In this video I’m sharing the writing hacks that genuinely saved me while I was working on a 20,000-word research paper this term. I know research writing can feel weirdly intimidating (even when you’re “supposed” to be good at it), so I walk you through the little mindset shifts and practical routines that made the whole process feel doable—starting earlier than you think you need to, building a daily writing ritual, and focusing on critical thinking rather than trying to sound “academic” for the sake of it. I also talk about the emotional side of writing—because imposter syndrome loves to show up the moment you open a blank doc—and how I try to recognise it, reduce it, and keep moving anyway. Along the way I share how I use simple systems (including my Notion literature summary / critical thinking template) to make reading-to-writing smoother, so I’m not reinventing the wheel every time I sit down to draft. If you’re in undergrad, master’s, or deep in the PhD trenches, my hope is that one (or a few) of these hacks makes your next writing session feel a little less scary and a lot more structured.