assignment done!

12:03 – 12:20: Watch This Video  

Drunk Brendon Urie explaining the history of Fall Out Boy? Best way to kill some time while you have a break. Go grab some water as well – staying hydrated is important!

12:20 – 1:12: Write My Pretties, Write

Another 300 words should be your goal. By the end of this 52 minutes you should really have a draft body complete. Don’t stress if you don’t, there’s plenty of time.

1:13 – 1:30: Lunch Time

Your stomach may be performing its mating call and it’s time to fill those urges. Try 2 minute noodles so you can spend the other 15 reading online articles.

1:30 – 2:22: Hitting The Home Stretch

It’s intro and conclusion time! You should be able to smash through them. Now’s a good time to finish off those body paragraphs that might need a little extra work, too. That should get you to the 1,200 word mark.

2:23 – 2:40: Vine Time

When was the last time you went through the vine archives? At six seconds a video you could potentially watch 170 vines during this break.

2:40 – 3:32: The Dreaded Reference List

A necessary evil to prove you didn’t just make everything up. Spend this 52 minutes sorting your in text and reference list.

3:33 – 3:50: If Music Be The Food Of Love, Then Play On

This guy reckons he can teach you how to play guitar in 10 minutes. Go on, give it a go.

3:50 – 4:42: Edit

Print your work out and look at it with some fresh eyes. Read it out loud, grab a red pen and fix those pesky errors.

4:43 – 5:00: Figure Out What You’re Doing Tonight

You’ve worked hard so plan something fun tonight.

5:00 – 5:52: One Last Look Over And Submit

You’re pretty much done. Take a quick look over that bad boy and run it through Turnitin. You did it.

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How to Ace Your College Assignments

College can be tough. You’re juggling classes, homework, a social life, and maybe a job on the side. It’s no wonder that sometimes your college assignments don’t get the attention they deserve. But did you know that there are tricks to acing your college assignments? Here are some tips and strategies that will help you get better grades in school!

For many students, college is a big learning curve. It’s a time in your life that involves a lot of change and getting used to many new things. When it comes to college assignments, many students find that things work differently from when they were in high school. The format and types of assessments are different, the criteria for passing can feel unfamiliar, and of course, the level of learning is a step up from high school too.

But getting good grades has a direct impact on your success at college, so it’s important to do as well as you can. So what can you do to get to grips with college assignments so you ace them? Here are some tips.

Read The Instructions

Start by reading the assignment instructions carefully. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to make sure you understand what the task is and what your lecturer or professor is looking for. If you’re unsure about anything, ask for clarification from your instructor. They are there to help you, so you should never feel unsure about going to ask for clarification, or for a little extra direction. You could even ask them what they’re looking for in order to give good grades. For example, is it more about research, or a good writing style? Any tips you can glean from the people marking your assignments will help.

Use Past Papers And Study Materials

When you have a better understanding of what’s required, it can be helpful to use past papers and college study materials to give yourself an idea of the sort of thing that might be expected. Study materials can also give you an idea of the level of detail required and the standard expected by your college. If you’re not sure where to find these things, ask your instructor or librarian for help. Getting hold of some of these past materials will help to give you a framework for your learning, understand the types of assignments your college sets, and what success looks like to them.

Create A Plan And Work Schedule

Once you have a good understanding of the task at hand and what’s expected of you, it’s time to create a plan. This should be a detailed document that outlines everything you need to do in order to complete the assignment to a high standard. Your plan should include a timeline and deadlines for each task, as well as what resources you’ll need and any other information that will help you to complete the assignment.

Work In Short Bursts

One of the best pieces of advice for college students is to work in short bursts . This means setting a timer for a certain amount of time and working on the task at hand for that amount of time, before taking a break. This method is often recommended for students because it’s a more effective way of working than trying to power through for hours on end. It’s also a lot easier to stay focused when you’re working in short bursts. When you take a break, make sure you get up and move around, have a snack, or do something to take your mind off of your work so you can come back refreshed and ready to focus again.

Take Regular Breaks

It’s important to take regular breaks when you’re working on an assignment. This will help to keep you from getting too bogged down in the task and will allow you to come back to it with fresh eyes. When you’re taking a break, make sure you get up and move around, have a snack, or do something to take your mind off of your work so you can come back refreshed and ready to focus again.

Set A Deadline For Yourself

As well as any deadlines set by your instructor, it can be helpful to set a deadline for yourself. This should be a date or time by which you will have completed the assignment. Having a personal deadline will help to keep you on track and motivated to get the work done.

Don’t Leave It To The Last Minute

One of the worst things you can do is leave your college assignment to the last minute. This will only lead to stress and will likely result in a rushed and poorly done piece of work. If you start the assignment early, you’ll have more time to do it properly and you’ll be less likely to make mistakes. It will also give you time to deal with any unexpected circumstances, such as some additional research you decide you need to do, or dealing with a cold that leaves you feeling under the weather for a few days.

Start With The Easy Stuff

When you’re starting an assignment, it can be helpful to start with the easy stuff. This will help to get you into the flow of working on the task and will give you a sense of accomplishment. Once you’ve completed the easy stuff, you can move on to the more challenging tasks. This will help you to stay focused and motivated, and will make the whole process less daunting.

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And #11 Successful Students Learn Independently

16 Dealing With Assignments

Understanding your first assignment.

The number of assignments you will receive in a semester often surprises students. For some students, figuring out how to manage assignments is a new experience. For others who have had assignments in the past, the amount of work needed to complete assignments at the college level is what is unexpected. Most of the assignments you will receive will take longer than one session of study to complete. You will likely need to work on your assignment over several days or weeks. In this section, we will provide you with advice on how to understand the requirements of your assignment, and how to manage and track the tasks you will need to complete. We will provide you with some time management tips and an assignment tracker to try.

Assignment Terms

Assignment questions, outlines and marking schemes, breaking down large assignments.

