Time management is crucial to writing successful essays

Writing successful essays is about more than style or vocabulary. One of the keys to academic success is good time management. Decide if the following ideas are true or false:

• Essay deadlines are often set several months after the course starts
• Reading and note-making often take longer than writing
• A wall chart can help you plan an assignment
• The best time to study is during the night
• All students should spend some time every day relaxing with friends

Actually these are all true except for the fourth: it's better to work during the day and then get plenty of sleep. The main thing is to schedule your work week by week, so that you give enough time for each stage: note-making, drafting, re-writing and proof-reading. By following this plan you will avoid the last-minute panic that leads to careless work, bad marks and having to re-take courses.

Another common mistake students make is to spend too long on the note-making phase. If you have planned your essay carefully you can avoid the trap of collecting too much information. It is often better to start writing - then you will have more time for re-writing and proof-reading before the deadline.

Why is effective reading an important part of good writing?

Many international students worry about having to write essays, but good reading habits are equally critical in preparing to write. Reading for study is not the same as reading a story for fun; students need to be quite selective in what they read. You are normally expected to read various articles or textbook chapters before starting to write, and in your writing you are expected to show that you have done so.

At the start of a course students are often given a reading list by their teacher; this may be printed or electronic. The list will often include textbooks, journal articles and websites. But you do not have to read every word of a book because it is on the list. Your teacher will often suggest which pages you should focus on.

If your English is less than perfect you do not have time to waste on reading texts that are irrelevant to the writing task. It is better to understand a few pages well, than attempt to read long articles without clear understanding. The best method is:

a) Read texts extensively to find the most useful sections.

b) Then read intensively in order to make notes.