Advice on writing a thesis while working full-time?
February 5, 2022 3:57 PM Subscribe
I'm working a full-time job and also writing a doctoral thesis. I must finish it by the end of March. How?
My job basically requires me to sit on my butt for 8 hours a day staring at a screen and doing research, drafting documents etc. Unfortunately working on my thesis isn’t much different – again, sitting for hours doing research and writing. Because of this my progress has been very slow so far, as I’m usually unable to write for more than 1-2 hours after work, and even then my ability to concentrate after a full day of work is, well, low. On weekends I feel like I need to unwind after the workweek, so I rarely manage to write for more than a couple of hours.
This can’t go on though. I need to finish and submit the thesis by the end of March and so far I’ve written roughly 20 %. I can’t take any days off to write, which means that from now on I have to spend most of my free time working on it.
I’m looking for any kind of advice on how to do this while basically maintaining my sanity and avoiding burnout. If you ever had to do something similar, what helped? Any tips on time management, concentration, self-motivation, or even having to spend most of the day sitting in front of a computer screen? Thanks!
My job basically requires me to sit on my butt for 8 hours a day staring at a screen and doing research, drafting documents etc. Unfortunately working on my thesis isn’t much different – again, sitting for hours doing research and writing. Because of this my progress has been very slow so far, as I’m usually unable to write for more than 1-2 hours after work, and even then my ability to concentrate after a full day of work is, well, low. On weekends I feel like I need to unwind after the workweek, so I rarely manage to write for more than a couple of hours.
This can’t go on though. I need to finish and submit the thesis by the end of March and so far I’ve written roughly 20 %. I can’t take any days off to write, which means that from now on I have to spend most of my free time working on it.
I’m looking for any kind of advice on how to do this while basically maintaining my sanity and avoiding burnout. If you ever had to do something similar, what helped? Any tips on time management, concentration, self-motivation, or even having to spend most of the day sitting in front of a computer screen? Thanks!
I turned my dissertation into publications while working full time, and I had to do the writing before work, like 5-7 am, to get it done. Working early and going to a library, if possible, helped on weekends.
Given the limited time, I also highly recommend outlining what sections you will write in each work session and building in some slack. Honestly, two months doesn’t sound like enough time. Have you asked your academic advisor for advice / support?
posted by momus_window at 4:10 PM on February 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
Given the limited time, I also highly recommend outlining what sections you will write in each work session and building in some slack. Honestly, two months doesn’t sound like enough time. Have you asked your academic advisor for advice / support?
posted by momus_window at 4:10 PM on February 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
When writing for a deadline, I've followed four rules:
1. Write the easiest bits first. I've mainly written fiction and writing the exciting bits first keeps up my confidence in the completed work. Fussing over footnotes and citation styles should be left for last.
2. Set a daily goal and keep it. I suggest writing for 90 minutes at most then taking a break of at least 30 minutes. Bursts of energy are more productive than grinding your wheels while looking at the clock.
3. Resist the urge to rewrite anything. You aren't a better/smarter writer today than you were yesterday, so just work with what you have.
4. Take a notebook to work. During your work day, you may have a thought that applies to your thesis. Write it down right away! Likewise, keep the notebook by your bedside. Some of my best ideas occur in the middle of the night.
In the end, the best you can do is the best you can do. Please resist the urge to beat yourself up about either your work or your thesis. Plenty of time to lift a glass in celebration or drown your failure when the job is done.
posted by SPrintF at 4:16 PM on February 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
1. Write the easiest bits first. I've mainly written fiction and writing the exciting bits first keeps up my confidence in the completed work. Fussing over footnotes and citation styles should be left for last.
2. Set a daily goal and keep it. I suggest writing for 90 minutes at most then taking a break of at least 30 minutes. Bursts of energy are more productive than grinding your wheels while looking at the clock.
3. Resist the urge to rewrite anything. You aren't a better/smarter writer today than you were yesterday, so just work with what you have.
4. Take a notebook to work. During your work day, you may have a thought that applies to your thesis. Write it down right away! Likewise, keep the notebook by your bedside. Some of my best ideas occur in the middle of the night.
