When the pressure hits and you find yourself flooded with multiple writing assignments, it’s time to put your head down and get things done fast and effectively. Getting into a flow of writing can be challenging if it’s not regular practice. The renowned ‘Zone’ is a place you want to find yourself when all deadlines start catching up to you. Finding ways to enter this state of mind and stay there is a helpful practice.

How to enter ‘The Zone’

Procrastination is a demon that some struggle with more than others. It’s usually the getting started that’s the biggest obstacle. Make a rule with yourself when you catch yourself procrastinating: Switch on your computer, open your essay, and write just one sentence. This method is a sure way to get started.

Usually, writing that one sentence is enough to spark your will to write another sentence; then a paragraph. Before you know it, you’ve written all the subheadings, some content under half of them and your general structure is pretty much formed.

The pillars of your essay

As stated above, it helps when you’ve got your subheadings all down. Your writing will flow out more easily once you have your structure formed. But if you still find yourself stuck, it can help to refer to some of your key points.

These are central thoughts that shape the direction of your essay. Keep these close by when you write so that you can incorporate them into your content. Like pillars of a building, they will carry your essay and hold it in place.

Spreading butter on your bread

It’s the buttering of the bread that’s the real work in making a sandwich. Dropping in all the fillings is easy. Another good way to get your essay done fast is to write all the headings and subheadings first. Then move on to the introduction and start looking at the conclusion too.The middle content should fall into place much easier if you’ve written these effectively using your key ideas.

Put up a firewall

Not against computer viruses, but against distractions. When you’re planning to enter the zone, you must plan to block out any and all distractions. That means:

• Switching off your phone
• Closing your mail
• Staying off the internet (If you can, print out your research material before you start)
• Make sure no one will be dropping by