You all know the significance of dissertation writing. It is one of the most important elements of your academic career. Yet, there is a time when you don’t feel like writing. Truth be told, there are even days when you open your laptop, and as soon as you see the work, you begin to cry. Your brain is about to burst with undue pressure. Even the thought of the dissertation makes you feel like throwing your laptop out of the window.
In spite of the anxiety and overwhelming frustration, there are ways you can adopt to finish up the dissertation. In the article today, we share some strategies that you can follow to feel better and have peace of mind. The tips will push you to keep going when you are about to surrender.
These tips will be helpful to you as you work through any big task, i.e., dissertations, theses, articles, or book writing.
Print it out, stick it anywhere to your door or your table, and start writing!
- Write in short spells
Writing in many short intervals is much better than attempting to write the whole dissertation at once. When you sit down with the intention of writing the entire piece at once, the chances are that you will dampen concentration after a mere 45 minutes. You’re fooling yourself by thinking that long stretches of writing are the way to go.
Writing requires sheer focus and a bit of innovativeness, and it is hard to continue doing so for a few straight hours. Instead, divide your writing time into short spans with regular intervals. Also, don’t forget to turn off your phone and other alerts before you commence writing. This trick seems trivial but works like magic.
2. Something is better than nothing
It doesn’t make a difference how large or how little is done if you have accomplished something by day end. Regardless of whether you have written one page, three words, or just fixed a reference, you have accomplished something. That, in every case, is better than not writing a word at all.
In general, the focus should be on the ultimate objective, i.e., completion of the dissertation and getting over the winning line to claim your prize in the form of your degree. It will help if you remind yourself that you are not competing against anybody except yourself. Working a little bit every day will get you as far as possible. Take it as a marathon and not a 100-meter sprint. You start slow and then speed up as you are near the finishing line.
Generally, students tend to think about the entire dissertation. Writing an entire part makes them feel overburdened. Instead, by advising yourself that you simply need to write a little bit will give you the motivation to commence writing. You may just write a single sentence. What’s more, when that is done, you presumably can compose another sentence. You don’t have to write an entire section. Only a sentence would suffice.
3. A good dissertation is the one that is finished
Your advisor might be encouraging you to do your best and finish it in the best possible manner. Well, there isn’t anything wrong with that. However, there is a famous saying that a good dissertation is the one that is finished. Simple as that.
Let me explain what that means. Generally, you will proofread your dissertation before submission. That includes, but not limited to, proper phrasing of words or writing the best single paragraph and trying to be impeccable before you proceed towards submission. While doing all this, you get caught in a mess of a language, and it keeps you away from wrapping up.
I am not saying to submit your dissertation full of errors. My point is that don’t aim for perfection; instead, write the dissertation in the best possible form. Remember, nothing is perfect in the world.
4. Start with the easiest part first
Try not to begin writing your proposal by plunging into the most challenging part. In doing so, you are most likely to get the writer’s block. Starting your dissertation with the most troublesome section is like attempting to deadlift a 500-pound weight without any prior training.
You’ll continue attempting to lift the overwhelming weight fruitlessly until you’re exhausted. In the end, you’ll surrender consider yourself a looser. Rather, start writing your essay by the simplest section first, i.e., methods.
The methods area is the most straightforward segment to begin and the quickest to wrap up. Start here to get a couple of pages added to your portfolio and mushroom your confidence. This will, in turn, give you the energy to do a genuinely heavyweight work in no time.
5. Work to inspire yourself
Here comes an essential aspect of writing, i.e., motivating yourself.
Do not go to your advisor for every (petty) issue. Depending too much on him/her will hinder your ability to express yourself in the best possible manner. Instead, motivate yourself to complete the majority part of the dissertation yourself.
How to do so?
One of the best strategies is to envision the things you would do after your dissertation is finished. It may be listening to your favorite music, strolling a park, or hanging out with your best friend. This will not only help you overcome the writer’s block but also push you to cross the finish line. When you are up and ready to go, words will begin to flow down your mind quickly.
Over time, the time required to gear up will get shorter and shorter. Before you realize, you would start writing in 5th gear. This will undoubtedly ease out the pressure on you and help complete the dissertation on time.
These were some of the strategies that you can adopt to keep going when you feel like quitting. As mentioned earlier, writing a dissertation is one of the most crucial parts of your degree. Whether you like it or not, you must face reality. Motivate yourself now, and it would benefit you for the rest of your life. But for this, you need to begin today, at this very moment. So, stop procrastinating anymore and get the work done.
Happy writing!