In the end, the best you can do is the best you can do. Please resist the urge to beat yourself up about either your work or your thesis. Plenty of time to lift a glass in celebration or drown your failure when the job is done.
posted by SPrintF at 4:16 PM on February 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
Detailed outline and goal setting. Pomodoro (25 min writing + 5 min break; rinse and repeat) Would some of the NaNoWriMo* type activities work for you? Is there a local Shut Up and Write accountability group? (A lot are meeting online now, which helps.)
*I work about 60 hours a week of highly cognitive, and having specific daily/weekly word count goals are the only way I can get any writing done. I shoot for 500 words a day during the workweek, and 5000 words a day on Sat/Sun. YMMV.
posted by basalganglia at 4:22 PM on February 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
*I work about 60 hours a week of highly cognitive, and having specific daily/weekly word count goals are the only way I can get any writing done. I shoot for 500 words a day during the workweek, and 5000 words a day on Sat/Sun. YMMV.
posted by basalganglia at 4:22 PM on February 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Break your writing tasks down into three categories:
1. Tasks you can do during odd fragments of time (chasing down references, inputting notes or comments, brainstorming, etc.).
2. Tasks you can do while tired (reading, reverse outlining, making a plan for tomorrow, etc.).
3. Tasks you need a fresh, rested brain to do (drafting, revising).
Steal moments wherever you can to do stuff in the first category. Category 2 is for after work: limit yourself to an hour or two, max, because you'll want to set yourself up to be able to work on Category 3 stuff early in the morning.
If setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) goals works for you, that's great. If you're finding yourself repeatedly setting and failing to reach goals, though, try focusing on process rather than output: aim to "touch" two out of the above three categories every day for the next two weeks. Exactly what you do each day in those categories doesn't matter--it's all moving you forward.
After two weeks, do another task inventory, adjusting what tasks are in each category according to how much progress you've made and what you've learned over the previous two weeks about your time and energy. Go for another two weeks, and repeat.
Ask your supervisor for check-ins, even short ones, as often as is possible. You've got this!
posted by Hellgirl at 5:04 PM on February 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
1. Tasks you can do during odd fragments of time (chasing down references, inputting notes or comments, brainstorming, etc.).
2. Tasks you can do while tired (reading, reverse outlining, making a plan for tomorrow, etc.).
3. Tasks you need a fresh, rested brain to do (drafting, revising).
Steal moments wherever you can to do stuff in the first category. Category 2 is for after work: limit yourself to an hour or two, max, because you'll want to set yourself up to be able to work on Category 3 stuff early in the morning.
If setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) goals works for you, that's great. If you're finding yourself repeatedly setting and failing to reach goals, though, try focusing on process rather than output: aim to "touch" two out of the above three categories every day for the next two weeks. Exactly what you do each day in those categories doesn't matter--it's all moving you forward.
After two weeks, do another task inventory, adjusting what tasks are in each category according to how much progress you've made and what you've learned over the previous two weeks about your time and energy. Go for another two weeks, and repeat.
Ask your supervisor for check-ins, even short ones, as often as is possible. You've got this!
posted by Hellgirl at 5:04 PM on February 5, 2022 [5 favorites]
Any chance you can write the thesis in the morning and start your job an hour or so late every day? Shorten your lunches maybe?
Or flex some work hours to get a half day off per week?
posted by nouvelle-personne at 5:06 PM on February 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
Or flex some work hours to get a half day off per week?
posted by nouvelle-personne at 5:06 PM on February 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
See, if you'd said writing up 80% of your thesis that's one thing. But you mention research as well? That seems like it may be more than you can achieve realistically, working on it part-time, in 7 weeks. So nthing the need to talk to your advisor.
But even if you can get more time - you need to establish a routine that prioritizes the thesis.
It may not be entirely realistic to hope that there is a way to work full time and push this over the line without getting tired and bored and it sucking somewhat. To a degree you'll just have to accept that this is going to be an unpleasant time, that you'll have to forego most leisure time and probably some sleep to get it done.
Many great suggestions for how to break up your work into more manageable tasks. Pick what works for you and implement it ruthlessly. Especially the idea to do this immediately before and after work. Commuting home and eating would make it a lot harder for me to start again because your mind switches out of work mode and this is work. You'll be doing a lot of unpaid overtime except that it's not your day job but your thesis.
Even better if you sit in a library or co-working space close to your place of work. I work in the sort of offices where nobody cares what time people come and go so I'd probably just come a couple of hrs earlier and leave a couple of hrs later and use them to work on my thesis. But whatever works for you.
