If you are a beginner in “paper writing”, allow me a few minutes of your time to share my strategies for “consistent paper writing”, even when there are times when I feel stuck. These suggestions will you help particularly when you feel like you won’t make it for that close deadline. These tips have worked for me and I have managed to publish over 10+ journal and conference papers over the last 2–3 years. Things are actually getting better now compared to when I first started writing, because the more I write, the more automatic the writing process becomes, but a few things helped me along the way.

Paper writing is both art and science

I have learned throughout my entire writing experience that writing a paper is a lot like painting, sculpting or anything which involves a lot of creativity and brainstorming. The more you think of it as a piece of art, the more space you allow yourself to treat it as such. It takes time. It takes all your brain power. And it usually requires tremendous effort to complete. Even when it feels complete, the reality is that it’s not, and that is why I consider it a lot like an art piece. Don’t confuse art and science, I am just saying there are other ways to look at your work, to give it an extra spiciness it sometimes needs. So the next time you are starting a paper, start ahead of schedule, and make sure to keep your “todo” lists updated — this helps with organization as well.

Leave it alone for a bit

When you feel that it just won’t work and that you won’t make it for the deadline, that is when your paper is about to take shape. This happens because pressure usually instill a sense of urgency in us and it enables us to work without being distracted. The words you are looking for are right there — at your fingertips, but they have decided to play stubborn today. It’s that time! Your brain and fingers need a break. So leave it alone for a bit. Leave it alone for a day. It’s not procrastination, it’s giving it space to mold and settle, like a ball of dough. Start early the next day and you will see how the ideas and words to describe them come naturally. Nature walks are feasible!

Warming up

At the beginning of my writing career, I got frustrated a lot because I couldn’t figure out how to quickly get started with writing. That’s the problem with most beginner paper writers. Recall that I said writing is a lot like doing arts. Papers take time to shape, regardless of your expertise level. I like to compare paper writing to sports as well because why not. Before you do any sport — whether friendly or competitive — there is a warm up period. The same goes for your writing. It’s an activity that takes up a lot of brain power, so you need to get your brain warmed up. For warm-up, I usually do meditation, which also helps to increase focus. Believe me, as much as people try to debunk this practice, it actually works. This leads me to my next point.

Meditation for focus, not happiness

When you are writing papers, your mood helps a lot with the process. If you are upset, you usually write differently as compared to when you are happy. I tend to make a lot of mistakes when I am angry and that is normal because your mind is all over the place. Regardless of the mood, I find that I can write in any mood—even if it’s some minor editing. But what helps a lot is focusing my attention. There are many ways to focus your attention. I usually read a fun paper that I had saved for reading or just meditate on some instrumental music — epic music is great for concentration. No extra noise, all you want to do here is to focus your attention. Actually, having a clean work-space is one thing I love to do before beginning my writing sessions. Again, organization also helps with focus! One big happy family!

Tidy work-space

This is a no-brainer that usually goes ignored because who has time to be cleaning up. But let me tell you something: when you are organizing your work-space, it’s a lot like warming up. You are also organizing things, which is an important aspect of paper writing. So if you do this as an activity before paper writing, it helps the brain to warm up and harness focus. There are other things you can do besides organizing your work-space, like arranging your books or papers. Try to avoid your computer screen for a little while. Again, organizing, focusing, and warming up can all be done in one shot!

Keep hydrated and keep your eye on the ball

A lot of people say that they get in their best writing mode after a sip of wine. I honestly think wine is not a good solution that works for all. It may help open your mind to think in a different way, so it may be suitable for story writers. When it comes to paper writing, this is a totally different ball game. I do however suggest that you keep yourself hydrated. This is very important. Buy your water bottle, and keep it close so that you don’t have to get up every minute because once you are locked in, you don’t want to get off your seat.

Keyboard in front, not below your chin

I don’t understand the science behind this one, but usually, I like to keep my keyboard straight in front me when doing my writing. It helps with writing quickly because I don’t need to be looking down. It also helps with my body position, and thus avoid annoying back pains. As minor as this may sound, it has made a huge difference for me. Actually, I have my desk marked where the keyboard is positioned — that is how serious I am about body position.

Lighting helps

I usually wouldn’t suggest the use of a lamp because it may affect your sight after a little while of writing. What I usually do is keep my lamp with the light pointing towards the keyboard. The lamp literally stands right on top of my keyboard, so it also keeps my fingers warm — very helpful for cold days. Nothing is more distracting that freezing hands when trying to type. When it’s hot I usually put the lamp sideways facing the keyboard. This neat little trick does wonders for me. For some strange reason, it has also helped me to maintain focus during my writing sessions, which last for hours.

Browser OFF

I said earlier that distractions will always be there. Your job is to avoid as much distraction as possible when you are getting prepared for a writing session. Avoid web browsers at all cost! Phones away! If you use an online latex editor, such as ShareLatex, I would suggest you switch to an offline editor or write drafts on MS Office and then later move them to Latex. This saves time and avoids distractions that may come from the browser itself.

Keep a notepad and pen close by

Sometimes there are things that you don’t want to write in your paper but you are afraid that if you don’t write it down that you might end up forgetting them. This happens to me all the time. I actually get distracted when I don’t have a piece of paper around to take notes of those thoughts. Remember, you want to avoid distraction and you want to keep a consistent flow of writing. Any distraction that arises will set you back a couple minutes. Don’t fight urges, just find different ways to deal with them. It’s a lot like meditation.