How to Write Better Essays

For some people this works perfectly well, but for most of us it

doesn’t. Under this system we find ourselves leaving tasks to the last

minute, giving ourselves insufficient time to do the jobs we have to do,

or just doing things at the most inappropriate times, when we don’t do

that sort of work very well. What’s more, without a timetable we have

to remind and constantly nag ourselves to get on and do things that

have to be done. This is tiring, it saps energy, and for many it can be

quite depressing, taking all the joy out of learning. Indeed it can even

result in seriously harmful stress.

Nevertheless, we all seem to accept this as a normal part of study,

even though it’s quite avoidable. If we were to plan our work, so that

we did things in a repetitive, regular manner, it would become merely

routine, relieving us of the responsibility of nagging ourselves con-

stantly to do things. We could set aside the same time each week to

tackle certain tasks, and the nagging stress, that makes study an in-

tolerable burden for many, would largely disappear.

The right time for the right task

Avoiding stress is not the only gain that comes from planning. Equally

significant, we learn more about ourselves as learners, particularly

about the times when we work best. We all have some idea of when

we seem to have most concentration and when we’re most productive.

Some people prefer to work late, into the early hours of the morning,

when there are no distractions. Others prefer an early start, so they can

get a couple of hours work in before breakfast. It’s quiet, they argue,

and the normal cares and concerns of the day haven’t yet asserted

themselves and hijacked their thinking.

These might seem to be just personal preferences, but they will

affect the quality of our work. They are decisions we have to think

about carefully as we plan how best to use our time. There are some

tasks, such as reading, that call for the highest levels of concentration.

At one time or another most of us have found ourselves sitting in a

library after a heavy lunch, trying to read a chapter of a book. After

struggling for an hour or two we realise we can’t remember a thing

we’ve read. Either that, or the effort of trying to force ourselves to do

something at the worst possible time, leaves us slumped over the book

in a deep sleep.

A few years ago one British university decided to conduct research

on this: what’s known as the ‘post-lunch dip’. They found it to be so

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