Life gets in our way sometimes, we all know that. But after relentless avoidance and bad social decisions, your brain finally realizes you’ve reached that point in every grad’s life where you need to start your dissertation. Oh, and did I mention you only have two weeks to do it?
Ok, we’re only talking about 8,000 words, right? Pretty easy, I guess…isn’t it? So turn off your phone, delete Facebook, leave your friends, and get ready to transition your life as a third-grade hermit. So here is our survival kit for you:
Breaking down your thesis into defined steps
Writing a thesis is a process with well-defined steps
The detail of Each step may vary slightly depending on your field, but for most thesis writers the steps are, first, brainstorming, second, data editing and analysis, and third, finishing.
Crossing the finish line
YOU ARE A CHAMPION. Look at you, human beings! You’ve read the submission instructions at least three times, right? Was the second button clicked in Moodle? Yes? Alright good job. This sticky part of the third chapter will probably bore you a bit, but forget it: nothing a good TV marathon or 16 hours of sleep can’t fix.
References
Greetham, B. (2019). How to write your dissertation. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Related: Learn more about our degrees in doctoral studies (D.Miss., Ed.D., Th.M., Ph.
D). See also the guide to doctoral studies.
11. Exercise, sleep well and eat well. Because our minds and bodies are meant to work together, you’ll likely find that your productivity suffers when you’re not careful about your exercise, sleep, and eating habits. Like it or not, our ability to maintain long periods of sustained concentration, to think carefully about our material, and to find the motivation to complete tasks depends significantly on how well we take care of our bodies. When we neglect to exercise, don’t get enough sleep, or constantly eat an unhealthy diet, it will be harder for us to muster the energy and clarity needed to complete our thesis.
12. Stay focused. Completing a thesis is not so much an intellectual feat as the result of a discipline. If you manage to devote a lot of time to research and writing, make sure you don’t use that time for other activities. This means you have to struggle with multitasking. In fact, studies have shown that multitasking is a cognitive impossibility. Our brain can only focus on one thing at a time. When we think we are multitasking, we “change activities”; instead of multitasking, our brain is constantly switching from one activity to another (listening to a song on the radio, reading a book, resuming the song, etc.). You’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish if you spend 60-90 minutes not paying attention to something. Stick to the task.