How to Easily Break Up a Huge Term Project or Assignment

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You have a huge assignment, but that’s nothing new.  Every other week you’re given a massive project to complete for one of your classes.  This just means that you have even less time.  Where do you even start?  How do we tackle this?  Do you jump in head first, or is there a better way?

Today I want to discuss how to easily break up a big assignment.  This is the basis of task management, an essential skill for college and university students.  Because let’s face it, there is not enough time in the day, week, or semester to get everything done. 

All students have this problem.  I’ve had it.  You have it!  It has existed since the beginning of the concept of the post-secondary institution!

What we are going to do is we are going to break this project up into manageable pieces.  This is, so we don’t get overwhelmed and bogged down with the massiveness of it all.

So, where do we start? 

This article will cover exactly how to break up a big assignment into manageable pieces.  We will walk through it step-by-step, so you can apply this to your routine and get the best outcome possible.

This process does not have to be reserved for term projects.  Use this simple task management method whenever you feel overwhelmed to take on an assignment or even a busy day.

How to Break Up a Big Project or Assignment

The beauty of this method is that it can be applied to any point you are at in the process of creating your project.  If you want the best possible outcome, you can use this method for your next term project right from the start.

If you have been toiling away and are having difficulty keeping track of all the moving pieces, this system is excellent at organizing the mess.  Don’t save this method for some abstract future assignment.  Apply it now to all your homework, and you will see how effectively it can keep you on track.

Start by making a list.

The first thing we will do is break this assignment into a simple list.  Sit down and think about the project.  Think about all the steps needed to do to complete it.  Now, break up the assignment into what you have done already and what you still need to do.   Then, write down the steps up to submitting your work.

Let’s use an essay as an example:

• Decide on a topic

• Do your research

• Write an outline

• Write 3 paragraphs

• Conclusion

• Introduction

• Thesis statement

• Edit

• Edit again

• Keep editing!

• Hand it in.

When you are told to write an essay, your stomach might drop.  That is a big assignment and a huge time investment.  But, any one of these tasks is manageable.  Turning your essay into a simple task list like this may motivate you to actually work on some of these pieces.  This easy first step will help to guide you through a clear path to completion.

For extra essay-writing help, check out our book on essay writing.  It is available in both digital download and paperback versions.

Break up your list into single-task items.

From here, we can break up each of these items into single tasks.  For: “decide on a topic,” You might break it up into:

• Think up 5 topic ideas.

• Brainstorm supporting arguments and other associations.

• Choose a topic.

Continue to break down the rest of your list until there are simple tasks you can finish in a 15-minute sitting.  If you are looking at bigger items like editing, you can just add them to your list as:

• Editing paragraph 1

• Editing paragraph 2

• Etc.

As we continue to work through each of the steps, you might find that you can break them down even further.  You have the freedom to update this list and add new tasks at any time.  Sometimes things become more clear as you work the process.

Give each item a timeframe.

Add the amount of time you have to work on each of these sections.  For example, you might give yourself 10 minutes to decide on a topic.  Then another 10 minutes to brainstorm all the supporting arguments you can think of.  Finally, you might give yourself another 5 minutes to reflect on what you have come up with and choose your topic.  Your list will look like this now:

• Think up 5 topic ideas (10 minutes)

• Brainstorm supporting arguments and other associations (10 minutes)

• Choose a topic (5 minutes)

Continue down your list and add timeframes to the rest of your tasks.  Remember, you can always adjust the time later if you need to.

If you think any tasks will take longer than 15 minutes, you will want to break those into smaller sections.  That might mean creating new tasks or adding several entries for the same job like we did for editing.

You don’t have to do it now.  Keep this in mind as we work through the rest of the steps.

Choose somewhere to start and tackle that task.

Let’s start at the beginning.  Take the first 10 minutes and write out all the topics that come to mind.  If it only takes you 5 minutes, awesome!  Still, take the whole time to think of different angles you might consider.  Write them down as they come to mind so you can review them later.

Spend the full 10 minutes really thinking about the topic.  Grab a coffee before you start, and use this as the quiet time before the storm.  Don’t rush through this step, even if you feel like you finished early.  If you have nothing to write about after a couple of minutes, try expanding the individual ideas.  If you can think of related topics or different perspectives that you feel are strong, add them as well

Continue on to the next task once the time expires.

In our case, we spent the first 10 minutes thinking of topics we would like to use, so expanding those ideas to flesh them out will most likely flow naturally.

