Write Your Dissertation an Hour a Day
by Michael Franklin | February 3, 2011
Too many learners call me panicked that they are running out of time to complete their dissertations. They usually are on their second or third milestone extension, and a deadline is weeks away. How did they get to this point? They did well in coursework. They handed in assignments on time and made high grades. Their GPA was 4.0 or close to it. Now they cannot seem to write a dissertation to the satisfaction of their mentor and committee. They have requested multiple deadline extensions but have made little progress.
Why is this happening to them?
Part of the reason is invariably due to how often they write. The majority of learners in this situation do not write daily. When I ask them about how much time they write every day, they say they write on the weekends. They tell me that they cannot write every day: they are busy with work, they have children, they have parents or a sick spouse to take care of, they have a two-hour commute to work each way, and so on.
For some learners, this weekend schedule works. For others, it has not and never will. In fact, I like to encourage learners in this situation to evaluate their writing practices and try something different that is proven to work.
To complete the dissertation, write for an hour a day.
When you get into the habit of making an hour to write every day, you develop your writing and critical thinking skills. You may struggle to accomplish anything when you begin, but with time and practice, you will become more efficient and productive in your use of an hour. Think of it as a muscle you want to work out on a daily basis to strengthen. There will be days each month you should take off to rest. But if you worked out that muscle only on Saturdays and Sundays, you would see very little change.
Find an hour a day to write: in the morning before you go to work, during your lunch break, at night before you go to bed, during your commute. Find a time that works for you and make it happen daily, even if you sit down and feel uninspired. Some days you will be amazed that you write those two pages in one hour. Other days you will feel frustrated that you produced just one sentence. You can still put in extra hours on the weekend if you want. But over time, you will see a difference.
8 Responses to "Write Your Dissertation an Hour a Day"
Muriel Jones says:
I am in the middle of writing my comprehensive exams and this article is timely and helpful! Thanks!
Desmond Osborne says:
Michael, one of the strategies I used to help me complete my dissertation was what I called the “ABW” — always be working. I just determined that I would always work on one aspect of my dissertation each day. If I felt burned out and didn’t feel like writing that day, I would spend some time looking up sources and reference materials. Often, as I looked up sources, I would invariably start writing to capture the information that I had found. I would also go back and read over what I had written before and begin to edit/proof etc., if I didn’t feel like writing. With that approach, I was able to complete my dissertation in eight months. I just didn’t want the time to pass by idly if I wasn’t in the mood to write.
Brent Reese says:
I am finishing my MS in Education this summer and will be starting my PhD program in Educational Psychology in October. I am already learning how to prepare by reading the posts today. Thank you both for sharing your thoughts on “writing an hour every day” and “ABW- always be working.” I am already inspired and looking forward to the journey.
Julwel Kenney says:
The information written in this article is very vaulable and true. I have experienced this challenge and found out if I don’t make it a habit to write daily my writing suffers. As a result, I have scheduled at least two hours a day to write parts of my dissertation chapters, which has enhanced my writing a great deal.
Michael David Franklin says:
Thanks to everyone who has shared so far their thoughts, practices, and experiences with writing daily.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of making time to write regularly in manageable increments. This approach goes hand in hand with the necessary demystification of the dissertation: do not think of it as an insurmountable summit, but rather as a series of smaller writing proejcts that you craft and flesh out and strengthen in your endeavor for the finished dissertation and for the title of “Dr.”
Happy writing and good luck!
Leea Power says:
Thank you for giving me permission to relax and take it one step at a time.
Vevalyn Hatch says:
I agree with the strategy of “ABW.” Great idea. I find that when I am not ready to write, it is so helpful to at least read more articles or search for more sources to help me with my thoughts about what to write. Writing an hour a day is also a good way to start the day. I find that my biggest problem is making myself sit down to the computer to get started. Often, I find that if I can just sit down, I can write something. I don’t always know what is wrong with me. This difficulty in getting started is truly problematic. My anxiety goes up. Thanks for sharing your ideas. I will definitely try them out.
Michael Franklin says:
Hello Vevalyn and everyone else who’ve shared their thoughts or who’ve read this post —
I couldn’t agree more with the policy of Always Be Working! Always keep busy. The busy dissertator is the dissertator who FINISHES.
While waiting for feedback from a mentor or committee, never wait idly. There’s always more to be read or polished or written. For example, are you waiting to hear back from the IRB about your application’s review? Prepare your Milestone 7 conference call presentation, or begin writing Chapter 4 in anticipation of the data you will collect during Milestone 8.
Similarly, as Vevalyn astutely points out, anxiety is a big enemy of the dissertator, and it therefore can be so easy to avoid, to submit to paralysis, or to justify procrastination. Learn how to recognize how anxiety effects you and tackle it productively by doing as Vevalyn suggests: sit down, try writing, or if you can’t write to save your life, try reading what you’ve already written to edit and polish in hopes of getting into the groove of intellectual output.
Or, as I discuss in a blog post from May 13, 2011, visit Write or Die (http://writeordie.com) for a fun and surprisingly effective approach for overcoming writer’s block.
Good luck, everyone!