How to breakdown assignments into tasks

• Understand the assignment: Read the assignment instructions carefully, and make sure you understand what is required. If you do not understand what you need to do, ask your professor as soon as possible.
• Create a task list: What are the smaller tasks you need to do to complete this assignment? Smaller tasks are activities like conducting research at the library or setting up group meetings for a group project.
• Create a timeline: Create a timeline that includes all the tasks that need to be completed. Consider how much time you will need to complete that task and when you will work on it. Set due dates for each task.
• Brainstorm ideas: Before you start writing, brainstorm ideas for the assignment. Think about the main points you want to cover, any research you need to do, and any supporting evidence you might need.
• Create an outline: Once you have a list of ideas, create an outline for your assignment. An outline can help you organize your thoughts and make sure you cover all the necessary points.
• Schedule time for research: Do your research before you begin writing. As you find sources, gather the information you will need to create a reference and take notes about essential information the source will provide and where this information fits in with your outline.
• Schedule time for revision: Plan to review your work before you submit. This can include checking your work against the assignment instructions or rubric, making changes to the content, and proofreading.

Here is an example of this process:

Key Takeaway from video

• Breaking down a large or medium-sized assignment into smaller pieces can help reduce stress, ensure completion of all parts of the assignment, and allow you to get other important tasks done too.

Using an Assignment Tracker

Time Management Considerations

Time management is the practice of organizing and prioritizing one’s activities and tasks effectively in order to maximize productivity and achieve one’s goals. For college students, time management involves creating a plan for allocating their time efficiently and balancing academic responsibilities with social activities, work, and personal obligations. It requires identifying tasks and goals, setting realistic deadlines, and using tools such as schedules, to-do lists, and reminders to stay on track. Effective time management helps students to reduce stress, increase productivity, and achieve academic success while still enjoying a balanced lifestyle.

• Procrastination:  Students tend to put off starting a large writing assignment until the last minute, leaving themselves with insufficient time to complete the assignment.
• Lack of Planning:  Many students do not adequately plan their time for the writing process, which can result in poor time management and a lower quality of work.
• Perfectionism:  Students may spend too much time trying to perfect every aspect of their writing, which can lead to time wastage and increased stress.
• Break the Task into Smaller Parts:  Instead of attempting to complete the entire assignment in one sitting, break it down into smaller, more manageable parts, and set specific deadlines for each.
• Create a Schedule:  Create a schedule for the writing process and stick to it. This will help you stay on track and ensure that you have enough time to complete the assignment.
• Avoid Distractions:  Avoid any distractions that can lead to time wastage, such as social media, television, and video games.
• Set Priorities:  Set priorities for your writing tasks, focusing on the most critical aspects of the assignment first.
• Use Writing Tools : Utilize writing tools such as spell check, grammar check, and citation generators to save time and reduce the need for extensive revisions.
• Take Breaks:  Taking regular breaks can help you stay focused and prevent burnout, ensuring that you produce your best work.

Avoiding Procrastination

Key Takeaways

Want more? The Learning Portal has more ideas for Managing Assignments.

A Guide for Successful Students 2nd ed. Copyright © 2023 by Irene Stewart, Aaron Maisonville, and Nicolai Zriachev, St. Clair College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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14 Proven Tips For Completing Assignments

Completing assignments can be a daunting task, but there are a few things that you can do to make the process a whole lot easier. 

Are you finding it difficult to complete your assignments on time? If you’re looking for some tips to help you get organized and stay on track, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, I’ll share some helpful strategies that will make completing your assignments a breeze.

But first, let’s analyze why it’s essential that you complete your assignments on time.

Why are assignments important?

Though often met with groans and complaints, academic assignments are actually beneficial in a number of ways. For one, they force students to engage with the material on a deeper level, encouraging them to really think about what they’re learning and stay on track with their studies.

In addition, academic assignments help students to develop important research, writing and study skills that will be useful in college and beyond.

Academic assignments also give students the opportunity to receive feedback from their instructors on their work.

Assignments are a great way to increase parent engagement in learning and for students to develop a sense of responsibility.

Notably, despite its benefits, too many assignments can do more harm than good.

Too much assignments can interfere with free time and involvement in extra-curricular activities. Assignment completion may be increasingly frustrating and stressful when there are challenges with the home environment. O’Rourke-Ferrara, 1998

Why is completing assignments on time important?

Completing assignments on time allows you to fully engage with the material and understand the concepts.

Subsequently, you’ll likely earn better grades and improve your chances of success in school. Additionally, completing assignments in a timely manner will also give you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Completing assignments on time demonstrates to your instructor that you are capable of meeting deadlines. This is important in both academic and professional settings.

Plus we all know that once you start falling behind on assignments, it can be difficult to catch up.

Finally, completing assignments on time will likely improve your sleep and reduce stress levels.

According to research, completing assignments improves independence, self-discipline, and time management skills. In addition, it has been linked with better grades and academic success. planchard et al., 2015

Tips for completing assignments

So how can you make sure that you complete your assignments on time? Here are a few tips that may help:

1. Read the assignment instructions carefully

Make sure you understand what is expected of you before you start working on the assignment. Read the instructions carefully, and if anything is unclear, be sure to ask for clarification.

2. Identify why the assignment is necessary

Identifying why the assignment is necessary is an important first step for success. Acknowledging the importance of a task or goal can help you stay motivated to do the best possible work and see meaningful results.

It gives purpose to your efforts, and this in turn can help provide focus and direction, leading to better results through hard work and dedication.

Research shows that the main motivating factors for homework completion were: (1) Reinforcement: desire to learn or master the material (2) Credit (3) Extra-credit planchard et al., 2015

3. Start early to complete assignments on time

Assignments can take longer than you think, so start working on them as soon as they’re assigned. This will help you avoid last-minute stress and ensure that you have enough time to complete the assignment to the best of your ability.

4. Set goals for assignment completion

One way to stay on track with an assignment is to break it down into smaller goals. For example, if you have a research paper to write, your goal for the first day might be to choose a topic and find five sources.

