When I'm racing to meet a writing deadline, I feel a sense of exhilaration, momentum, and flow. How can achieve that state on a regular basis so I can make steady progress on my writing?
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posted by incandescentman
on Feb 27, 2013 -
17 answers
Help me to make a great leap forward in my PhD in the next six weeks. I am in the last year of my PhD (philosophy) so the thesis has to be finished by December, however, I am also full time university lecturer, so when the term starts my ability to write every day is drastically compromised. By selling part of my soul I negotiated almost complete freedom for the next six weeks and I want to use them to make massive progress with writing the thesis. I already have about 40,000 words written and I am hoping to write another 40,000 over the next 6 weeks. The challenge is to stick to the daily quota of 1,000 words, as some days it is possible, even fun, other days it is very very hard.
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posted by slimeline
on Jul 31, 2012 -
23 answers
I think I procrastinate on projects as a dysfunctional way to manage my anxiety about them. Can you help me manage that anxiety more productively?
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posted by colfax
on Dec 8, 2011 -
8 answers
This is my second semester back after a 4 year “break”. I’ll be 30 very soon and really want to earn my degree. I really enjoy the classes and the discussions on the readings. When it comes to writing the papers I completely shut down. I always underestimate the difficulty of a task and the amount of time it will take to complete. It’s not that I forget. I do a lot of thinking about the paper and the topics – in my head. I have never in my entire life, completed anything before it was due. I have never written a draft. Now that the assignments are for more than 5 pages I am really struggling. I’m drinking way more caffeine, smoking more, sleeping less, completely discombobulated. My grades have been good – when I hand in the work.
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posted by mokeydraws
on May 18, 2010 -
25 answers
I know that what I'm trying to do - work one boring full time job and one creative part time job at the same- is not unusual. I know millions of people do it every day. But the combination of tiredness, poor time management, and procrastination is making it seem impossible. Help!
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posted by DestinationUnknown
on Apr 6, 2010 -
13 answers
I hate all forms of work (hence the anon. post) and the only way I've found to finish papers etc. is to stay up all day and night procrastinating until the last possible instance writing a bit here and there--an agonizing process--until, as the last chance deadline aproaches, something takes shape. These papers are usually final papers and usually earn me between a B+ and an -A... which is probably why I never learned how to do work in a painless and organized fashion... at any rate, I have two papers due on the same day and no chance of an extension on either one and am incapable of forcing myself to work. WHAT DO I DO?
posted by anonymous
on Dec 10, 2004 -
55 answers
Question for all you writers out there: how do you keep from getting distracted? What's your technique to get into the zone, focus, and let the verbiage just flow? Any and all help would be appreciated.
posted by wanderingmind
on Jan 26, 2004 -
30 answers