Are you feeling dazed because you just realized that summer is half gone?
How can it be almost July? Have you said that, too?
If your goal had been to produce a big chunk of text during this summer (as it is here in the US), you might want to turn on your computer and see where you are. When was the last time you wrote something?
If you need help in moving into action, deadlines and holidays can be a driving force.
For instance, New Year’s Day is a great motivator, but New Year’s Day is long past.
Fortunately, for Americans, another marker is coming up—the Fourth of July. The unofficial mid-point of the summer is upon us.
It’s time for a mid-season check-in. Take out your calendar. Let’s see where we are.
1. List carefully your intentions for the next eight weeks. What writing do you still intend to accomplish?
2. Reasonably and realistically, divide the work into chunks.
3. Start at the end date and plan backward. Assign each chunk of work to a week.
4. Did you shoot past today without even noticing? Sorry–you can’t start yesterday. Using backward planning can keep you from planning a writing binge just before your deadline.
5. What can you live with? If you were overly optimistic in saying what you want to accomplish over the next eight weeks, the next step is to lower your expectations. What is the minimum you can expect of yourself?
6. Adjust your schedule. Carefully match the work to the available time. Check that your schedule and your goals for the next eight weeks are specific and concrete.
7. Write your weekly goals on a big whiteboard or on a large poster board. Place the board where you will see it every day.
There is plenty of time before September for you to accomplish your most important writing goals.
What are you waiting for? Let the Fourth of July jar you into action.
Happy writing!
Nancy
P.S. Still feeling blind-sided by the way time has past you by? Check out my website. Drop me a line. There seems to be a lot of that dazed-feeling-because-summer-is-half-over going around just now.
Nancy Whichard, Ph.D., PCC
Your International Dissertation and Academic Career Coach
www.nancywhichard.com
www.dissertationbootcamp.net