This is also not the time to worry too much about how tidy or clean your home is. If you can throw money at the work involved to feed yourself or to clean your home do that (if you're able to). If not, lower your standards for a bit.
Pick little treats and schedule time to enjoy them in your plan - as reward for sticking to the plan. Clearly, the time scheduled for the reward has to be filled with writing if you didn't stick to the plan otherwise.
I am talking about scheduling an hr to
- do your favorite exercise
- prepare and consume healthy or not so healthy snacks
- get a massage
- take the dog for a long walk instead of the short one you have time for
- play an instrument/sing/dance
- masturbate
............
DO NOT plan to meeting your friends for an hr, or two. Invariably, time will get away from you and before you'll know it it's very late and you won't be able to work the next day....you simply can't do that kind of thing for the time being....tell everybody to pretend you're on an extended overseas trip and you won't get back until Easter...I am serious, ask them to support you by not tempting you to abandon your writing schedule.
posted by koahiatamadl at 5:28 PM on February 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
But even if you can get more time - you need to establish a routine that prioritizes the thesis.
It may not be entirely realistic to hope that there is a way to work full time and push this over the line without getting tired and bored and it sucking somewhat. To a degree you'll just have to accept that this is going to be an unpleasant time, that you'll have to forego most leisure time and probably some sleep to get it done.
Many great suggestions for how to break up your work into more manageable tasks. Pick what works for you and implement it ruthlessly. Especially the idea to do this immediately before and after work. Commuting home and eating would make it a lot harder for me to start again because your mind switches out of work mode and this is work. You'll be doing a lot of unpaid overtime except that it's not your day job but your thesis.
Even better if you sit in a library or co-working space close to your place of work. I work in the sort of offices where nobody cares what time people come and go so I'd probably just come a couple of hrs earlier and leave a couple of hrs later and use them to work on my thesis. But whatever works for you.
This is also not the time to worry too much about how tidy or clean your home is. If you can throw money at the work involved to feed yourself or to clean your home do that (if you're able to). If not, lower your standards for a bit.
Pick little treats and schedule time to enjoy them in your plan - as reward for sticking to the plan. Clearly, the time scheduled for the reward has to be filled with writing if you didn't stick to the plan otherwise.
I am talking about scheduling an hr to
- do your favorite exercise
- prepare and consume healthy or not so healthy snacks
- get a massage
- take the dog for a long walk instead of the short one you have time for
- play an instrument/sing/dance
- masturbate
............
DO NOT plan to meeting your friends for an hr, or two. Invariably, time will get away from you and before you'll know it it's very late and you won't be able to work the next day....you simply can't do that kind of thing for the time being....tell everybody to pretend you're on an extended overseas trip and you won't get back until Easter...I am serious, ask them to support you by not tempting you to abandon your writing schedule.
posted by koahiatamadl at 5:28 PM on February 5, 2022 [7 favorites]
Lower your standards for your dissertation. And then lower them some more. With a couple months left, you are going to need to cut corners. Take comfort in the fact that very few people actually write good dissertations.
Stop doing research. Whatever you haven't researched yet isn't going to make it into the dissertation.
Also ask yourself - is there a chapter you can cut? So many PhD students have to cut a chapter - I know I did. It's okay.
Finally, you will likely have a month in between turning it in and your defense. In that month you can keep working on the dissertation in anticipation of whatever revisions you'll get.
Good luck!
posted by coffeecat at 5:39 PM on February 5, 2022 [13 favorites]
Stop doing research. Whatever you haven't researched yet isn't going to make it into the dissertation.
Also ask yourself - is there a chapter you can cut? So many PhD students have to cut a chapter - I know I did. It's okay.
Finally, you will likely have a month in between turning it in and your defense. In that month you can keep working on the dissertation in anticipation of whatever revisions you'll get.
Good luck!
posted by coffeecat at 5:39 PM on February 5, 2022 [13 favorites]
Best answer: The only thing that worked for me, and helped me write my thesis successfully in six weeks, was to forget about the content for a moment, and sketch out the pages like I was laying out a print publication. If the whole thing is 120 pages, then (e.g.) chapter 1 can be 40 pages long. My methods section is three pages long, my theoretical framework is five pages long, whatever. If I must address these points in these five pages, then I can only use three to four sentences to make that point. I can write three or four sentences with what I know, I don't need to know these concepts any more than three or four sentences.