If you are struggling with the next task on your list, you can do them in any order you want.  This usually applies to someone a little further in the process, but it can still apply here.  Maybe you know you want to write on a particular topic.  You can jump to research and then return to step 2 to decide on a perspective.  In our example, we will just move straight on to task two.

Use your task list as a blueprint to guide you through the process.

Once you have your topic, you will want to start thinking of different ideas that will support that position.  For this, we are going to have a brainstorming session.  Start brainstorming all the ideas that can help strengthen your stance.  Use the next 10 minutes assigned to complete the brainstorm and see where it takes you.  

Don’t misunderstand.  This is not the same as research.  Use your memory associations to elaborate on ideas during this brain dump session.  It might help you choose a topic or perspective.  Here you find how much you know about the subject, even if you have a lot to say.   Doing elaborations like this will also help in later steps when deciding what to research.

What to do when you encounter tasks that take longer than 15 minutes.

In our example, the next step will be to start researching those ideas before you begin to outline and write your paragraphs.  These tasks can also be broken down further.  For example, if you have two hours to do research, break that up into tasks.  Break up your list into four 30-minute tasks to research your topic for supporting arguments.  Then, add each of the three supporting arguments you will turn into paragraphs.

Your list will look like this:

• Research (2 hours total)

  • Research sitting 1 (30 minutes) - find 3 facts to support my thesis

  • Research sitting 2 (30 minutes) - research fact 1

  • Research sitting 3 (30 minutes) - research fact 2

  • Research sitting 4 (30 minutes) - research fact 3

Spend the first 30 minutes researching your topic as a whole.  Spend this time looking into if the supporting arguments you came up with for your initial brainstorming session can stand.  You might find better ones.  Find 3 in these 30-minutes and then spend 30-minutes researching each of the supporting arguments. 

After you have spent this initial time, decide if it was enough.  Are you confident with the information you came up with?  Do you feel like you need more?  You should go back and continue to research only after you have spent this first research time as directed. 

Do not research blindly.  Often, students will spend a ton of time investigating facts they don’t need.  Unstructured research time can be a wasteland for productivity.  Do your first research sessions like this.  Then, only if you need more information, assign additional time to a specific task.

If you have a specific and directed plan, you won’t waste time falling into the hole of researching for days and weeks.  You can be straightforward and targeted in your searches and know what you are looking for.  You may choose to spend much more time on research or much less.  This will be subjective to the scope of your assignment so follow your gut. 

My advice would be to set a timer and reassess after every hour at maximum.  Change the topic you are searching for after each of these markers to ensure you are not spending all your time on one specific fact.  This will ensure that you are making progress on the whole essay and not spending all your time digging your heels in on one argument.

If you find something interesting that you want to look into further, allot a specific research block for that topic.  This way, you keep your research structured and are mindful of your task list.  Try your best not to fall into a rabbit hole chasing random facts.  Everything that you research should have a purpose in your project.

It’s okay to save the hardest tasks for last.

I usually suggest phrasing the thesis statement for last.  This is because it’s generally easier to fit the thesis statement after completing the paragraphs than forcing them to support it.  Looking back on what you have proven allows you to better word your opinion.

In our example of an essay, the thesis statement is the most crucial piece of the puzzle.  It is okay to struggle with trying to word it perfectly.  In cases like this, it’s best to take the pressure off and let the words come to you.  Work on other aspects of the assignment until the hard parts have a place to fit into.

In the case of an essay, you must follow the research where it leads you, and phrasing the thesis statement to fit the essay is often easier than the other way around.  We usually start with one idea of how we want to write our paper, but the research might tell us otherwise due to specific nuances. 

The thesis statement is the most important sentence of the essay.  This can cause a lot of nervousness surrounding phrasing it just right.  Leaving it until last can help alleviate the pressure of finding the perfect wording from the beginning.  Sometimes, as you write the essay, the thesis statement will come to you organically.  Leaving it till the end gives you the room to allow this to happen.

It’s usually easier to fit the thesis statement after you have entirely fleshed out your essay.  So, putting in all the heavy lifting of finding a perfect thesis statement before writing the first paragraph is a lot of effort wasted.  Waiting will reduce the risk of burnout and increase the chance of doing it right and well.

Start early and take your time.

Continue breaking down the initial list until you have tasks that are no longer than 15 minutes each.  If you have to list something multiple times, that’s okay.  We want to have a long list of items that are not intimidating.  Some of them might even be 5 or 10 minutes.  Just break them down.

If you start your assignment early with this simple method, you can select a task every day to cross off.  That way, you are not rushing yourself or encountering writer’s block because you are burnt out.

