A few months ago a person who had finished her course work for her Ph.D., but had not done much toward her dissertation, wrote to say that as someone who worked full-time away from home, she couldn’t fathom how she could add writing her dissertation to the mix of not only working full-time, but also being [...]
Archive for the ‘academic’ Category
Full time job? And trying to write a dissertation, too?
Posted in academic, boundaries, commitment, determination, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, family, mental toughness, motivation, planning, restart writing, self-sabotage, time management, writing, writing schedule, tagged dissertation, dissertation coach, full-time jobs, juggling dissertation with work and family, scheduling dissertation time, writing on May 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Change failure to success
Posted in academic, beliefs, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, perfectionism, self-criticism, setbacks, tagged change, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, failure, success, writing on May 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
What do you do when you have a plan for a writing project in place, but it goes terribly wrong? What is your response? When you slip up, do those powerful feelings that you’re not allowed to make a mistake overwhelm you? If you tend to be a perfectionist, it can be hard to take [...]
Store Your Dissertation in the Cloud
Posted in academic, dissertation writing, productivity, Smart Tips, time management, write more easily, writing, tagged academic, access to your files, cloud computing, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, DropBox, Smart Tips for Writers, Washington Post, writing on May 4, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Do you work on multiple computers? How are you dealing with the need to make optimum use of your time and to make headway on your dissertation no matter at which one of those multiple computers you find yourself? Have you heard of cloud computing? “Cloud computing isn’t merely on the way; it’s already [...]
Perfectionism be damned!
Posted in academic, accountability, commitment, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, finishing the dissertation, getting started, mental toughness, perfectionism, procrastination, productivity, reasons for not writing, self-sabotage, tagged dissertation, excuse for not writing, fear, mental toughness, perfectionism, procrastination, self-sabotage, writing on April 10, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Perfectionism gives you a perfect excuse never to write. Perfectionism not only slows productivity, but it also makes sure that your dissertation will never meet your expectations. Put up with the messiness of writing You have to go through the stage of writing “abominably repetitive, colloquial sentences,” as a dissertation client once described the [...]
Manage your fears and write
Posted in academic, anxiety, basketball, beliefs, determination, discipline, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, fears, getting started, goals, gremlin, mental toughness, perseverance, self-discipline, student athletes, tagged Butler University, dissertation coach, Doctorate, high-stakes writing, manage your fears, manage your goals, performance, recurring nightmare, writing on April 6, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Most people I know speak of a recurring nightmare: –Having to take a test you haven’t studied for –Having to give a talk, but being unprepared –Not being able to get to the location where your talk or test is to be given –Feeling under great tension and wearing yourself out trying to accomplish something [...]
Writers Taking it to the Rim
Posted in academic, basketball, determination, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, mental toughness, perseverance, student athletes, tagged basketball, dissertation coaching, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, writing on March 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is the season when many Americans go crazy over their favorite college’s standing in the national basketball tournament, and my family is no exception. As of this afternoon, we’re represented variously by the teams from three schools. Our schools have made it to the Sweet 16. Or at least the teams did. I watch [...]
On-campus Dissertation Boot Camps offer ABD’s a Toe-Hold
Posted in academic, accountability, boot camp, dissertation boot camp, dissertation coach, getting started, re-group, re-start, resources, write more easily, tagged dissertation boot camp, dissertation coaching, distraction, solitude, Spring Break, writer’s group, writer’s retreat, writing on March 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Doctoral students who have finished their course work, but not their dissertation have been given the inglorious tag of “All But Dissertation.” Although many doctoral students proudly add “ABD” to their signature, what those three letters signify is that more work needs to be done. For many writers of dissertations, the process drags on and [...]
Writers and Spring Break–Sail on, Silver Girl
Posted in academic, accountability, boot camp, boundaries, commitment, dissertation boot camp, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, distractions, finishing the dissertation, momentum, productivity, start writing, strategies, structures, success, time management, write more easily, writing schedule, tagged discipline, dissertation boot camp, dissertation coach, dissertation coaching, self-care, solitude, Spring Break, structure, thesis, use fail-proof writing strategies, Weight Watchers, writer’s retreat, writing on March 6, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Are you one of the lucky ones with Spring Break in the offing? Have you been thinking and hoping and waiting for Spring Break? Finally, you say, I’ll make some headway on my dissertation or book. Visualize how it will work when you have none of the usual demands that take your time and distract you [...]
Commit to paper
Posted in academic, brave, commitment, courage, dissertation boot camp, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, procrastination, Smart Tips, start writing, trusting yourself, writing, tagged aha moment, commitment, write before you're ready, writing on February 14, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
“Commit to paper” is a common, but powerful phrase. You don’t need to have already had the aha moment in order to write. There’s no holding back when you allow yourself to see that you have enough to start. Surrender and go with what you have. On Valentine’s Day, it’s time to commit . . . [...]
Breaking the all-or-nothing mentality
Posted in academic, boundaries, coaching, dissertation boot camp, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, perfectionism, perseverance, planning, realistic goals, Smart Tips, strategies, using your strengths, writing habit, writing schedule, tagged all-or-nothing distortion, all-or-nothing thinking, daily writing habit, dissertation boot camp, goal, patience and writing, Smart Tips for Writers, thesis, write consistently, Writer, Writers Resources, writers' retreat, writing on February 6, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
You’re frustrated that it is taking so much time to get to the dissertation finish line. Do you minimize your efforts and withhold any sense of accomplishment for the work you’ve done to get this far? Each week you look back and dismiss your work “Is that all? Well, really, that wasn’t good enough.” [...]
