One of the biggest challenges of any academic career is writing a dissertation. It’s crucial to stay motivated and stick to a structured schedule while writing your dissertation, but it can be hard to know how to start. Eliminate as much stress as possible while writing your dissertation by following these tips.
Create a schedule
Before you pick a research topic, you should create a schedule full of soft and hard deadlines and commit to following it. Start by becoming familiar with the field you plan to write about, and set a soft date for deciding on a research topic. Follow your soft topic decision deadline with a hard deadline — during this interval, you should be narrowing down your options. Invest in a planner so you’ll be able to have all these dates on hand whenever you need them.
If you’re applying for a research grant or loan, find out what date your application is due. In addition, set up meetings with your dissertation director to discuss your topic and find out any other deadlines or requirements. Choose deadlines for writing each section of your dissertation and reviewing all relevant literature. Finally, note the due date of your dissertation and plan to finish and review it for at least two weeks beforehand.
Know what’s expected
Knowing what’s expected of your dissertation will take a load of stress off of writing the actual dissertation. If anything is unclear, don’t hesitate to ask your dissertation director for more explicit instructions. You should have a solid idea of what academic writing looks like for your discipline, the required word count, as well as when and where to submit your paper.
Try meeting up with other students in your field who are also writing their dissertation or who have previously written a dissertation. This is a great way to find out how to structure your dissertation, what types of sources to use, how to use them, and what forms of analysis to use. If you’re stuck in a rut, consider enlisting the help of an essay writing service to give you a push or to offer some critique on what you’ve already written.
Manage your stress
Effectively managing your stress levels is key to staying motivated and maintaining the quality of your work. Remember that you’re not alone and that everyone faces stress throughout their academic career. Keep a planner with you of the deadlines you’ve created for yourself, and reward yourself when you’ve successfully met each deadline. Whether your reward is something small like coffee or a night out with friends, creating something to look forward to will motivate you to work harder.
Setting aside some time each day for yourself is also essential for stress management. You shouldn’t be spending every minute thinking about your dissertation. To take your mind off academics, try exercising — regardless of whether you’re going for a run or doing yoga, regular exercise is ideal for reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Remember not to compare yourself to others. Just because others in your class are close to finishing their dissertations, that doesn’t mean you’re any less successful. You’re writing an academic dissertation, so chances are you’re already pretty successful if you’ve made it this far. Instead of comparing yourself to others, compare yourself to your past self and take pride in how far you’ve come.
Writing a dissertation can be hard, so it’s important to stay motivated. Hold yourself accountable throughout each stage of your paper by sticking to a schedule, and remember to take time apart from writing to focus on yourself.