Now that you have this big, beautiful list, you will want to start checking tasks off.  Just sit down with your list, a pen and paper, or a laptop and start plugging away at each of these entries.

Make sure you break up your sittings over multiple days. 

Decide how much time you will have to work on this project daily, so you can plan which items you can cross off.  Note that once you have this list, you no longer have to work on things in order.  So, if you are not motivated to be a fantastic wordsmith with expert levels of eloquence one day, you can work on outlines or research.  Leave the writing and phrasing for another day when you are prepared to craft the perfect sentence for the perfect essay.

Saving an assignment for the last minute, while so tempting, is definitely not the best practice.  You will write better papers if you just break them up and work on them over days.  Even if you devote only 30 minutes a day to your assignment, you will see an increase in quality. 

Be honest with yourself.

I know we all want to lie to ourselves and say we work best under pressure, but it’s simply not true.  99% of the best work happens in revision.

The more you revise the work, the better it sounds, so just read it over and over and edit it.  You don’t even have to read it from beginning to end.  Pick a paragraph at random and edit that.  Continue until you have finished the essay or until your 30-minute sitting is over.

Try using Grammarly to help with your editing.  It is entirely free to use, but there is also a premium version with even more benefits.  I have been using it for years and can not understate its value.  I use it every day to check the spelling and grammar of everything from this article to research papers and assignments, even essays.  It gives me the confidence in my writing that I need to hit publish.

Spend more time editing your assignment than you did writing it.

As you work on that project and fill up those pages, you will read it back and make tiny tweaks.  A small change here or a minor adjustment there will really enhance and clarify and make it better. 

Don’t wait until the last minute when you have to throw a Hail Mary.  You are just writing it down at that point, like you are blurting it out.  You will only have time to review it once, save it, and hand it in.  You will only have 3 minutes until the deadline ticks and marks start coming off. 

You know, that 2.5 % that comes off daily?  Does that sound familiar?

Instead, rush your draft.  Throw your ideas onto the paper however they come to mind, and spend all your time editing it until it’s just right.

Tips for Creating the Best Term Project or Assignment.

Term projects don’t have to be intimidating.  They are an excellent opportunity to show the professor how much you have learned in this class.  Adding your own spin to the project with a dash of personal creativity can really set your assignment apart.

I have always preferred term projects over final exams.  They are a much better way to demonstrate your understanding with less pressure.  While exams often show how much a student can memorize, assignments give much more room for nuance.

Try employing these simple tips to make your next term project stand out.

Start as soon as you can

Just start early.  Even if you just start by making to make your task list.  Make an effort to work on it for 10 or 15 minutes each day to cross off one item.  Plan it out so that you have set aside time to work on this assignment each day, and you will thank me for it on the due date. 

The wall is only insurmountable until you start to climb it.  This project is only overwhelming because you have not started.  Get started, break it down into pieces and watch how the anxiety begins to melt away.

Refer to your rubric often.

Read your rubric thoroughly.  This will tell you exactly what is expected from you and how you are graded.  Rubrics explain precisely what is required to get any mark you want.  All you have to do is follow it.

Make sure that you read through your rubric thoroughly at least 3 times:

1. In the planning phase of your project

2. When you complete your rough draft

3. Before you hand it in.

During each instance, compare your assignment to the rubric in each section.  If you feel your project is falling short of the top mark, tweak it or note how you need to change it.  Repeat this review process until you are happy with each of the requirements.

Make a plan and stick to it.

Finally, stick to this plan as much as possible.  It’s so tempting to trade in 30 minutes today for an hour tomorrow, but you will find all the same excuses not to work on it again tomorrow.  It’s going to be easy to procrastinate.  But motivation comes from seeing progress.  If you stick to the plan and don’t fall behind, you won’t get overwhelmed.  You won’t get unmotivated, and you will feel even better about what you have accomplished.  Most importantly, You will not dread working on it and catching up.

Write down the plan, and stick to it.  You will see that you will stop getting so much anxiety and frustration about working on it.  Stress and overwhelm over every assignment you get will subside because you are working on them and chipping away at that to-do list every day.  Seeing progress is really going to get you motivated to finish.

This goes double for assignments that you don’t think you understand. 

Even if you don’t understand the assignment, create your list and start working on it.  When you get to the confusing part, you will often find that it’s not as bad as you thought.  If you need clarification, you will know precisely what you are struggling with, so you can get help on that specific part.  You will be less likely to throw your hands in the air and claim it is too hard.

If you have a project you are struggling with, feel free to book an appointment or email me.  Let’s see if we can break up this big assignment together!

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