--- title: How to Write an Essay in 1 Day description: Prepare a detailed action plan canonical: https://time.com/4122943/essay-writing-tips/ author: Varsity Tutors article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-20T20:36:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:10.737Z og:title: How to Write an Essay in 1 Day og:description: Prepare a detailed action plan og:url: https://time.com/4122943/essay-writing-tips/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3348a1950540b31b/6987788835ba6f1d78c06587/computer-keyboard-typing-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos Computer Keyboard Typing og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Write an Essay in 1 Day twitter:description: Prepare a detailed action plan twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3348a1950540b31b/6987788835ba6f1d78c06587/computer-keyboard-typing-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Write an Essay in 1 Day > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Worth Your Time: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Worth Your Time is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more. Worth Your Time is a curated guide to the culture worth knowing, from the biggest conversations of the moment to the books, shows, ideas and discoveries worth your attention. Culture editor Eliza Berman taps TIME's collective taste and perspective to surface what is worth watching, reading, talking about and sharing, and why. 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Worth Your Time is TIME's culture newsletter, published Tuesdays and Saturdays to 40,000 subscribers as of August 2026. #### Who writes TIME's culture recommendations? Culture editor Eliza Berman writes Worth Your Time, drawing on TIME's critics and culture desk. #### Is Worth Your Time free? Yes. It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: How to Be a Successful College Student [Watch (HLS stream): How to Be a Successful College Student](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zhLE5XJW.m3u8) (1:04)  _Published 2015-09-22. How to Be a Successful College Student_ by [Brian Witte / Varsity Tutors](https://time.com/author/varsity-tutors/) ## Brian Witte / Varsity Tutors Nov 20, 2015 8:36 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Brian Witte / Varsity Tutors](https://time.com/author/varsity-tutors/) ## Brian Witte / Varsity Tutors Nov 20, 2015 8:36 PM UTC Have you ever written an essay in 25 minutes? You have if you have ever sat for the SAT. While the stakes may be higher for a last-minute academic essay, the point is this: do not panic! Instead, read this six-step guide to writing an essay in a day: **1\. Understand your goals** Whether you are writing a personal statement for a college or graduate school application, or an essay for a high school or college class, your assignment will have specific goals. Before you begin to write, review these goals. Clearly understanding your objective is _essential_ when working with a shortened timeline. **2\. Choose a topic** Under normal circumstances, you might devote several days to brainstorming a promising topic, and then you might write a detailed outline before writing and revising your essay over a week or two. When you are on a tight schedule, this is not possible. So—write down the first three or four ideas that occur to you. If you cannot think of an appropriate topic, ask a parent or a friend to review the assignment with you. Do not spend more than 10 or 15 minutes on this part of your essay, as the execution ultimately matters more than the idea itself. In addition, do not stress yourself about selecting the “perfect” topic. Without a topic, you will have no essay to turn in, and any essay is better than no essay. (It naturally follows that any topic is also better than no topic at all.) **3\. Set deadlines** Establishing deadlines for a one-day essay is key. Budget 5-10 minutes for brainstorming, 15-20 minutes for creating an outline, and several hours for writing. You can also set aside an hour for feedback and review, and another hour for any necessary revisions. You should also allow for an hour-long break to recharge your mind. Finally, plan to submit your essay several hours before the deadline. A schedule with some flexibility will allow you to adapt to any unforeseen complications. **4\. Arrange for reviewers in advance** Whenever possible, arrange for reviewers (such as your parents or friends) first thing in the morning, and let them know when they can expect a draft. When your deadline is in several days or weeks, you have the luxury of finding reviewers after you have finished your draft. With a shorter deadline, you will not have this ability. Be clear on the short turnaround time to ensure as smooth a review period as possible. **5\. Outline your essay** There are many resources that can advise you on how to write a wonderful essay, but the purpose of _this_ article is to shape that advice to the demands of a very short timeline. This includes resisting the urge to abandon the outline. Having an outline is even more important for a one-day essay than for a week-long project with a similar word count. A strong outline will keep your essay focused and organized from the start—which is critical when time constraints will limit your rewrites. Your outline should not be detailed, and it should take no more than 15 or 20 minutes to complete. Determine your hook (see below for more information), and then jot down the threads that connect this moment to your central argument or idea. **6\. Stay organized** When you are under pressure, your tendency may be to start writing and to see where your essay goes. Try instead to use a brief anecdote or emotional impact statement (i.e. the “hook” in your opening paragraph) to set the stakes for your essay. This is essentially your opportunity to state why your argument or idea is worth your reader’s attention. Finally, remember that “perfect is the enemy of good.” Manage your expectations. Your goal should be to write a good essay, not a perfect one. If you have a compelling hook and a well-organized flow of ideas, check your writing for errors, and then send it in. _Brian Witte is a professional SAT tutor with_ [_Varsity Tutors_](http://www.varsitytutors.com/writing-tutors)_,_ _a live learning platform that connects students with personalized instruction to accelerate academic achievement. He earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington and holds a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University_ _More from Varsity Tutors:_ * [7 Last-Minute Exam Tips for Students](http://time.com/3847660/last-minute-exam-tips/) * [6 Tips for Surviving Finals Week](http://time.com/3854469/college-stress-exams-tips/) * [3 Reasons to Register for SAT Writing Test](http://time.com/3982184/sat-act-writing-test/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4122943/essay-writing-tips/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4122943/essay-writing-tips/"},"headline":"How to Write an Essay in 1 Day","datePublished":"2015-11-20T20:36:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:45:10.737Z","description":"Prepare a detailed action plan","url":"https://time.com/4122943/essay-writing-tips/","keywords":["Living","Education","College","Essay","University"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3348a1950540b31b/6987788835ba6f1d78c06587/computer-keyboard-typing-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Witte / Varsity Tutors"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3348a1950540b31b/6987788835ba6f1d78c06587/computer-keyboard-typing-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME.com stock photos Computer Keyboard Typing","caption":"TIME.com stock photos Computer Keyboard Typing","creditText":"Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4122943/essay-writing-tips/","name":"How to Write an Essay in 1 Day"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How to Be a Successful College Student","description":"How to Be a Successful College Student","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/zhLE5XJW/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-09-22T15:54:05.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/zhLE5XJW.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4122943/essay-writing-tips/","duration":"PT1M4S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4122943/essay-writing-tips/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```