I had to break it down to restricting how much I was allowed to devote to each topic and point, instead of worrying I didn't know enough to sit down and write about that. That made it a lot more manageable.
posted by avocet at 5:42 PM on February 5, 2022 [21 favorites]
I had to break it down to restricting how much I was allowed to devote to each topic and point, instead of worrying I didn't know enough to sit down and write about that. That made it a lot more manageable.
posted by avocet at 5:42 PM on February 5, 2022 [21 favorites]
I'm in exactly the same position as you. Lots of great advice in this thread. One other thing that's really helped me is signing up for Focusmate and booking times to work "with" people - basically, you both work at the same time as another person while your webcams are on. Before each session, you both briefly lay out what you want to accomplish and then reconvene at the end for a really fast debrief. I find the accountability to another person helpful - I feel bad cancelling! So I'll sign up for a session that starts right after work and the momentum I get from the session usually helps me work a lot longer than expected; if not, at least I got a good hour of work in.
posted by thebots at 6:14 PM on February 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by thebots at 6:14 PM on February 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
I wonder if you can schedule a walk/yoga/swim on your lunch breaks? Or exercise first thing in the morning so that when you get home, you can eat and then get right back into your thesis... Good luck! Exercise helps the brain!
posted by itsflyable at 7:14 PM on February 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by itsflyable at 7:14 PM on February 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
My wife suggests staying at a monastery or a retreat center. (They are similar.) They are widely located and offer room and board with few distractions for a reasonable cost. People stayed at them while preparing for the bar exam.
posted by NotLost at 8:07 PM on February 5, 2022
posted by NotLost at 8:07 PM on February 5, 2022
My master's thesis hacks while working full time:
- Walking the dog? Dictating notes and paragraphs into my phone.
- Using my brain for my goals, while it was freshest. For example, before work. Work can suffer.
- Just getting it out, if I don't know a word or reference I'll put TKTK
- Streamline every other decision. Get a meal plan box, eat it. Wear the same thing every day. Does it help me finish? Yes. If not, it's a no.
Good luck!
posted by socky_puppy at 12:45 AM on February 6, 2022 [4 favorites]
- Walking the dog? Dictating notes and paragraphs into my phone.
- Using my brain for my goals, while it was freshest. For example, before work. Work can suffer.
- Just getting it out, if I don't know a word or reference I'll put TKTK
- Streamline every other decision. Get a meal plan box, eat it. Wear the same thing every day. Does it help me finish? Yes. If not, it's a no.
Good luck!
posted by socky_puppy at 12:45 AM on February 6, 2022 [4 favorites]
Also if you're in a country with paid sick leave, use that. There's no shame in reducing your mental stress with a few days (especially in the time of 'rona).
posted by socky_puppy at 12:47 AM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by socky_puppy at 12:47 AM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
I’d take one weekend day to really think through how you can apply the pareto principle (or 80/20 rule) here. Think through what is the absolute minimum you need to get into the thesis overall, into chapter 1, chapter 2, etc. Then, map out how much of that non-negotiable (as in, if this is missing, it’s very likely your thesis will be rejected) content fits into an hour a day and assign the respective chunk to a specific day. Each day, you work on the assigned chunk and nothing else, until it’s done. If you assigned to big a chunk for a day, make a note of what’s still missing and then on the next day move on that next day’s chunk. Do this for a week and recalibrate your sense of what is absolutely needed, the size of the chunks, and the time you truly have available each day with sufficient energy and focus. Then assign the chunks for the next week.