Once you’ve met that goal, you can set a new goal for the next day. Breaking the assignment down into smaller tasks can help to make it feel less overwhelming, and it can also help you to track your progress. 

5 . Create a schedule to finish assignments

Once you know when the assignment is due, create a schedule that breaks the work down into manageable tasks. This will help you stay on track and avoid feeling overwhelmed by the assignment.

Research shows that the most common demotivating factors for homework completion were: (1) Other commitments (2) Difficulty understanding (3) Too difficult or too long planchard et al., 2015

6. Identify the resources required for the assignment

Another important step in completing an assignment is to identify the resources that you’ll need. This might include books, articles, websites, or people you can interview. Having a list of resources will help you to focus your research and make the process easier.

7. Track your reference s when researching

As you’re doing research for your assignment, be sure to track the references that you’re using. This will save you time when you’re writing your paper and will ensure that you give credit to the sources that you’ve used.

8. Set aside uninterrupted time for assignments

Once you have a schedule, set aside time each day or each week to work on the assignment. During this time, turn off distractions like your phone and social media. This will help you stay focused and make the most of your time.

9. Ask for help if you get stuck

If you’re struggling with the assignment, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Talk to your professor, a tutor, or a friend who is doing well in the class. They can offer guidance and support that can help you get back on track.

10. Take breaks when completing assignments

Working on an assignment for long periods of time can be overwhelming and lead to burnout. To avoid this, take breaks throughout the day or week. during your break, do something that you enjoy or that will help you relax.

11. Celebrate your progress

As you complete tasks on your schedule, take a moment to celebrate your progress. This will help you stay motivated and focused. It can be something as simple as taking a break after completing a section or giving yourself a small treat.

12. Proofread your assignments

Once you’ve completed the assignment, take the time to proofread it. This will help you catch any mistakes and make sure that your work is of the best quality.

13. Submit your assignments on time

Make sure to submit your assignment on time. If you’re having trouble with this, talk to your professor or a tutor. They may be able to offer extension or help you get back on track.

14. Relax after completing each assignment

After you’ve submitted the assignment, it’s important to relax. Take some time for yourself and do something that you enjoy. This will help you relax and prepare for the next assignment.

Final words on proven tips for completing assignments

If you follow these tips, you will be well on your way to acing any assignment. Do you have any other studying or coursework tips that have worked well for you?

Drop a comment below and let me know. Best of luck in all your future assignments.

Read also: 22 Key Tips To Easily Improve Writing Skills

O’Rourke-Ferrara, Catherine. “Did You Complete All Your Homework Tonight, Dear?” Information Analyses (070) Opinion Papers (120) — Reports Research (143) 1998

Planchard, Matthew S. et al. “Homework, Motivation, and Academic Achievement in a College Genetics Course.”  Bioscene: The Journal Of College Biology Teaching  41 (2015): 11-18. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1086528.pdf

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How to Meet Deadlines and Finish Tasks on Time: 8 Tips

Learn how to stick to your self-imposed deadlines and get things done before the deadline. Here are some helpful tips!

For many, deadlines are a dreadful matter. You may procrastinate till the deadline approaches and fail to complete the task in time despite your last moment efforts.

Missed deadlines can have a negative impact on your productivity and impression in both personal and professional life alike. Check out the points explained here to find out how you can meet every deadline with ease.

1. Create Many Bite-Sized Milestones

Do complex and time-taking tasks lead you to procrastinate? If yes, then you’re not alone. Sometimes, your mind feels overwhelmed and demotivates you to work until the last moment.

That's why you must break down your ambitious goals into smaller milestones. For example, if your target is to complete a 50-page assignment, you can divide it into small chapters and work on one chapter each.

Once you do this, your subconscious will not feel overburdened. Instead, the small deadlines will seem manageable and motivate you to get started with the work. As you continue to achieve all the small milestones one after another, reaching the big objective won't be difficult.

2. Find a Motivating Partner

Working alone is difficult—especially when it involves a complex task. While working alone gives you freedom, you can also end up being someone with no motivation to complete the work. As you’re not accountable to anyone about your personal deadlines, missing milestones can become commonplace.

If you’re having trouble managing your self-imposed deadlines, you can always involve someone else. It would be nice to have someone who knows about your deadlines. This accountability partner can be someone from your family or friends.

To finish reading a chapter, you can loop in a classmate and study together. If you can't find a partner, even knowing about someone who achieved the same milestone will be inspiring.

3. Always Keep Track of Progress

Making progress tracking a daily habit will help you finish a task on time. Even if you set a deadline, that doesn't mean you'll finish it on the last day. This means you will work on the project for multiple days to complete it before the deadline.

You may not be equally productive during all these working days. However, regularly tracking the progress will help you identify the gaps and let you make up for your weak points.

You can use MeisterTask to track how much progress you have made on any task. You can add any number of tasks to it and track their progress as you work on them each day.

4. Avoid Leaving Loopholes in the Planning

Before coming up with a deadline for personal tasks, you must have gone through a detailed planning process. Knowing the objectives, working process, and available time are some things you should consider before fixing a deadline. Having issues with your planning can cost you the deadline.

There’s no point blaming yourself for missing a deadline if you had flaws in your planning process. For instance, you need to borrow some books from a library to finish a project by Monday. You did the planning for Friday, but the library stays closed on Saturday and Sunday.

As you can see, there is a loophole in this scheme. Due to this, you are bound to miss the deadline here. To avoid such circumstances, make sure your work plan doesn’t have any flaws.

5. Keep Distractions at Bay

Distractions are one of the biggest reasons why you’re unable to complete tasks in time. Long emails, social media notifications, urgent but less important tasks, a family member stopping by to chit-chat—all these distract you from your goals and hamper your workflow.

Once your mind is diverted to something else, it’s tough to bring back the same concentration and attention to your original work. When you’re into a task, try to make as much progress as possible in one go.

You can mute your mobile and computer notifications to avoid distraction . Using anti-distraction apps is also useful to keep you focused during working hours.

