Top 6 Tips For Writing Assignments as a Parent

Finding the time to write an assignment for your course when you're a parent can feel impossible. It's even worse when you have more than one due at once! After finishing my first year at university with a now 11-month-old baby, I've learned a few handy tips for producing quality work even when you're exhausted!

1. Organise and Plan

I know it sounds obvious but a surprising number of students have no idea when their assignments are even due. As soon as you are given your assignment details write them down. Having a trusty planner and diary is beyond helpful. I use a giant one on my wall, write down all my upcoming assignments and their due dates and also put them in my calendar so I can easily calculate how many weeks I have left. Timetable out slots in your week that you are free to work on them. I use free hours in between lecturers and go to university early to have undisturbed, child-free time. I also work during nap times and at night once my son is asleep (the whole 'sleep when the baby sleeps' has not been my reality!). I'd highly recommend using a weekly planner to create a schedule to help keep you on track. Knowing how many hours you can designate to an assignment each week will help you estimate how early you need to start. Obviously being a parent means you have to have a lot of flexibility but striving to keep things organised should keep you focused and feeling like you're on top of things. Before having a child, I would much prefer to work on an assignment for many hours over a few days, but unless you have excellent childcare, this isn't possible. Instead, I've had to amend my working style and now pick up an assignment for a few hours here and there over a week or two. This can be a difficult adjustment which is why planning comes in handy. Create a rough outline of what you'll write during each short assignment session, and work on an achievable step, like writing a paragraph or researching a particular section. It's all about the baby steps (parenting pun intended).

2. Start Early

Again, it sounds like common sense but you really can't start early enough. This is especially true for the times you have multiple assignments due in a short time frame. For the most part, you will be given assignment information very early in the semester which allows for many weeks to work on it before its due date. Sometimes you will need information in future lecturers to complete the assignment but I have found it is often possible to educate yourself adequately on the assignment's content to complete it, or at least plan it. You can always amend it if needed once you've been to more lectures. For me, I have had 2 assignments mid-semester and 4 at the end. This means that I start working on the 2 due first as soon as the semester begins. Once they are done I begin working on the easiest/one I am most knowledgeable about and getting it out of the way. I end up submitting this over a month in advance, giving myself around 5 weeks to work on the other 3. Your schedule will likely be different but the principle of not leaving anything to the last minute and planning plenty of assignment time is vital. As a parent, we have stresses that others don't and there's too much that can go wrong if we only have a few days to complete an assignment. You don't want a sickness bug or exhaustion getting in the way of you submitting it. Submit early and edit it later if required.

3. Get an Extension if Needed

Whilst I am a huge supporter of being organised and planning ahead, sometimes life just gets in the way. Don't be afraid to ask your lecturer for an extension if you need one. I have found my lecturers to be very understanding of the difficulties of being a student parent and that kid-related difficulties are a perfectly acceptable reason for getting an extension. You may find that you just want to get an assignment out of the way or you may be trying to produce your best work yet. If that's the case, having a few extra days might make the world of difference so ask away! Just remember that your lecturer will need to sign off on it so you need to ask with enough time for them to do so, otherwise your assignment will be marked as late and your grade will be capped.

4. Create a Feedback Document

I think this is helpful for all students, especially at the beginning of the course when you are getting used to writing assignments. Writing down the constructive feedback you are given from your assignments on one document will give you a checklist to run through when writing your next assignment to ensure you avoid making the same mistakes. As a mum, I am so sleep-deprived that my memory is terrible, as such, remembering the nuanced feedback I am given is really hard and scouring through all of my submitted assignments while I am also in the midst of writing a new one is inefficient. I would recommend creating a table in Word or Excel with the name of the assignment, the grade it was given and positive and negative feedback. Fill this out as soon as you have a free 10 minutes. This provides you with a comprehensive feedback document that you can refer to when writing assignments that helps to refine your writing skills.

5. Tackle One at a Time

Some people can have numerous assignments on the go at one time, this wasn't me before having a baby and it is definitely not the way I do things now. I have so many mum things filling my brain that I need my studies to be as simplified as possible. I just can't spend the mental energy juggling multiple assignments at once. I pick one assignment, usually the one due first, sometimes the easiest or most interesting one, and finish it before starting the next one. This requires organisation but for me, it is the best option. Taking on too much at once is going to lead to burnout and exhaustion so be kind to yourself and find the best schedule for you. As a parent, you have so many mental 'tabs' open at once so shut as many as you can to allow yourself to have better focus on the ones that are open. You know what they say, quality over quantity.

6. Use Your Support Network

Everyone's support network is going to vary massively but having a few solid people you can rely on for emotional support and childcare will be incredibly handy. I use my son's nursery time wisely and I also know that if I am falling behind on assignments (or equally need a well-earned break) I have people I can ask who will do their best to help me. You might want to schedule this in during the week before your assignment is due or perhaps you'd rather they are just on standby but knowing the support is there is a huge relief.

7. Stay Motivated

Writing assignments is hard for most students, it's even harder as a parent. The whole university experience is going to be really tough. It's good to be realistic about how hard you will find it. Your grades might suffer at times because you have to prioritise your family. You might have days where it all feels too challenging and you want to quit. You might have days where you just want to cry, get into bed and avoid doing any uni work. This is all part of the process and its important to honour how hard it can be because it shows just how incredible and strong you are for choosing this. Going to university when you have a child is a really difficult choice to make but because you have made it, it speaks volumes of how important getting your degree is to you. Remembering why you are doing this and what you get from your course will help keep you motivated. If you're struggling with your motivation, experiment with methods that might help, writing down what you want from your course, where you see your career going and what you're enjoying now might help. Keeping your motivation high for your course will help you stay motivated to complete each assignment, especially when times get tough! Equally, utilise short-term motives, I love treating myself to a hot chocolate and snacks when I'm working. These keep my energy levels up when it's late and make working more enjoyable. If you have the money, maybe you can treat yourself to a day out or a massage once you've submitted all your assignments. Positive reinforcement is highly effective for encouraging behaviours and will make your assignment writing experience more enjoyable. Find out what works for you and use it!

There are many things you can do that will help with writing assignments whilst also juggling the demands of being a parent. It is undeniably a challenge but you are a remarkably resilient person for choosing to undertake your studies when you have children. Planning is your friend, as is practising self-kindness because what you are doing is no easy feat and there will be moments when you struggle. Remember that your experience at university is not defined by your grades but rather what you get out of it and how you develop as a person. You are shaped not by the result of the assignment but instead the process of it. Balancing your studies and parenthood will only make you stronger.

Let me know any of your favourite tips in the contact form on my page!

Kat