Will it be a perfect thesis? Maybe, as it’s more likely to be thought through and balanced overall. Realistically, though, it will not be perfect as the more you work on it, the more you’ll see what still should be done. Remember, though, that you’re the expert on your thesis. No one has spent more time on your thesis than you, no one has agonized over each sentence as much as you. The differences on the inside of it are much bigger than from the outside, like in a tardis.
tl;dr: only truly necessary bits get your attention and effort, in 1h/day chunks you plan ahead. No dwelling at any spot at the expense of the overall goal. Once you’ve worked on all the necessary chunks and you still have time left, you can polish.
posted by meijusa at 4:45 AM on February 6, 2022 [5 favorites]
Will it be a perfect thesis? Maybe, as it’s more likely to be thought through and balanced overall. Realistically, though, it will not be perfect as the more you work on it, the more you’ll see what still should be done. Remember, though, that you’re the expert on your thesis. No one has spent more time on your thesis than you, no one has agonized over each sentence as much as you. The differences on the inside of it are much bigger than from the outside, like in a tardis.
tl;dr: only truly necessary bits get your attention and effort, in 1h/day chunks you plan ahead. No dwelling at any spot at the expense of the overall goal. Once you’ve worked on all the necessary chunks and you still have time left, you can polish.
posted by meijusa at 4:45 AM on February 6, 2022 [5 favorites]
Each day, you work on the assigned chunk and nothing else, until it’s done. Meant to say nothing else, at least not until the assigned chunk is done. The goal is to spend a quality hour on the day’s chunk. If you’re done in under an hour, you can start on the next day’s or take up a previous day’s chunk again that could use more attention. If you feel like you want to keep working after the hour is up, you can, but only if it’ll not take leave enough energy and focus for the next day.
Bird by bird.
posted by meijusa at 4:56 AM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Bird by bird.
posted by meijusa at 4:56 AM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
At the end of your session for a day, write down what you are going to start for your next session, this allows you to get going quickly at your next session of working. You may want to check out my answer to a question on part time graduate work, where I go through how I used rituals on my dissertation here.
Other thoughts:
- You may want to consider doing the bare-minimum at work for the next few weeks to give you the mental space to do the writing.
- I also nth cutting, cutting, and cutting again.
- Put the ideas that would have been in another section or chapter partially discussed as an appendix instead (well, that is what I did; I had a bunch of appendices).
- Consider hiring an editor to work with you in parallel when you get to polishing if you have the $$ -- I did this and it saved me an enormous amount of time in resolving the half-completed sentences, missing thoughts and other dross that had collected as I was working quickly in the last few weeks.
posted by chiefthe at 7:30 AM on February 6, 2022 [3 favorites]
Other thoughts:
- You may want to consider doing the bare-minimum at work for the next few weeks to give you the mental space to do the writing.
- I also nth cutting, cutting, and cutting again.
- Put the ideas that would have been in another section or chapter partially discussed as an appendix instead (well, that is what I did; I had a bunch of appendices).
- Consider hiring an editor to work with you in parallel when you get to polishing if you have the $$ -- I did this and it saved me an enormous amount of time in resolving the half-completed sentences, missing thoughts and other dross that had collected as I was working quickly in the last few weeks.
posted by chiefthe at 7:30 AM on February 6, 2022 [3 favorites]
I am in a similar position to you (full time work at a desk job, many Zooms per day, grad school, writing to deadlines). The combination of : 1) time boxing, 2) pomodoro-esque technique, 3) a standing desk, 4) theanine, 5) mega to-do lists (I use Trello) has made all the difference to me.
I have standing calendar appointments M-F, 7:00pm - 11pm and Sat/Sun: 10:00am - 5pm for school. Within each of those time blocks, I timebox research and writing-related tasks. I use the theanine to keep focused w/out caffeine (doesn't work for everyone!) and I raise/lower the desk to keep myself awake. I set timers to do sprints when I find my attention faltering. I keep a Trello board for both a big-picture and little picture view of all my tasks. Before I finish up at night, I cross off items and prepare the board for the next day. When I start each day, I review the board and dive in. If I get time during lunch, I will sometimes check the board to see if there are any quick tasks I can finish.
FWIW, I'm pretty flexible about what I'm working on at any one time. Because I've got that big board, I can choose tasks that mesh with my attention span/interests/energy levels at the time with an awareness that it will all get done at the end....so long as I check off all the boxes.
Two more suggestions: leverage your citation manager (e.g., Zotero or Mendeley) and your word processing software to help you. I use Scrivener which helps with wordcount targets, organization, and focusing on just the sections you need to write.