6. Use an Efficient Calendar Tool

If you have too many things on your plate, losing sight of the deadlines and pending tasks can happen. The best way to be aware of your tasks and deadlines is to use a calendar tool. Such apps will help you schedule tasks, events, and meetings.

Keeping track of your past and future deadlines and milestones becomes easy with the calendar software. These apps let you visualize the upcoming deadlines in a sorted manner. Check these tools daily to stay on track of your to-do tasks for the day.

Google Calendar is a calendar scheduling app that you can use for your personal and professional task scheduling. It also supports integration with different project management tools that make deadline visualization effortless.

7. Use a Soft Deadline

A soft deadline is a tentative deadline you put before the original one. In case you’re wondering whether a soft deadline can help you, the answer is yes. It’s not only helpful for professional projects. Soft deadlines are equally effective for personal milestones.

Even the best-laid plans can experience hiccups. You can fall sick or have some technical issue. Don't let these force you to miss a deadline. Have a soft deadline in place and try to finish the work before that.

Besides saving your back during any unexpected events, it’ll ensure the timely completion of a task.

8. Avoid Procrastination at Any Cost

Most of you would agree that procrastination is the reason why you keep missing deadlines, even the self-imposed ones. While task complexity is responsible for this in most cases, sometimes people might procrastinate as there is no reward for finishing a task.

Procrastination becomes more common in personal tasks that do not involve any supervisor or reward. But, you can always treat yourself after finishing work on time. It’ll inspire you to avoid procrastination next time.

Related: The Top Tips to Avoid Procrastination and Meet Deadlines

Timely Task Completion Increases Productivity

Deadlines should not be stressful and demotivating. Instead, it should motivate you to complete the tasks in time. You can follow the things mentioned here to meet your self-created deadlines.

You should also avoid delays in your professional life at any cost by finding out the possible reasons and their solutions.

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• How to do a large amount of work in a small amount of time: advice from a veteran of rushing, botching, and bashing it out

1. Get in the zone

I don’t know about you, but I have a dozen little rituals I have to perform before I sit down to do a big slog of work. In general, I make it a rule to work in the library or university, because I find working at home, with all its possibilities of making and drinking tea, drifting off to watch TV, or being drawn into long conversations with my housemates, too distracting.

You should also read…

• How to Stop Procrastinating: Advice from a Champion Procrastinator
• 15 Unexpected Things About Life at University

But when I’m really up against the clock, or even about to start what I know will be an all-nighter, I prefer to be in my room, with easy access to vital things like coffee, food and the shower. (N.B. There is nothing like a shower for waking yourself up in the middle of a miserable work-session. Just don’t do what I did one particularly inauspicious Wednesday at 4am: fall asleep sitting down in it with a foot covering the plug, and wake half an hour later under a jet of now-freezing water to find that you have transformed your bathroom into a giant soapy sea).

But back to the rituals. Before I do any serious, or seriously rushed, work, I’ve got to do a number of things to ‘get in the zone’. This might sound like elaborate procrastination  — which, in reality, it most definitely is — but if I don’t do these little things, I find my concentration is poor, and my mind constantly wanders. First, my room has to be absolutely, books-in-alphabetical-order, spotless — mess is incredibly distracting, and when I’m working I want to use all the space on my desk. Plus, while you’re tidying you get to watch videos of cats falling over on YouTube. Next, I have to have a strong coffee (which I never drink more than a few sips of before remembering that I hate coffee and it gives me a headache — but it smells nice and is somehow a very reassuring thing to sit next to). Third, classical music doesn’t work for me; while I’m working, and especially at night, I find it keeps the mind sharp to blare out tragic noughties techno music. In particular, the songs of the ultimately unsuccessful Australian band Pendulum played at approximately a million decibels are so unpleasant they keep one constantly skittish with adrenaline, hammering out a thousand questionable words an hour while simultaneously imagining you’re in a warehouse rave. Finally, and most embarrassingly, I have a pair of leggings called my essay leggings that I like to wear while I’m working. They’re very comfy (and holey) and haven’t been replaced since my first year of university, because they’re somehow magically conducive to getting lots done in very little time. Now, the line between preparing oneself for work and procrastination is always thin, and one I continually find myself on the wrong side of. Your rituals might look very different to mine, and perhaps take a little less time. But if you need to do certain things to change your mindset from play to work, I’d advise you do them.

2. Work out exactly what you’ve got to do

Now that you’re sitting comfortably at your desk in your spotless room, work out exactly what you’ve got to do — and how long you’ve got to do it. Make a list of your tasks in order of priority, what they involve, the date they’re due in and how long you realistically think they’ll take. Your list might look something like this:

• Write out labels for Art coursework (2 hours, due tomorrow)
• Write self-analysis for Art coursework (3 hours, due tomorrow)
• Finish researching, plan and write History coursework essay (12 hours? 2 days? Due Friday)
• Finish Physics lab report (2 hours, due Thursday)
• Maths problems (3 hours, due tomorrow)

Now, for some of these tasks it will be absolutely essential that you hand the work in on or before the deadline . For any task that counts towards your coursework , or an exam, you’ll usually lose marks if they’re late — in my university, we would lose 5 marks out of 100 if an essay was handed in one minute after 12pm on the day of the deadline, and a further 10 if it was more than a day late. For these tasks, you absolutely can’t mess about — they should sit right at the top of your list of things to do, and be the first thing you get out of the way — and the ones you put most effort into getting right. But, even though it won’t make you very popular with your teachers, sometimes you’ve got to accept that you can’t do everything you’re expected to in a small amount of time. When I’ve got a big deadline coming up, I jettison everything else: I tell people I can’t make other commitments, even if that annoys them, and if I haven’t got time, I simply don’t do less important pieces of work. On the list above, for example, I might decide that only the pieces of coursework were really important, and that I wasn’t going to bother handing in the lab report or the Maths problems. Of course, all this is advice for an emergency situation: if you’ve got the time to do everything you need to, then deciding that you won’t is probably not the best strategic move and will mean you have to endure hours of unnecessary telling-off.

