Odds are, if you're a student at this moment in time, you are at the worst point of the semester. I know I am, at least. On top of studying for finals and dealing with life in general, you've also got some seriously ugly papers due in the next two weeks. Maybe there's one assignment in particular that's starting to feel even more impossible than usual. If you feel even remotely like I do, with every passing hour that you don't finish it or work on it, the more that increasingly daunting paper rises up in front of you, looks a lot less like just an assignment and starts looking more like a giant middle finger aimed directly at your chance of success.

Sorry, was that a bit too bleak? I feel like it might have been.

For the record, though — procrastination will be the death of you if you're not careful.

Anyway, if you're anywhere close to this scenario, odds are you could use a bit of good advice and encouragement to help tackle that big project and get rid of it for good.

So, here are my top four tips on how to effectively tackle that big project and stay mostly sane! This advice can also apply to personal writing projects like short stories, novels, whatever it might be. So, here goes.

1. Find a space where you're comfortable to write and where you can write at roughly the same time every day.

It's a small thing, but it's one of the most important, and it's definitely the first thing you should take care of when preparing to write. You're going to be in this spot for the long haul, so you might as well be in love with that spot. Your lower seat cheeks and that horizontal surface are gonna get really familiar over the next week or so.

Don't forget the part where you visit this spot at roughly the same time every day. Familiar surroundings and time of day will help your writing productivity. I promise you that.

2. Write something every day. Period.

This is definitely the grittiest step — the one that requires the greatest level of discipline and commitment. How much you want to write each day to reach your end goal is up to you, but seriously — write something very day. Even if it's just one sentence, type it. Don't let a single day go by without getting at least something down. Even the smallest bit of progress each day will help keep your momentum going. Go even one day without writing something and you run the risk of derailing your progress. Also, don't worry if you don't like what you wrote on a day when you were feeling crappy. You can always revise later. Just focus on getting the words on the page.

3. Don't think about the big picture. Take it in small chunks.

I know it may sound weird to be told not to think about the end goal, but seriously — don't. Especially if what you're working on needs to have a really high word count. It can make a world of difference to train yourself to only think about what you're going to get done today — not what you have to finish by next week, or whenever the deadline is set. Focusing on everything that you need to complete instead of only on what you need to complete today can overwhelm you so fast and scare you into procrastination. Yeah. That's totally a thing.

I mean, do it if you feel like it, but I'm warning you — there's a really good chance that if you do, you'll gradually start looking like this:

Or this:

Or worse yet, this:

Need I say more?

4. Reward yourself when you meet your writing goal for the day!

Don't forget to stay positive amidst all this discipline! Your writing will suffer if you're not happy or feeling good while you're writing. So by all means, go out for that cappuccino chocolate chip muffin at your favorite bakery or watch an episode of your favorite show on Netflix when you've finished your goal for the day You did it for today!

Just remember to give yourself one of these if you don't.

Basically, this all boils down to you making the right calls on your personal writing pace and doing what's necessary to make sure you write every day and make constant progress towards reaching your end goal. Sorry for sounding like your mom there.

Alright! Better get to it, then. I know you've got this!