Regardless of major, the ability to distinguish research from opinion from nonsense is essential for all undergraduate students. Many students with learning differences have specific challenges with task initiation or getting started. Having written thousands of academic papers, I want to share my tips and tricks for beginning the process.
Visualize the Entire Process
If you watched diving during the Summer Olympics, you may have seen athletes twisting and turning on the ground, visualizing their entire move before leaping from the platform. You must do the same thing with your research paper. Visualizing what each step will look like can help especially if the paper feels overwhelming.
Get out sticky notes and write down every possible thing you need to do to write your paper. For me, this includes items like “print out notes” and “purchase snacks.” Then, organize these tasks from soonest to latest in a sticky note timeline. Look at your calendar and add appropriate due dates. If you use a paper or whiteboard calendar, you can just stick these tasks to their corresponding date.
Make Shorter Deadlines
Break your paper into manageable steps and create mini deadlines for each step in the process. This breakdown can be hard if you have ADHD because your sense of time is entirely warped. Students with ADHD often wait until the last minute to start thinking about assignments because they need the pressure of “due now.”
By creating shorter deadlines, you are artificially creating this sense of urgency. Treat each deadline like it is unmovable and put pressure on yourself to finish each step by its assigned due date.
Schedule Appointments
Another way to create this urgency is by scheduling writing center, office hours, or library appointments that go with your mini deadlines. As someone who worked at a university writing center, I highly recommend these services. Writing Centers are not just for checking your grammar or giving you feedback on a final draft. Consultants can help you break apart the pieces in an assignment, brainstorm or narrow a topic, and turn your notes into an outline. You are already paying for these services in your tuition; take advantage of the support.
In addition to helping with editing, brainstorming, and organizing, many writing centers are happy to act as your body double (keeping you accountable while you work) especially if it is early in the semester and they are not busy. Body doubling is a highly effective strategy for students with learning differences and can be a great way to make sure you are hitting each mini-deadline.
Are you in school and navigating a learning difference? Contact us at Bass Educational Services to see how we can help you on your learning journey.