Do it as the first thing in the morning. That`s when you have more willpower.

I don`t find it useful putting time pressure, deadlines are good but writing half n hour only and then do something else then come back to writing won`t help. Wake up, have a seat, and start. If you can`t start straight away, that`s okay, wait for some time, wouldn't be long until ideas will start bouncing. It`s really important to create that space ( time) for yourself. The longer time you allow the better. Or putting pressure on yourself won't work either. 

And you definitely need to try one-week social media fast.

Outline main topics and subtopics 

Write the body of the essay first topic by topic. Then it is really easy to do the conclusion and introduction.

Set a timer between 10-30 minutes to write one thing at a time.