I’m in the home stretch of my master’s thesis, and the deadlines are starting to creep up on me. I really need to get my next draft in no later than Friday, which will require a good bit of sustained work. However, I’m been working on the paper since January (i.e., I’m tired of it), and I’m now working full-time as well. So I’m feeling a little bit brain dead, and my attention span is not what it might be.
Anyone have any good suggestions on how to get going and keep going? (And no, I’m not hanging out on the boards all that much ;))
In my experience, this differs widely on your living arrangements. Who’re you living with? Roommates, family, lover? (That last makes getting work done really difficult.)
What works for me is the ideal work environment. Music that I can concentrate and helps me simultaneously ‘zone out’ (and focusing on the matter at hand) that can loop endlessly without getting distracting, right temperature (jacket at hand if necessary), a bottle of water or juice nearby, as well as a (small) plate of snacks for the long haul. Of course, all materials at hand, because the last thing I want to do is leave my computer (I get distracted easily).
Hope this helps, at least a little. Good luck, D.
Oh, and keep that browser closed unless you really need it.
Personally, I moved into my office for the last two weeks of my dissertation. There was a place in the building where I could shower, and my boyfriend (now husband) brought me coffee and clean underwear every morning, and then got out of the way. When I had convinced myself that there was no way out except to finish, I finished.
I live by myself (except for a fairly demanding puppy :)), but I find my biggest problem is resisting the temptation to just sit on the couch and zone out when I get home from work. I’ve tried working at the library, but I don’t really feel safe walking around downtown alone at night. I have plenty of reasons to want to get finished, but they don’t seem to motivate me too much in the immediate sense.
Thanks for your suggestions! Just knowing that other people have been there does make me feel better.
Isolation is the key. Keep yourself away from all and any possible distractions what so ever.
That or guilt over not working so bad that it gives you a bleeding ulcer, which ever comes first.
I myself usually leave things to the last minute and then go to work in that Holy-crap-I-have-no-time-left panic. It’s such a rush (no sleep and caffine might play a minor role, but this has yet to be confirmed).
Another good idea on top of all these is to plan something fun this weekend- buy yourself a present, go hiking, whatever. Make sure there is light at the end of the tunnel for yourself.
When i have a lot of people getting motivated, I think of people who have done really hard things–If German Jews could survive sudden forced marches of hundreds of miles I can stay on this treadmill one more minute!" “If blind Milton could compse paradise lost, I can write one more paragraph”
On the other end of the spectrum, I sometimes motivate myself by concentrating on all the complete idiots who have done what I am trying to aviod: “Drooling, slack-jawed yokels manage to pay thier bills on time!” “So-and-so got a degree, means she passed a forign language!” htere has to be someone in the Master’s program you loathe–visualize them graduating and you not graduating, and realize what that will sugggest about you.
Set a goal for yourself and then get about $100-$500(depending on how important whatever you’re working on is.) and give it to somebody you really trust. Tell them they are to keep it if you don’t meet your deadline. If you do meet the deadline you get the money back, with the added stipulation thet you must immediatly go and spend it on yourself.
It has always worked for me when big things are due.
Make lists. Even if you have to break chapters down incrementally to fit in the list… It gives you something to look at when you feel stuck (“Hmmmm, I’m bogged down discussing the Buttafuco Syndrome, but I still need to discuss how Milton & Rand were bedfellows, let me take a stab at that section…”). There’s always something else to do. When I was itching to get away from my comps, I’d make myself grab a big stack of undocumented bibliogrpahic entries and force myself to do ten before quitting.
It also gives you the satisfaction of crossing stuff off as you do it. Don’t hesitate to break things down to pretty small tasks if this proves motivating. Instead of “Type bibliography” you can have “enter those three great articles by CrankyAsAnOldMan in bibliography” on the list.
I laughed to read Manda JO’s suggestions–because that’s me talking to myself all the time. I’ve got a year to go on the dissertation. You can bet I’m reading this thread with interest.
Like a few people have hinted at, give yourself rewards. This works well with chocolate. Discipline yourself. Put your project in chunks, and when a chunk is finished, give yourself some chocolate. But don’t give yourself anything until you finish or it will defeat the whole purpose.
