Meeting Deadlines with a TOTALLY Qualified Person
There you are, sitting on your couch, covered in blankets, starting at a mostly-blank piece of writing in Google Docs, save for a bullet point that says, “Oof, time to drop out.” Sound familiar?
I’m stuck in the same scenario. I said to myself: “You’ll have enough time to write your article. They gave you a week, and this time you most definitely won’t procrastinate.” I’ll let you in on a secret: that was a week ago. This article is (or really, was) supposed to be a funny or #relatable way to give writing tips. In hindsight, this is not really a good idea, considering I am neither funny nor #relatable. I know that I always need help writing. If you’re reading this article, there’s a likely chance you do, too. However, don’t fret, my fellow HC student; I have an editor on my side to help us out.
When it comes to writing a newspaper article, it’s pretty much free game - that is, as long as you finish it on time. That brings me to my first major issue in the writing process: deadlines. Deadlines are the cause of many panic attacks at HC, and I think I finally cracked the code: stop procrastinating. Now, you might be thinking something along the lines of, “Huh. She’s really coming for my wig today.” This is not my intention, but it really does help. The issue with deadlines isn’t the deadline itself; it’s what we do with the deadline. I know that I can’t stand vague advice, so here are some easy, actionable solutions that you could try (no clickbait):
Throw your phone in a river. The new iPhone X can stay in water for up to 30 minutes without dying! Without your phone, you won’t be distracted by the new Shane Dawson conspiracy video.
Distracted by your computer? I know some nifty Chrome extensions that limit your web use. Slide into my DM’s for more.
After you’ve taken these steps to avoid distractions, write a plan. If you have a plan, everything will be much easier. This way, you don’t have to think about what you’re going to write next.
Feeling good about yourself? You should! These steps will help you write an effective first draft of your article. But don’t submit it just yet.
After finishing the article, it’s time for everyone’s favourite part: Erasing the memory of ever having written it. Hear me out here; I’m going somewhere with this. When the final word has been typed into your now-filled document, leaving it “as is” for a while is good (so long as you don’t hand it in immediately). Your brain needs time to process and forget the mass of word-vomit you just produced. This way, you can effectively edit later on - once you’ve had a brain break. Now is the time to watch a Fortnite playthrough or whatever the kids think is cool these days.
When rereading an article, you should look for two things: logistical errors and grammar/spelling issues. Logistical errors are complete ideas that just don’t make sense. Saying that a refrigerator will fly over the Eiffel Tower in an article about the Second World War is an example. With grammar/spelling, it’s just checking whether the commas are in the right place and that there are no spelling mistakes. Things may slip through your editing process, so it’s helpful if you get someone else to read your piece, as well. For example, I’ve got my trusty editor to make what you’re reading much less of a mess than it was beforehand.
You’ve made it thus far, my friend. Pat yourself on the back--you’re done! You went from having one word in this document that made no sense, to a bunch of words on this document that makes no sense. Rest well knowing that the article is, at least, handed in on time. Thanks to that one BTI article you read about meeting deadlines, you’ll never procrastinate again. It’s only four pluses on the horizon for you. It’s time to kick back, relax, and completely forget about the next assignment until the night before it’s due.