Eliminate distractions. Before beginning to check your essay, it is vital to get rid of any possible distractions that could take your mind away from the task at hand. Turn off any music that is playing, turn off your television set, and close the door.
Use a printed copy. When checking your essay, it can help greatly to print out a copy of it beforehand. It is easier to identify problems when you have the paper in your hand, as opposed to looking up at a computer monitor.
Give it some time. Never try to proofread your essay immediately after you finish it. It is important to take some time to clear your head and distance yourself from your paper. If possible, wait about one day before checking your work.
Take your time. Do not rush through the proofreading process -- this will only make you miss key mistakes and problems. If necessary, take some short breaks in between checking your paper. In an ideal situation, it can help to go through the proofreading process over a period of a couple of days.
Read your work aloud. Do not just read your work silently in your head. Focus on "hearing" the words as you read them. This will assist you in noticing grammatical problems, especially missed "-ed" or "s" sounds at the end of words.
Look for different things each time. Every time you read through your essay, focus on different aspects. For example, concentrate on looking for meaning the first few times. Later on, focus on grammatical issues, including punctuation, style consistency, any unnecessary or missing words, ambiguity, typographical errors, repetition, and format.
Use spell check. Spell check can be effective for finding spelling mistakes and typos, so be sure to use it. However, don't depend too heavily on it, as there is always some room for error (especially when it comes to spelling of names). For instance, if you typed "our" when you really meant to write "hour," your spell check will not catch that.