As everyone has said, you're six weeks out from the end, you have to declare your investigation 'done' at this point. You really only have time for the write-up and polish stage.
posted by skye.dancer at 8:53 AM on February 6, 2022 [6 favorites]
I have standing calendar appointments M-F, 7:00pm - 11pm and Sat/Sun: 10:00am - 5pm for school. Within each of those time blocks, I timebox research and writing-related tasks. I use the theanine to keep focused w/out caffeine (doesn't work for everyone!) and I raise/lower the desk to keep myself awake. I set timers to do sprints when I find my attention faltering. I keep a Trello board for both a big-picture and little picture view of all my tasks. Before I finish up at night, I cross off items and prepare the board for the next day. When I start each day, I review the board and dive in. If I get time during lunch, I will sometimes check the board to see if there are any quick tasks I can finish.
FWIW, I'm pretty flexible about what I'm working on at any one time. Because I've got that big board, I can choose tasks that mesh with my attention span/interests/energy levels at the time with an awareness that it will all get done at the end....so long as I check off all the boxes.
Two more suggestions: leverage your citation manager (e.g., Zotero or Mendeley) and your word processing software to help you. I use Scrivener which helps with wordcount targets, organization, and focusing on just the sections you need to write.
As everyone has said, you're six weeks out from the end, you have to declare your investigation 'done' at this point. You really only have time for the write-up and polish stage.
posted by skye.dancer at 8:53 AM on February 6, 2022 [6 favorites]
I literally wrote my dissertation with a newborn infant in my lap. You can do this. Pomodoro was mentioned above -- this was the technique that got me through. I committed to hitting a strict number of pomodoros each day. Some days that's all I got, but on a few blissful others I was able to put in more. It really helped me focus.
posted by sickinthehead at 12:59 PM on February 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by sickinthehead at 12:59 PM on February 6, 2022 [2 favorites]
I once wrote a 25-page seminar paper (a very good one—I'd done excellent research) in a single day because of procrastination. I did it by writing for three hours and then taking an hour off, so my writing schedule that day was 9-12; 1-4; 5-8; 9-12.
It wasn't something I'd want to do very often (or ever again, really) but I really was astonished at how much I was able to get done. A couple of days like that, on various weekends, might really get you moved along.
Good luck. You're in a tough spot, but I have faith in you.
posted by Well I never at 1:21 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
It wasn't something I'd want to do very often (or ever again, really) but I really was astonished at how much I was able to get done. A couple of days like that, on various weekends, might really get you moved along.
Good luck. You're in a tough spot, but I have faith in you.
posted by Well I never at 1:21 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
just adding a tiny practical tip. In truly chaotic times I have found that paying for a meal service like Territory, to make sure I had healthy meals to eat when I had no time to cook, was a lifesaver. You don't even need to do all your meals that way - you could do some easy to make stuff for lunch and do a Territory / other ready meal service meal for dinner. It saves a ton of time (less grocery shopping time wasted, less cooking time, etc). Oh and if you aren't already paying for grocery delivery would be 1000% helpful for saving you some time. Stuff like that. Maybe invest in a cheap robovac. If you can automate some stuff like that/take it off your plate, that will help a lot in terms of finding some time.
posted by dubhemerak3000 at 1:23 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by dubhemerak3000 at 1:23 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Lots of good ideas here. Adding to what SPrintF mentions about doing the easier/more exciting parts first, I started jotting down a number from 1-10 next to all my writing task checklists. I call it the dreadworth quotient, with 1 being super easy to sit down and do, and 10 inspiring so much dread that it’s almost impossible. Putting that variable out in the open, rather than having it silently fuel procrastination, really helped me to tame these tasks and to better decide the order that I complete each piece of the larger project.
posted by umbú at 7:40 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by umbú at 7:40 PM on February 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
I think you will need to do some work on most weekdays and plus a full day at the weekend in order to finish. Also, I don't think you have time to spend procrastinating, which is the main enemy for me.
I have found that the best way to motivate myself to do that on weekdays is to take time a fixed amount of time after work to decompress, and then put in a fixed amount of concentrated time. Say 1-2 hours after work to decompress and have dinner, 2-3 hours of work, then another 1/2 hour (or more) to decompress again. I'm not an early morning person, so to make weekend working more palatable, I start late (like at 11am), but then put in a full day with breaks. If you work better first thing, then you could do the reverse. Make sure to allocate a good chunk of your weekend to relaxing, both at the end of the day job week, and at the end of the thesis writing.