Make a timetable detailing exactly when you’re going to do each of the things on your list. Make sure you plan enough time for each task rather than being overly optimistic — you’re going to stick to this timetable no matter what . Think about the times of day when you work best, and how tired you’re going to be at various stages of the day/night/week you’re mapping out — the morning of your deadline, for example, when your eyes are itchy with tiredness and your brain about as much use as its equivalent weight in mincemeat, is probably not the best time to be proof-reading or tackling difficult Algebra problems. I study English and consequently write lots of essays, and I find that I can read and take notes at pretty much any time of day, but planning and writing are tasks I can only really do well first thing in the morning. Once you’ve made your plan, sit back and take a deep breath — it might be a rush, and you might not see sunlight for the next week, but it is possible to do everything you need to in the time you’ve got. All you need to do (and this is the important bit) is make sure you stick religiously to your timetable. Here’s how:

 4. Let things be less-than-perfect

If you’re still not happy with something near the end of the time you’ve allotted for it — tough. Finish up and leave it in its imperfect state — if you’re lucky, you might have time at the end to come back to it, but it’s much more important to stick to a schedule which will allow you to get everything done than it is to perfect one part of the task. This means not reading that extra useful-looking article, not toying with the wording in an introduction any longer, and leaving a problem you just can’t solve. Remember — when you’re working on any task, it’s completely normal that that task will feel like the most important one — but it’s important to take a step back and gain some perspective over your whole project. I’m constantly messing up because I find it really hard to leave things alone – – for example, I wasn’t happy with my dissertation last year the day before I handed it in, and decided to stay up all night before the deadline restructuring and rewriting the last 3,000 words before I’d even begun my referencing or conclusion. This meant (as I’m sure you can guess) that the section I rewrote was garbled and full of spelling mistakes, my footnotes and bibliography were a total mess and my conclusion was 5 lines long- not exactly what I’d planned when I decided to begin my noble rewriting mission, and not exactly the formula for a winning dissertation. Polished and finished, if slightly flawed, work will always make a much better impression than something messy and incomplete, even if it’s more carefully thought out — it actively irritates examiners to find silly mistakes or signs of haste in things they’re marking. Take it from me, look at the bigger picture and simply move on .

5. Be selfish

I’ve got a friend who actively refuses to make any plans other than a quick coffee for about four weeks before any deadline. Sometimes she doesn’t leave her house for days, and while she’s working she lets other people cook for her and tidy up her mess. Last year she didn’t go to her boyfriend’s birthday party because it was the week before a talk she was preparing. Now, this might all sound a bit mad, but my friend always does really, really well at everything she puts her mind to. Basically, in quite an extreme way she’s got her priorities straight — most of the time she’ll do anything for anyone, but when she’s got important work on her plate, she’ll say honestly that she needs to concentrate, and just can’t make other commitments. I, meanwhile, work in the absolute opposite way. I let friends come to visit me the week before a deadline because I don’t want to annoy them by cancelling, and am anxious about work and cranky for the whole time they’re there. I’ll go to the library with someone else but get annoyed when we distract each other. I end up getting so stressed out over all the commitments I’ve made that I can’t concentrate even when I’ve actually got time to work. I’ve come to conclude that my friend’s got it sorted. When you’ve got stuff to do, be selfish. This is one of very few chances you’ll have in your life (apart from, if you’re a girl, maybe your wedding) to be totally unreasonable, self-centred, and rude to everyone around you. Like a mad cross between Professor Snape and Kim Jong Un. Get your mum to make you dinner but refuse to sit and eat it at the table. Cancel plans, leave a mess. Refuse to read someone else’s work or do anyone a favour. Your friends might not like the new crazy you, but you’ll probably annoy them just as much by being irritable and stressed than you will by being selfish — and if you pick the latter course, you might actually get stuff done.

6. Do not entertain the thought that you might not finish

With the energy I’ve spent over the years asking for extensions, making up excuses or writing cringing apology emails to tutors and employers explaining that I just haven’t done things, I could have written novels. Stuff it, I could have written the Iliad . Extensions and the like might feel brilliant in the short term, but they’re not the solution to anything — you’ll still have to do the work one way or another, and you’ll annoy people and complicate your own life in the process of putting it off.

7. Just do the work

This is fairly self-explanatory. Though this article has tried to show that you can make things seem easier and more surmountable by organising, rationalising, and preparing, there are no magic solutions that can make you work miraculously quickly. There’s no substitute for sitting down, closing the door, turning off the internet and just doing your work . It might not be exactly fun, but it’ll feel worth it when you’re done, and then you can sleep and relax properly without feeling guilty or stressed. Got any top tips for getting things done quickly? Let us know in the ‘Comments’ section below!

Best Tips For Students On How To Complete Assignments

By Elayna Skye

Updated on November 13, 2023

Introduction:

As college students, completing assignments successfully is crucial for academic success and overall learning. Managing multiple assignments and meeting deadlines can pose challenges for students. In this article, we aim to equip you with the most effective tips and strategies to successfully complete your assignments. From understanding the assignment requirements to staying organized and seeking guidance when needed, these tips will empower you to tackle your assignments with confidence. Also, you can check best assignment writing services - timesofisrael.com for your assignment.

Understand the Assignment

Before diving into any assignment, it is essential to thoroughly understand the requirements and expectations. Follow these steps to ensure clarity:

- Carefully read the instructions provided by your professor or teacher. Highlight key points and pay attention to specific requirements, such as formatting, word count, and sources.

- Identifying the requirements of your assignment is crucial, and if any aspect remains unclear, it's essential to seek clarification from your instructor. Don't hesitate to reach out and ask for further guidance to ensure you have a clear understanding of what is expected of you. It's better to seek clarity early on to avoid confusion later.

- Divide the assignment into smaller, manageable tasks to make the workload more manageable. Set achievable goals for each task to maintain progress and momentum.

