January 15, 2008
- Overestimation
I read an article recently that says that people tend to seriously overestimate what they can accomplish in one year.
A tendency to overestimate in the short term is one reason for a lot of dissertation frustration and failure.
January 11, 2008
- What To Do If You Are Not Making the Progress You Want
If you’ve been spinning your wheels or not making the kind of progress that you want to make, here are your next three steps:
1. Your first step is to set a reasonable goal for the next week of progress.
2. The second step is that you need to set up a reward system for yourself
3. The third thing is you need to just actually take the action.
January 7, 2008
- Underestimating Yourself
Have you ever stopped to think where you underestimate your talents?
I read an article recently that says that people tend to seriously underestimate what it is they could accomplish in 10 years.
What that leads me to think about is that most of the time we are setting our immediate goals too large, and then our long-term goals too small.
November 20, 2007
- Periodic Bouts of Reorganization
When you’ve been working on the dissertation for a certain amount of time, or when you’ve completed a major section; such as the proposal, or even just a chapter, it’s important to create structures where you actually go back in to your working space, and you create a new kind of organization.
November 14, 2007
- Outlining
Outlining is the first step to writing effectively. Many times, dissertation writers run into problems when they need to make the transition from researching their idea or their topic into actually writing about their topic. The number one reason this becomes a problem is because most dissertation writers do not take time to outline the topic prior to writing it. Outlining is a necessary step between research and writing, and here’s why.
August 18, 2007
- Making Yourself Sit Down to Work
If you’ve ever heard me speak about completing the dissertation, you will have probably heard me say, “The dissertation process doesn’t need to be painful to be meaningful.” What I mean by this is that suffering is neither a necessary or sufficient condition for making significant dissertation progress.
It is possible to complete your dissertation and feel happy while doing it.
August 14, 2007
- Gearing up for a new academic year
If you haven’t made as much dissertation progress as you planned, it usually means that your plans were either too ambitious (i.e. you planned to accomplish too much in the time you had available) or your working habits weren’t as disciplined as they needed to be. It’s tough to maintain a regular schedule of working when the weather is so nice, the pace is so slow, and the pool looks so inviting.
July 29, 2007
- Focus on Efficiency, Not Perfection
If you’re stuck at any point in the dissertation process, borrow my phrase: “focus on efficiency, not perfection.” What this means is that you find the fastest way to get out of the quagmire and moving ahead on the path. This will mean different things to different people, but the focus needs to be on finding an efficient and effective way to move ahead, even when it’s not perfect.
June 19, 2007
- Getting Organized to Make Progress
One thing I’m noticing lately is that I need to get organized before I can make progress, especially when there are several steps to every goal. I feel like I need a certain amount of time to plan what I need to do, and then a certain amount of time to get all the information organized, and THEN, after these two steps, THEN I can get going and make real progress.
The dissertation process is very much like this. You need to plan adequately, get all your information/resources organized, and then you can actually sit down to make progress.
March 22, 2007
- Creating Strong Hypothesis Statements
When writing the hypothesis statements for your dissertation, remember that simple is better. Your hypotheses should be clear, direct, and able to be measured by your research. Let’s address each of these elements more fully:
March 6, 2007
- Overwhelmed? Narrow Your Focus.
The concept of overwhelm is one that frequently arises in the dissertation process. This is not surprising. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re faced with such a large and open ended project- and when the only timelines, in general, are those you create for yourself.
February 23, 2007
- How to Stay Motivated
I’ve been reviewing a lot of material on goal setting lately, and some of it is very applicable to the dissertation process. Two of the most useful ideas relate to setting realistic goals, and getting rid of unrealistic expectations.
February 5, 2007
- Maintaining Motivation to Finish
In the long, (perhaps arduous) process of writing the dissertation, it’s only natural that your motivation will, at times, wane. You may feel inspired and enthusiastic for the first few months of your dissertation process, but notice that, gradually, you start to lose focus and feel less interested.
January 2, 2007
- Happy New Year & Looking Ahead
Happy New Year! I’m back from the holidays and anticipate that you are too (or soon will be…).
I hope you had a great time on New Year’s Eve, and are ready to get back to work. 2007 is going to be an amazing year, I can already tell.
So, for today, I want to [...]
December 22, 2006
- Happy Holidays!
I just wanted to take a minute to wish you Happy Holidays! I hope 2007 is wonderful and success-filled for each and every one of you.
I even wrote you a little poem to commemorate the end of this year and start of another. (I’m still a long way from Dr. Seuss, but hey…I try!)
December 18, 2006
- Dissertation Planning for 2007
Sorry for the blog silence…I just realized it’s been a few days since I wrote, but that’s not because you were far from my mind. I was busy putting the final touches on my new dissertation resource I mentioned to you last week. (You can learn more about that below, because today is the big day! It’s finally ready for you! Yay!)
December 11, 2006
- Inch by Inch, it’s a Cinch
The title for today’s post was one coined by a former (now Ph.D.) client of mine who had been struggling with feelings of overwhelm about getting started on her dissertation.
November 29, 2006
- Sharpen Your Focus
If you want to complete the dissertation quickly (and I hope you do), the best way to do this is to sharpen your focus. What this means, exactly, is that you put yourself on a timeline, and you focus on as few things as possible until you meet your timeline.
November 17, 2006
- Will you recognize the end?
I often get asked this question, “How do I know when I’ve finished my dissertation?”- the quick answer, of course, is this, “when they hand you your diploma.”
Ok, but aside from that, how do you know when you’re “done” writing or “done researching” or “done revisions”? After all, in a way, isn’t the dissertation a living document and one that can keep growing and evolving over time?
November 13, 2006
- Nothing Happens Until Something Moves
Nothing Happens Until Something Moves: This quote, one of my favorite, is attributed to Einstein. What it means, to me, is that all the thinking, planning, and conceptualizing doesn’t really mean anything without one more thing: ACTION.