Otherwise, the advice to scaffold what you need to do section by section, including word counts, to get the thing written is really helpful. You probably don't have as many words to play with as you might think and several smaller targets are much less daunting than one big one.
The only other thing that I'm not sure anyone has mentioned, is try not to short change your sleep. Six weeks is long enough that you can't function on sleep fumes.
posted by plonkee at 2:12 AM on February 7, 2022
I have found that the best way to motivate myself to do that on weekdays is to take time a fixed amount of time after work to decompress, and then put in a fixed amount of concentrated time. Say 1-2 hours after work to decompress and have dinner, 2-3 hours of work, then another 1/2 hour (or more) to decompress again. I'm not an early morning person, so to make weekend working more palatable, I start late (like at 11am), but then put in a full day with breaks. If you work better first thing, then you could do the reverse. Make sure to allocate a good chunk of your weekend to relaxing, both at the end of the day job week, and at the end of the thesis writing.
Otherwise, the advice to scaffold what you need to do section by section, including word counts, to get the thing written is really helpful. You probably don't have as many words to play with as you might think and several smaller targets are much less daunting than one big one.
The only other thing that I'm not sure anyone has mentioned, is try not to short change your sleep. Six weeks is long enough that you can't function on sleep fumes.
posted by plonkee at 2:12 AM on February 7, 2022
A bit of a tangent advice, but - where do you work? Will you be staying with the company (possibly in a higher position) after you defend? If so, is there a chance the company can give you paid time off to complete your dissertation? End of March is really soon, but, as others have suggested, if you can extend the deadline a bit, maybe 1 day per week for 6 months? It might be worth it for the company if they are getting a Ph.D on board at the end of the process.
Advice from a lawyer friend of mine, who can produce 100s of pages of text a week - embrace first drafts and just start dumping words on a page. You can massage and edit later, but produce the bulk of the document even if it is in disjointed thoughts.
posted by Dotty at 6:42 AM on February 7, 2022
Advice from a lawyer friend of mine, who can produce 100s of pages of text a week - embrace first drafts and just start dumping words on a page. You can massage and edit later, but produce the bulk of the document even if it is in disjointed thoughts.
posted by Dotty at 6:42 AM on February 7, 2022
What I wish I had done:
- Flexible timeboxing (for everything in my life, including nights and weekends)
- Self-care routines that address many different forms of self-care, not just rest!
- Strategising around obstacles, objections, and negative feelings
- Mini-routines to get into (and out of) deep work states
What I actually did (it worked, but it felt like ass):
- Let the pressure build until procrasti-researching turned into overfunctioning and then I threw words at it.
I help people get things accomplished; I'll MeMail you with some support!
posted by iamkimiam at 8:42 AM on February 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
- Flexible timeboxing (for everything in my life, including nights and weekends)
- Self-care routines that address many different forms of self-care, not just rest!
- Strategising around obstacles, objections, and negative feelings
- Mini-routines to get into (and out of) deep work states
What I actually did (it worked, but it felt like ass):
- Let the pressure build until procrasti-researching turned into overfunctioning and then I threw words at it.
I help people get things accomplished; I'll MeMail you with some support!
posted by iamkimiam at 8:42 AM on February 7, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I think I'll be following most of the advice above. So far I made a time schedule with topics and approximate number of pages that I need to write per day and I plan to write for 2 hours before work and 2 hours after work on workdays, plus 12 hours divided into three 4-hour sessions or four 3-hour sessions on the weekends. We'll see how that goes. Thanks again for the support!
posted by avis at 3:25 PM on February 7, 2022
posted by avis at 3:25 PM on February 7, 2022
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If you don't have the time off (and can't even scrounge up a couple of personal days) is something similar a possibility -- give yourself a writer's retreat someplace where you have as few distractions as possible. Perhaps a weekend in an inexpensive casino hotel (assuming you wouldn't be interested in gaming) or the like -- just sit in the room and work, order room service meals.
I found (was forced, since there was no internet) that it was good to do writing sessions and just make a note (like ***FIND EXACT VALUE*** and then just search for '***') where there was a fact not at my fingertips I needed to look up or find out. Kept up the momentum of writing words down, research/analysis for me is easier and can become a distraction from making progress writing.
You can do this! The next two months may suck, but they're only two months.
posted by Superilla at 4:09 PM on February 5, 2022 [12 favorites]