March 3, 2005
- Set small goals you can easily reach.
In order to make the fastest progress on the dissertation, set small goals that you can easily reach. This might seem counterintuitive, but the typical dissertator sets an unrealistically large goal, falls short, and then sets another unrealistically large goal to make up for the failure, and so on.. You’re better off setting goals you [...]
February 17, 2005
- Spend time on your dissertation most days of the week.
One of the fastest (and best) ways to build dissertation momentum is to spend at least 15-20 minutes on the dissertation most days of the week. I think it’s best to take at least one full day off from the dissertation each week- especially if you work full-time and/or have full-time childcare/household responsibilities. You need [...]
December 20, 2004
- Consistency is key…
Woody Allen once said that 80% of success is just showing up. I think this is especially true when writing your dissertation. If you made a commitment to show up, every day, and work on it for at least 10 minutes, you’d get the project done faster than you can even imagine. More than the [...]
December 16, 2004
- Do what you say you’ll do.
One of the most (theoretically) simple ways to build dissertation momentum is to do what you’ll say you’ll do. If you say you’ll write today, do it. If you say you’ll go to the library and find references, do that too. If you continually make plans to work, and never actually get around to it, [...]
December 8, 2004
- Notice your progress.
One tool my clients use is to keep a dissertation success journal. This journal- a simple notebook- is a way to mark achievements and milestones in the process. It can also be a place to capture ideas and thoughts about the project, and a place to set goals and reward yourself for reaching them. Too [...]
November 30, 2004
- Creating Space to Work
Todayâs idea deals with creating space to work on the dissertation. Sometimes, you need to âclear the decksâ (or clean the house) to feel like youâre in a good space to start working. Now, if your house is already spotless (or youâre cleaning to avoid working, thatâs not what Iâm talking aboutâwhat I am talking [...]
November 10, 2004
- Stay Aware of Task/Time Parameters
One of the fastest avenues to dissertation derailment is found when ABD’s take a very long time- much too long- to complete tasks. This happens mostly when you’ve dived into a task and keep expecting the task to lead you to the ending point, but, instead, find that the more you work, the more there [...]
November 5, 2004
- Working when you don’t feel like it..
At some point during your dissertation process, you will run into resistance: feeling that you should work, but that you just can’t get yourself to sit down and do it. Sometimes, this is a sign that you need a break- and if you haven’t taken one recently, go ahead and give yourself one now. Resistance [...]
October 25, 2004
- Learning to Use Small Blocks of Time
One of the simplest techniques for making regular progress on the dissertation is learning how to effectively use small(er) chunks of time. A good strategy is to make a to-do list of the next 30 items that need to be completed. Aim to make this list as detailed as possible (and feel free to list [...]