Create a Schedule

Effective time management is crucial for completing assignments on time. Here's how you can create a schedule that works for you:

- Allocate dedicated time for working on assignments: Set aside specific blocks of time in your schedule devoted solely to working on assignments. Treat these time slots as important appointments and avoid distractions.

- To effectively manage your assignments, it's important to create a realistic schedule that incorporates regular breaks. Breaking your study sessions into manageable chunks and including short breaks in between can help you maintain focus, prevent burnout, and optimize your productivity.

- Prioritize assignments based on deadlines and difficulty: Assess the urgency and complexity of each assignment to prioritize your workload effectively. Start with the most pressing assignments or those that require more time and effort.

Research and Gather Information

Through research is the foundation of a well-written assignment. Follow these steps to gather relevant information:

- Conduct thorough research using reliable sources: Utilize reputable academic databases, scholarly articles, books, and credible websites to gather information. Take note of important details such as author names, publication dates, and sources for citation purposes.

- Take organized notes and keep track of references: While researching, take detailed notes that capture the main points, supporting evidence, and references. Organize your notes by topic or subtopic to make the writing process more efficient.

- Utilize online platforms and academic journals: Explore online platforms and academic journals relevant to your field of study. These resources often provide access to research articles and scholarly materials that can strengthen your assignment.

Develop a Clear Outline

Creating an outline is essential for organizing your thoughts and structuring your assignment effectively. Follow these steps to develop a clear outline:

- Create an outline to organize thoughts and structure the assignment: Outline the main sections or chapters of your assignment and identify the key points you want to cover in each section.

- Identify main points, arguments, and supporting evidence: Ensure that each section of your assignment supports your main argument or thesis statement. Use bullet points or subheadings to highlight supporting evidence or examples.

- Ensure a logical flow of ideas: Arrange your ideas in a logical sequence, ensuring that one point naturally leads to the next. This will make your assignment more coherent and easier to follow for the reader.

Start Early

Procrastination can add unnecessary stress and compromise the quality of your work. Follow these steps to avoid procrastination and start your assignments early:

- Avoid procrastination and begin assignments early: Procrastination can lead to rushed and subpar work. Start your assignments as soon as they are assigned, allowing yourself ample time to research, write, and revise.

- Break down tasks and work incrementally: Rather than tackling the entire assignment in one sitting, break it down into smaller tasks. Set achievable goals for each study session and monitor your progress.

- Allow time for revision, editing, and seeking help if needed: Plan your schedule to include time for revising and editing your assignment. Seek feedback from peers or instructors and make necessary revisions to enhance the quality of your work.

Completing assignments successfully requires careful planning, effective time management, and utilizing available resources. By understanding the assignment, creating a schedule, conducting thorough research, and seeking guidance when needed, you can tackle assignments with confidence. Stay organized, start early, and allow time for revision and self-care. By following these best tips for completing assignments, you'll enhance your academic performance and overall learning experience. Remember, your assignment is an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and critical thinking skills. Embrace the process, seek help when needed, and enjoy the journey of expanding your academic horizons.

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8 Ways To Stay Motivated To Complete Assignments

When you enter college, you get blasted with many responsibilities. Some are new to you, while others are not. The new things can take you a lot of time to learn. One new thing you have to learn and master is assignment writing . Yes, assignments are a big part of college life.

If you haven’t started college yet, you may be thinking that we’re exaggerating things. But, that’s not the case. Learning how to write assignments in college is crucial. Students who don’t learn it take expert help from websites like Grow With Grades (GWG), which isn’t bad, in our opinion.

Taking help occasionally isn’t bad. What’s bad is when you don’t learn how to write assignments throughout your time spent at college. We're writing this blog to stop you from dealing with this problem. This blog will tell you 8 ways to stay motivated to complete assignments.

Let’s start. 

Put An End To Procrastination

The first thing you want to take care of while writing assignments is to end procrastination. It is the number one enemy of a good and productive life. We know you love to sleep whenever you get time. But taking multiple naps throughout the day isn’t a good thing.

Procrastination can also look like using your smartphone, even after knowing that you have assignments to complete. Whatever is causing you to procrastinate, you need to find a solution ASAP.

The thing with procrastination is that it can stop you from completing the simplest of tasks. Consider you get 10 days for completing assignments . You can still not do it if you have a habit of procrastinating. You may not realize it now, but it is a big problem that will stop you from succeeding in life.  

Put Distractions Aside

Often some things lead you to procrastinate. And the most common is a smartphone. Parents reading this blog will agree that smartphones are indeed why they argue with their children. Children these days use smartphones for hours on end because they can do everything using them. From taking notes in class to setting reminders for assignment submission, there is no end to what can be done using smartphones.

When children have access to smartphones from a young age, they’re very likely to develop a habit. And developing a habit of using smartphones is never good because it can stop you from focusing on what’s important and start indulging in timepass activities.

So, from now on, when you’re about to start assignment writing , make sure to keep your smartphone away from you, preferably in the other room. Initially, you may want to use your smartphone every few minutes. But once you develop a habit, not using it will become a habit for you.

Do Extensive Research

You can’t straight away decide to write assignments when the professor asks you to. When you do it, assignment writing becomes boring, which is why you can’t stay motivated. There’s a very simple way you can counter this problem.

The way is by doing extensive research. When you research, you learn many things, and the task does not stay boring at all. Moreover, research is crucial for any assignment because you can’t complete it if you don’t research.

Make sure to search for information from multiple resources. When you do it, you identify any wrong information you might include if you don’t check multiple resources. We recommend you check research papers because they have the most credible information.

Create An Outline

You feel bored and lack motivation when you don’t begin the work. Often starting something is the hardest thing. You’ll realize it when you have to write assignments. Starting them is like a challenge, but you realize writing the other parts becomes fairly easy when you start writing.    

So, what you can do is create an outline for the assignment. Outline means to create the introduction and different headings. When you do it, you put an end to boredom and have a rough idea about what you’ll write. And when you have done some work, you stay motivated to complete the rest.

