Most writers have at one point experienced writers’ block. It is the point where you are staring at the screen of paper and having nothing in mind to write. Then there are moments that words will flow in your mind out of your fingertips. People writing a dissertation often face such circumstances. While writing a dissertation, you should know that it is not the only measure used to gauge your academic ability in as much as it is essential. It is just another document, and it should not take a lot of your time and energy. Here are ways to mitigate and write your dissertation in 8 months.
Instead of spending a whole day trying to complete the entire document, break it down into small portions that you can easily do. Two hundred words are so easy to write. It takes less than 30 minutes of your time. As a grad student, it is the best way to complete your dissertation in time and still have more time to engage in other activities that make your school life fun. With such a short text each day, you have enough time to do revision and appropriate research. In 8 months, you will be close to 200 pages, which is adequate for your dissertation.
In most cases, students have the freedom to choose a field and topic of their choice for a dissertation. Your supervisor will often advise you to pick a topic from your professional background or something you love. Something you can obsess about for a whole year and not lose interest along the way. Choose a topic that you have invested in and something you can comfortably do in your free time. A good choice is that activity or thing you go to feel energized when you experience burnout from other activities.
Having a set deadline will give you the commitment to work towards achieving it. Timelines will provide you with the flexibility to plan for reviews, set milestones, meet them and receive appropriate feedback. With timelines, you will also focus your attention and energy on your task without feeling like you are floundering into an abyss of nothingness.
Make a schedule or plan of all the activities and errands that accompany dissertation writing. You must stick to your schedule religiously. Plan for your waking up time, eating time, diet to consume, research time, and writing time. How you schedule your tasks depends on your flexibility and preferences. Having a routine will make it easier for you to continuously do your 200 words a day till you complete the dissertation.
Many people dread meeting their supervisors because of what they hear from other peoples’ experiences. And for sure, you will experience harsh feedback, tearing of your dissertation, and negative opinions. The humiliation at the time drives some students to drop out. However, those that persevered the humiliation made it to the end. You must take all the feedback positively. The criticism will serve you more good than bad. You will realize that negative feedback are an essential building block to your dissertation.
For each day you will be writing, try to think in terms of sub-sections instead of a whole chapter. When you think big, you might end up feeling like you are getting lost. Break down your work into tangible sections that you can exhaustively work on. Within a few days, you will see a whole chapter coming to life.
Everybody loves to be celebrated. In this case, since you are working for yourself, you should also celebrate the small milestones you accomplish. It will motivate you to keep doing it and do even more. You could choose to celebrate it on your own or take your family out to celebrate together.
At the end of it all, you should realize that a dissertation is just an assignment like any other. It is in no way an encapsulation of your life’s work. It should not be something the gives you pressure and undeserved depression. Please seek advice from those that have done it and from your supervisor. The above simple steps will guide you and make it easy for you. Now, get them.