May 19, 2008
- Finish or Cut Bait
Well, it’s close to the end of another academic year. How is your dissertation process going? Is it moving forward? Staying the same? Or are you losing ground?
As you may know, I’ve been working with dissertation writers since 2001. My stance has always been that once you start the dissertation you should do everything you can to finish it. I still believe that, but with a twist.
What’s the twist? That you should aim to finish as quickly and happily as you can.
March 7, 2008
- Change Requires Action
One of the most important commitments you can make to yourself and your success is to recognize that change requires action.
This was in high relief this week, as I spoke with several dissertation writers who were complaining that they “didn’t feel like working on their dissertations” or they “had too much to do” (socially or otherwise) to make progress.
So here’s the thing: Reaching any goal of importance requires two commitments: a commitment to change and a commitment to take action. Let’s explore these more fully.
January 27, 2008
- Discipline
Something I’ve been thinking about lately is the concept of discipline. You want to be disciplined in the places where it matters most.
April 20, 2007
- Why You Put Off Your Dissertation Work
Planning to do the dissertation can sometimes be more fun than actually sitting down to work on it. When you feel this way, it’s easy to procrastinate and avoid what you should be doing.
March 8, 2007
- What Are You Doing This For?
Dissertation procrastination is a serious problem. You know it’s there when you constantly think about your dissertation, but never actually quite get around to sitting down and working on it. The reasons for procrastinating could be many; but the biggest problem is that you have a dissertation which is occupying a lot of emotional and [...]
January 5, 2007
- Your Dissertation Process Mirrors Your Life
I believe that your life and your work are interconnected. Whatever is happening in your personal life will reflect in your work, and vice versa. If you are feeling scattered, unfocused, or unclear in some area of your personal life, you will likely struggle with similar feelings in your dissertation process.
It stands to reason, then, that if you are stuck in one part of your dissertation process, this might mirror some place of stuckness in your life as a whole.
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?
May 26, 2006
- Do the worst things first.
I might have already talked about this, but I also know we have tons of new readers (welcome!) Do the worst things first. If you are dreading a particular dissertation task, (or even a life task)- and you’re sure it must be done- find a way to get it done as soon as possible. Ask [...]
November 15, 2005
- Why are you procrastinating?
Procrastination on your dissertation usually means one of two things- either you don’t know HOW to do whatever you need to do next OR the payoff for doing it isn’t big enough. In the first case, procrastinating because you don’t know what to do next can be resolved, usually, by talking about your dissertation to [...]
September 30, 2005
- Find another way, quickly.
When you find yourself procrastinating on completing a dissertation related task, push yourself to find another way, quickly. It does your project (and you) no good to have a "to-do" that never gets "to-done". If there is a task you’re dreading, ask yourself: How can I get this done in another way? Give yourself permission [...]
September 20, 2005
- Is it always procrastination? Or sometimes coming into alignment?
I’ve noticed over the past few weeks that my productivity has been uneven. Some days, I wake up ready to accomplish everything on my to-do list, and, other days, I barely accomplish anything at all. I had been noticing (and judging!) myself on this "procrastination" when I started to wonder… is it always procrastination? or [...]
May 17, 2005
- Chunking your work.
When you find yourself procrastinating or feeling overwhelmed by your dissertation, the best approach is to chunk your work. As it sounds, chunking involves breaking up the big (overwhelming) task into smaller, more manageable pieces. It’s like creating a step by step map of how you will move from your starting point to your desired [...]
April 7, 2005
- Don’t make the task bigger than it is.
One reason people procrastinate is because they spend more time THINKING about the task then it probably takes to actually DO the task. When you find yourself constantly thinking about a problem or issue, this means you need to take action on it. When you delay action, you get caught in a cycle of thinking [...]
February 16, 2005
- If you don’t like doing it, get help.
Procrastination is a form of avoidance- and sometimes, we procrastinate because it’s easier than having to face what we don’t like (or don’t want) to do. One of my clients from several years ago came to coaching with several thousand hours of interviews which needed to be transcribed and coded. When we began coaching, she [...]
January 26, 2005
- Avoidance is not a workable long term coping strategy.
Let’s face it- we all have at least one area of our lives that we want to avoid or put off dealing with. The problem is, though, that areas we keep avoiding tend to drain our energy and motivation, and we feel more and more overwhelmed as time goes on. Avoidance is not a workable [...]
December 23, 2004
- Self care decreases procrastination.
One of the most interesting findings I’ve read lately suggests that good self care (i.e. taking time to relax, recharge and rejuvenate) can actually decrease the amount of time a person procrastinates. People seem to procrastinate as a way of soothing their anxieties or fears of imperfection. It’s tough to feel anxious or imperfect when [...]
December 6, 2004
- The dissertation is not your life’s masterpiece.
Realize the dissertation is NOT your lifeâs masterpiece. âThe best dissertation is a finished dissertationâ. The dissertation is, essentially, just one more project and long research paper to complete of a series you have already completed. You WILL create more wonderful articles and more elegant research designs. Save these, though, for when youâre out of [...]
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 21, 2004
- Why do people procrastinate?
Procrastination is another way to describe avoidance- but it’s more subtle. Rather than actually admitting that you’re avoiding your work, you might try to seem very busy- but in work that’s unrelated to your dissertation. Most of the time, procrastination can be understand as a means to cope with fear- and the fear can be [...]