Whether you have college application essays coming up, or practicing for your O levels, or even just daydreaming of becoming a famous novelist, between coaching classes and school, and of course, a happening social life, it's hard to get into the zone and write. Here are three ways to make time for your writing.
Planning It's much easier to bang out a piece once you know the bare bones of what you're going to write. So way before you actually sit down to write your thing, create an outline for what you're going to write. This could be in the form of bullet points saved on your phone, or index cards, if you're an organisation freak like yours truly, or even a “murder board” (a time-line of events sketched out on a white board pinned up over your workstation). What you need for your outline is a decision on a beginning, a middle and an end for your piece. The rest is just details. You can plan your outline while sitting in a jam, or even while you're singing in the shower, and once you have that in your head, writing the main thing is just a breeze.
Shut it out If there's anything that gets in the way of finishing your writing project – or any project, really, it's the distraction of the virtual world. So turn off Facebook, get off Tumblr, put your phone on mute, and then get down to it. The proof that going on virtual lockout actually works is in the paper you're holding in your hands right now. You'll be surprised at just how much you get done when you're not scrolling through 9gag for an hour or so.
Just chill Surprised? You'll also get more writing (and other work) done if you take regular breaks. The trick is to schedule your breaks, and to stick to them. For every hour that you put into your work, take 15 minutes off to do what you like to de-stress, and get back to it. It'll keep you motivated, and productive, and those essays and articles will get done in no time.