Reward Yourself

Writing assignments continuously can be tiring. We assure you that no one (even the best writers) can do it.

So, what’s the solution when you’re tight on deadlines?

A very good solution is to start rewarding yourself. The reward can be anything from tasty food to watching funny videos. There is no limitation to what a reward can look like. Whatever makes you appreciate your efforts can be a reward.

You might have seen many people these days intentionally make their lives harder. They do it in the name of evolving through challenges. While it is true that a person grows when they go through challenges, it isn’t a good practice to create them forcefully. We all have to realize how crucial it is to appreciate ourselves.

And occasionally eating your favourite food won’t make you fat. So, stop thinking about it and reward yourself often.    

Take A Walk

The breaks you take when writing assignments aren’t a waste of time. They are meant to refresh your mind and body, which are essential if you want to keep your productivity high. You can either sit idle or take a walk.

Taking a walk is a pretty good habit , as it can refresh your mind. When you walk in nature, your eyes, mind and entire body feels refreshed. If you’re looking to lose fat, walking is a good choice. You don’t necessarily have to run or go to a gym to get in good shape. Brisk walking can burn a lot of calories, and it is the perfect choice for people with busy schedules.

Ask Your Friends What You Don’t Understand

It is common for students in college not to know everything about all the subjects. It could be because they are interested in a specific subject or just don’t have enough time to become good at everything. When this happens, students can ask their friends to teach them what they don’t know.

We feel asking your college friends about topics you don’t understand is a very good thing. You can’t always approach your professor and ask them about your doubts. Well, you can, but most students are not comfortable doing it. If you are or want to learn how to be your professor’s favourite student, we recommend you read this blog .

Anyways, when you take help from your friends, you don’t have to speak in a formal tone, as you would with your professors. Another benefit is that your relation with your friends will strengthen. You never know which friends can become your best friends, and you may end up staying in touch with them for many years.  

Know The Negative Consequences

For some students, positive things don’t work. They have to think about the negative consequences to get motivation. In college, it means they have to think that they can fail if they don’t complete and submit their assignments on time.

Many people crumble under pressure, but some love working under it. Many athletes deal with pressure when the race is about to start. But whenever any news reporter asks them how they’re feeling, they always reply that they’re excited. That’s because the same part of your brain works when you’re under pressure and excited.

So, if thinking about negative consequences motivates you to take action and complete assignments, resort to it.

Staying motivated while writing assignments is difficult because there are some challenges that one is presented with. If you also lose motivation easily while doing assignments, you need to read this blog. That’s because, in this blog, we covered 8 ways to stay motivated to complete assignments. After reading this blog, we hope that you won’t have trouble finding motivation.

If you liked reading it, share it with your college friends.

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Assignment Time Calculator to help meet Deadlines

Got an assignment deadline coming up?

Not sure how much free time you need to sacrifice to complete the work on time?

Here’s a handy calculator to estimate the time needed to complete an assignment within the given deadline.

Calculator for time needed to finish an assignment

To use this tool, please follow the instructions below.

• The cells marked in yellow should be amended to suit your specific situation
• Check whether your assignment has a word count allowance. If so, then you just need to meet the minimum end of the range when you’re pressed of time
• An excellent writing speed would be about 600 words an hour
• Medium would be around 350 words per hour
• A slow writing speed implies roughly about 200 words an hour
• Enter the deadline for the assignment in Month / Day / Year format

Tips to complete assignments on time

Cliché as it may be, the best advice to complete assignments by the deadline is to start in advance. Of course, this may not always be feasible but just trust us, your future self with be really grateful that you didn’t leave it until the last minute.

If you’re behind schedule, you’re going to want to make the most efficient use of whatever little time you have. However, even in such a situation, we highly recommend that you set aside a brief slot in your schedule to plan the structure of the assignment and what word count needs to go in each section that you have identified.

This will help you get a better idea of which sections are going to take up a bigger chunk of your time and you can use this to prioritize your available time accordingly.

We have a guide on how to make an assignment structure outline quickly using grading criteria . We also have another one on managing assignment word count .

Here’s another helpful guide from Purdue University with good suggestions for time management when it comes to assignments.

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Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia: Results, highlights, fight card, winners, complete guide

Garcia scored one of the biggest upsets of the year in taking out the former undisputed champion.

Apparently, Ryan Garcia pulled off the biggest heist in recent memory. Garcia outclassed Devin Haney on Saturday night to the tune of three knockdowns en route to the biggest win of his burgeoning career. 

Garcia spent most of his training camp posting on social media with conspiracy theories and more unsettling content that had many more concerned about his well being than his chances of winning a fight against a former undisputed champion who ranked among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport. Plus, Garcia missed weight by more than three pounds on Friday, leading to even more speculation that he wasn't taking the fight seriously.

Instead, Garcia exploded through Haney with his left hook. He wobbled Haney in the first round before scoring his first knockdown in the seventh. Garcia then scored knockdowns in the 10th and 11th rounds and nearly had Haney out on his feet. He managed to take a majority decision for his efforts, though he won't walk away with a title because of the weight miss.

"He caught me early when I was sleeping on him," Haney said after the fight. "He caught me by surprise. I fell asleep on the left hook. We trained for it, but I got in there and I fell asleep and he caught me with it. I was more surprised than hurt, I wasn't really that hurt."

The undercard on Saturday was lacking for thrills. Arnold Barboza Jr. struggled to a split decision win over Sean McComb in the co-feature. Many pundits on social media believed that McComb had done plenty to win the bout. Meanwhile, Bektemir Melikuziev picked up a technical decision over Pierre Dibombe after a gigantic cut was opened on Melikuziev's left eye lid. The fight was stopped in the eighth round for safety reasons, leading to the technical decision. And David Jimenez outboxed John Ramirez to earn a unanimous decision and the WBA interim flyweight title.

CBS Sports was with you throughout fight week with the latest news, in-depth features and betting advice to consider. Thanks for stopping by.

Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia fight card, odds, results

• Ryan Garcia def. Devin Haney (c) via majority decision (112-112, 114-110, 115-109)*
• Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Sean McComb via split decision (92-98, 96-94, 97-93)
• Bektemir Melikuziev def. Pierre Dibombe via technical decision (79-73, 79-73, 78-74)
• David Jimenez def. John Ramirez via unanimous decision (117-111, 117-111, 116-112)
• Charles Conwell def. Nathaniel Gallimore via sixth-round TKO

Garcia ineligible to win title after missing weight on Friday

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• Campbell: Garcia should be more focused on mental health than world title

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How to Complete a Project on Time

Last Updated: May 1, 2023

This article was co-authored by Jennifer Landis-Santos, PCC, NBHWC . Jennifer Landis-Santos is a Certified Career Counselor & Wellness Coach and the Founder of Career Wellness, LLC. With 20 years of experience, she specializes in helping others identify and move towards a satisfying life and work balance. Jennifer is a graduate of Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership, where she is on the faculty of the Health and Wellness Coaching Program. She's a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation and a Certified Career Counselor through the National Career Development Association. This article has been viewed 80,284 times.

Completing a project on time never seems to happen. You're always working down to the last minute, things break at the worst moment, and people you depend on forget to do their job. But completing a project on time is easier than you think, as long as you are willing to take the time in advance to prepare like a pro.

Organizing for Success

• When possible, get this information in writing so you can turn back to it if you forget.
• Get the contact information of your teacher, product manager, or client right from the beginning and ask if there is a good way to get in touch if you have later questions. [1] X Research source

• Use this time to make sure your plan is realistic for your time frame -- a big part of finishing on time is picking a project you can actually finish.
• If you don't know quite where you're going yet, that's okay. For example, if you haven't decided the topic of a presentation yet you can still sketch out goals. You might not know the topic yet, for example, but you know you must go to the library and start researching one.
• Your "final project" may change between now and the end -- the goal isn't to get a perfect project idea now, it's to create a blueprint that you can work off of. [2] X Research source

• Quantity needed
• Date needed
• Location/store to buy
• Any special considerations (color, size, etc.)

• Make your goals measurable. Instead of "find out what my boss wants for the warehouse," make specific goals to learn the right location, budget, size, and essential amenities.
• You may have no idea how long it takes to buy a warehouse, but you know that talking to your boss takes one day, finding a realtor 2-3 days, inspection 1-2 weeks, etc. It's much easier to budget time for smaller goals than big ones.

• In general, people are most effective working on one task at a time, not 10 at once. Check off each goal one at a time instead of working on all of them at once for maximum efficiency.
• Most projects have work that can't be finished until other work is done. You can't, for example, write a book report until you've read the book. Figure out what work has to get done ahead of others and prioritize that.

• No one was ever upset to finish a project ahead of schedule. If you plan for extra days and don't need them you simply get a few days off.

Staying on Schedule

• If you're designing a new logo for work, you don't need the total idea to sketch and draft out some prototypes. Even if you don't use them, start throwing out the ideas and get the ball rolling.
• If you have a class project, finish all the books and homework for that class as soon as possible. Get the little stuff out of the way so you can focus on the bigger project.

• If you get sick, is there any work you can do from bed? Is there someone you trust who can help take notes or run errands?
• If the book you need is checked out, can your library order another? Can you reserve the book in advance?
• If your project is fragile, what can you do to ensure it is perfectly safe. If it did break, how long would it take to build another? Can you build spare or alternate parts?
• If supplies run out, is there anything else you can use in there place? Can you buy an extra 1-2 parts of essential or hard to find objects to eliminate the issue?

• Set expectations early -- let people know exactly what is wanted from them.
• Give deadlines to ensure that everything is actually done when it needs to be.
• Let everyone know the end goal of the project, helping everyone work towards the same thing.
• Post everyone's contact information in case of issues or questions.

• While deep research is good, does it all match your final goal? Is there enough information on food to make a project, or should you pivot towards something like medicine, weapons, etc?
• When making the slideshow, does it fit the research? Is it short enough to fit in your presentation, or will you be pushed for time?
• Are you going to have to make Civil War food? Based on your research, is this still possible, or would it be smarter to do a different type of demonstration?

• A little bit of work each day is generally more effective than enormous chunks occasionally. If you only plan to work on Saturdays, but there is a family emergency or issue Saturday morning, you just lost a whole week of work time.
• If it is possible, consider saying no to additional tasks or family commitments.

Finishing on Time

• Does your model need replica stained-glass windows, or can you do something simpler?
• If you're writing a long paper, is there a section that can be cut or summarized without compromising your overall point?
• When working on a business deal, is there a way to extend the deadlines? If not, can you get a coworker to help you complete some section in time?

• If you're down to the wire trying to finish in time, you should still set aside an hour at the very end for review. Don't let weeks of hard work appear sloppy because of a few missed typo. [4] X Research source

• Return to your original draft, plans, and materials list. Is everything covered?

• There is no need to review right after you finish. Take 2-3 days to relax and then look back on the project with fresh eyes.
• If you worked with a team, ask them what they think you could all improve on next time.
• If you have questions on your grade, review, etc. ask politely "what could I do to be better next time?" [5] X Research source

Expert Q&A

• If you're doing a partner project divide the tasks so each partner knows what they are supposed to do. Don't do everything by yourself. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• There will always be unexpected complications and issues -- the best you can do is think and prepare in advance as much as possible. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.vandelaydesign.com/guide-to-completing-projects-on-time/
• ↑ http://designinstruct.com/articles/project-management/how-to-complete-your-project-on-time-and-under-budget/
• ↑ http://www.elementool.com/ebook/CompleteProjectsOnTime.pdf

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Xavier University

BIG EAST Championships

Women's Golf Ranks First, One Round Complete at BIG EAST Championships

04.20.24 | Women's Golf

Xavier hit 292 (+4) on Saturday at Callawassie Island Golf Club

By: Greg Lautzenheiser, Xavier Athletic Communications