Are you the person in the cartoon who in setting a date for a committee meeting says, “How about never? Would that work for you?” Is that the attitude you have toward your dissertation?
When you have a big project—whether it’s writing a dissertation or a book or planning a big event—do you throw all of [...]
Archive for the ‘getting started’ Category
When Will You Start Writing Your Dissertation? How About Never?
Posted in Smart Tips, academic, coaching, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, getting started, procrastination, restart writing, restarting, writing, tagged procrastination, putting the dissertation second, never getting started writing on December 2, 2008 | No Comments »
Productive Writers Do What?
Posted in Smart Tips, academic, coaching, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, distractions, getting started, procrastination, productivity, re-start, restart writing, restarting, self-deception, self-sabotage, writing, writing models, writing, dissertation, tagged eliminate distractions, make writing easy on September 27, 2008 | No Comments »
Have you heard the sarcastic references to Obama’s having written two books? Of course, it’s politics to make a negative out of what would ordinarily be a good thing, but I’m wondering if the people making the jabs believe that large numbers of voters denigrate writers and writing. I don’t know what large numbers of [...]
Do You Use the All-or-Nothing Distortion?
Posted in Smart Tips, academic, coaching, determination, discipline, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, fears, flow, getting started, gremlin, momentum, procrastination, re-start, reasons for not writing, restart writing, self-sabotage, writing, writing, dissertation, tagged ABD, acknowledging success, all-or-nothing distortion, distorting experience, flow, procrastination, self-sabotage on September 21, 2008 | No Comments »
Even though you may have a stated intention of working on your dissertation and making steady progress, you do everything and anything to sabotage yourself. Could this be you?
If this sounds familiar, read on.
A dissertation client is having great trouble moving forward. Every week when we talk, there’s been another obstacle which has kept her [...]
6 Tips to Help You Stop Procrastinating and Finish Your Dissertation’s Conclusion
Posted in Smart Tips, academic, advisor, coaching, criticism, dissertation advisors, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, following through, getting started, perseverance, procrastination, re-group, re-start, regrouping, restarting, start writing, writing, writing, dissertation, tagged procrastinating on writing conclusion, writing conclusion to dissertation, diplomacy in dealing with your committee on September 7, 2008 | No Comments »
Procrastinating on finishing your dissertation’s conclusion? If so, you have company. Writing the conclusion can be a time when many people clutch.
Needing Feedback?
One reason why many dissertation writers start to slow down when they’re at this point is that they aren’t getting feedback from their advisor or mentor. If you don’t have a sense that [...]
Stop Procrastinating on Writing Your Dissertation’s Conclusion: 3 Strategies to Get You Started Sooner Rather Than Later
Posted in Smart Tips, academic, coaching, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, getting started, planning, procrastination, re-group, re-start, restart writing, restarting, setbacks, start writing, writing, writing models, writing, dissertation, tagged putting a stop to procrastinating, Smart Tips, writing dissertation's conclusion on September 2, 2008 | No Comments »
You maximized your time this summer, and you’ve moved your dissertation along. But it’s September 2? How did that happen?
If you’re teaching this fall, you have been doing a number of admin things. You’ve over-prepared for the first few classes and have a great syllabus in place. You know your lines.
But to move into your [...]
Is Email Sucking the Life Out of You and Robbing You of Writing Time?
Posted in Smart Tips, academic, boundaries, coaching, commitment, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, distractions, email, getting started, planning, productivity, start writing, writing, tagged avoiding email, emailing all day, getting started each morning, writing each morning on August 11, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Dissertation writers, professional writers and editors, bloggers–we all fight the good fight against email.
Seth Godin, famous marketing blogger, asks, “Do you spend your day responding and reacting to incoming all day… until the list is empty? “ He says that unlike the days when he could sort his mail in minutes the “old-fashioned way,” he [...]
What if Dissertation Writers Had the Focus of Tiger Woods?
Posted in academic, anxiety, brave, coaching, courage, determination, discipline, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, fears, focus, getting started, mental toughness, momentum, re-group, re-start, self-sabotage, struggling, top strengths, using your strengths, writing, writing, dissertation, tagged mental toughness, self-regulation, self-sabotage, flow on July 18, 2008 | No Comments »
When I’m in line at the grocery, I read the latest celeb magazines. If there’s an article about Tiger Woods, I’ll read about his wife and his yacht and, of course, his relationship with his father, but I’ve never been interested enough to take the time to see what are golf’s and Tiger Woods’s hold [...]
Morning Has Broken—Are You Writing?
Posted in You Tube, academic, anxiety, coaching, determination, discipline, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, family, getting started, music, writing, tagged music to raise your mood, time to write, writing in the morning on July 14, 2008 | No Comments »
Get up early, no matter how much you think you think you need sleep, and write.
Writing a dissertation takes single-mindedness. It takes mental focus. It works best when you feel calm, when anxiety is low, stress is low, and you feel little or no ambivalence.
And how often do you feel this way?
Do you waste time [...]
To Get Started Writing and To Keep Writing, Hang out with Hard-Working Writers
Posted in acting as if, brave, coaching, courage, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, getting started, motivation, re-start, restart writing, writing, tagged courage, getting started writing, taking chances, friends, competition, following a good model on July 2, 2008 | No Comments »
Writing can be like rowing a kayak.
This past week-end my husband and I visited long-time friends at their lake house. In the early evening, when it was a little cooler, they suggested it would be a good time to go out on the water. I hadn’t really noticed that the only boats available were individual [...]
How Are You Doing with Your Summer Writing?
Posted in academic, coaching, dissertation coach, dissertation writing, following through, getting started, goals, planning, re-start, resilience, restart writing, structures, tagged finishing the dissertation, making it easier to write, moving into writing, planning ahead on June 9, 2008 | No Comments »
If you’ve been teaching this past year, isn’t it a joy not to have to work on lectures or grading? Maybe you have the house/apartment/office to yourself.
So–how are you doing on your summer writing?
If you are almost ready to get started, but not quite there yet, perhaps you had a project dumped on you as [...]
