Football and the Dissertation

I was lucky enough to score tickets to the Ravens/Colts AFC Playoff game this past Saturday. It was my first NFL game, ever, and it was a lot of fun, even though the Ravens (my hometown team) lost.

In watching the game, I was reminded about the similarities between NFL football and the dissertation. Sometimes, it’s easier to understand concepts in metaphors, so here’s the metaphor I’d like to share with you today.

If you watch football, you know that the game is made up (generally) of small drives, which, over time, add up to big yards. The offensive team continually lines up for a 2 yard play, then lines up again for a 3 yard play, and so on. They may line up 10, 15, 20 times, just to gain some yards on the field. Any one play doesn’t really look like much, but, combined together, all these plays can lead to a touchdown.

While I’m by no means a football expert, I did see some parallels between football and the dissertation. As in football, lining up to work on the dissertation 10 minutes, and then 15 minutes, and then 10 minutes at a time may not seem like much, but, combined together, all these minutes can lead to hours, and, ultimately, to a finished project.

So if you’re ever wondering if these little bits of time make any difference, the answer is yes. They absolutely do. It takes focus and commitment and patience to keep showing up for just a few minutes (or a few yards) but this is how the dissertation gets finished (and the Superbowl gets won).

The second element of this metaphor is related to my observations of the Ravens as they played on Saturday. Overall, my impression was they were not playing like this was a play-off game. They seemed like they weren’t really taking the game all that seriously. Some of the players, in fact, seemed more interested in showing off for the crowd rather than in winning the game.

This idea also applies to the dissertation- sometimes, you can get really caught up in the idea that you’re working, or the "show" of working….but the results are just not there. (Like the Ravens on Saturday). The most important thing is to win the game.

How can you gain even more yards, and focus on ‘winning’ the dissertation game this week?

 

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If you’re getting back to work and want focused information about how to get your dissertation done as fast as possible, check out "The Secrets of Dissertation Success", my new dissertation coaching membership site with more than 100 strategies for getting the dissertation done in 2007.

If you liked my video on crafting a timeline to finish, you’ll find many more helpful hints inside. The membership includes audios, written reports, and a growing group of videos.

Here’s the link again: The Secrets of Dissertation Success

Now get out there and play.

 

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