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 your energy and time into resisting the work?
You resist by putting the hard, anxiety-producing work second and putting the most ordinary task first, and letting it drag on. Or you may do something that does not need to be done right away, such as editing an announcement or a committee report or writing a letter of recommendation.
When you’ve finished that straightforward, undemanding but time-consuming task, you then think that you should celebrate because you finished something. And of course after you celebrate, you don’t feel like diving right back into another project, the hard job, the work that you’ve been avoiding.
You’re never going to make headway on the important work by putting it second or by saying to yourself “How about never?”
You’ll never make progress until you surrender to it.
Just give yourself over to it—no holding back. If you don’t let your big project take precedence, it will never get done.
And never means never. Will that work for you?
Procrastination is the topic in my upcoming e-newsletter “Smart Tips.” I’m also offering a special bonus that you could use. Go to www.nancywhichard.com to register.
All good wishes,
Nancy
Nancy Whichard, Ph.D., PCC
Your International Dissertation and Academic Career Coach
www.nancywhichard.com
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