In short
- Sources and references take about a quarter of the time or more; writing about a third.
- Checking takes about 15%: more than most people give it.
- Keep 5 to 10% spare at the end, before the deadline.
- The shares stay the same for any length of work; only the days change.
Most plans go wrong in the same way: too little time for reading, writing starts late, and checking gets squeezed into the last night. The fix is to share the time out before you start, using rough proportions that hold for almost any assignment.
This lesson is part of step 2, plan back from the deadline. Use the shares below to date each stage.
Where the time goes
These are the shares used across the 7 steps, with what they look like for a two-week essay and a six-month dissertation.
| Stage | Share | 2-week essay | 6-month dissertation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The brief | 5% | Day 1 | Week 1 |
| 2. The timeline | Under 5% | Day 1 | Week 1 |
| 3 and 4. Sources and references | 25 to 30% | Days 2 to 5 | Weeks 2 to 8, then ongoing |
| 5 and 6. Sections and their sources | 10% | Day 6 | Weeks 6 to 9 |
| 7. Writing | 35 to 40% | Days 7 to 11 | Weeks 9 to 20 |
| 7. Checking and handing in | 15% | Days 12 and 13 | Weeks 21 to 24 |
| Spare | 5 to 10% | Day 14 | A week, kept free |
How to use the shares
Count the days you really have
From today to the deadline, minus days you know are taken: shifts, other deadlines, trips. That is your total.
Take the spare time off the end
About 5 to 10% of the total, and at least one day. Treat the day before it as your real deadline.
Share out the rest
Use the table as a guide. With ten working days, sources get about three, writing four, checking one or two.
Let the stages overlap
You will keep finding sources while you plan and write. That’s normal; the dates are for when each stage should be mostly done.
Adjust for the brief
A data project needs more time for analysis; a reflective piece needs fewer sources. Move a little time between stages, but keep checking and spare time.
Common mistakes
- Starting with the writing. Without sources and a plan, writing stalls, and you go back to reading anyway.
- Reading for too long. Set a date to stop searching. You can add a source later, but the writing has to start.
- Checking in an hour. Reading it through, fixing references and formatting take a day or two for an essay, more for a dissertation.
Share out the time in KanBananza
- “Three weeks” is too vague to start on. Plan an assignment (in Pip’s menu): paste the brief, add the deadline, and Pip suggests three to six dated milestones with small steps. Check them, then Add. Pip
- You forget what’s due this week. A due date on any card, and Due soon in the bar at the top shows what’s due in the next three days, every time you open a new tab. Free
- Everything is on the board at once. Snooze a card until the week you’ll start it, so today’s board stays calm. Free
For your level
GCSE and A level
Coursework often has draft dates set by your teacher. Fit the shares between those dates, and keep spare time before each one.
University essays
With several deadlines at once, share out the time for each piece separately, then look at the weeks where they overlap.
Dissertations
Your department’s dates (proposal, ethics, drafts) come first. Collecting and analysing data can take a large share of the months in the middle, so plan it early.
Questions
How long does a 2,000-word essay take?
As a rough guide, two weeks of regular work, with the stages shared out as in the table here. Some people need longer, and that’s fine: the shares stay about the same, only the days change.
Why is writing only a third of the time?
Because good writing depends on what comes before it. Finding and reading sources, and deciding what each section says, take almost as long as the writing itself, and checking takes more time than most people expect.
What if I have less time than this?
Keep the shares and shrink everything evenly. Don’t drop the checking or the spare time; shorten the reading instead, and focus on fewer, better sources.
Do I really need spare time?
Yes. Something always goes wrong: an illness, a clash with another deadline, a file that won’t upload. A spare day or two at the end turns a crisis into a small delay.
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