Shutterstock
I often look back at my university days with awe and surprise. ‘Awe’ because I learned a lot and gained real-life experiences that have come in handy now that I am working for a major corporation. ‘Surprise’ because I have no idea how I could handle the burden of working on all my assignments and submitting them within the deadline while trying to manage a social life. What I do know is that I did it all.
Of all the assignments that I had to work on, the dissertation took the most time and effort. If you are currently working on yours and are looking for some helpful tips on how I managed to submit a stellar thesis to my mentors, you are at the right place. You may also benefit by seeking some assistance, whether it is to gain clarity on something that needs working on or help on getting a finished thesis ready for submission! After a few trials and errors, I managed to bring down the process of writing a thesis to a few simple tricks. Here are some productivity practices that helped me finish my dissertation:
Shutterstock
- I started planning:
I realized the importance of planning out what to write while looking for ways to write a good college essay. A dissertation is a big project that can require a lot of time and effort, so planning is of the utmost importance. If you only look at the big picture, it is easy to get frustrated, causing you to procrastinate your task as much as possible. However, if you can break it down into small achievable tasks, the job becomes that much easier. I brought out my planning book, contacted a company that provides dissertation help to figure out what to do, from researching a specific aspect to writing a few paragraphs per day; having an action plan helped me focus on the paper.
- I steered away from distraction:
It is easy for one to get caught up in the glitz and glamour of social media to the extent that you can fall off your wagon and not work on your paper at all. To avoid such circumstances, I decided to bite the bullet and delete social media from my phone. I decided that if anyone really wanted to reach out to me, they would! You may not want to take such a drastic step, although I urge you to. You may do just fine by having social media blocking apps on your phone and using website blockers on your laptop. However, I made sure to take plenty of breaks while working on my thesis to ensure that I didn’t have academic burnout.
Shutterstock
- I wasn’t hard on myself:
Since the dissertation is more often than not the last piece of assignment that scholars work on, it can get easy for one to get too worked up on it. Some students take it too far and strive for perfection. While it is a good thing, they often lose out on the deadline and hating the research process. To make sure I didn’t fall into that trap, I decided to strive for a good enough paper instead. Whenever I experienced writer’s block, I called it a day and worked on it later. I also took ample help from my mentor on any aspect that needed clarification before working on it, such that I didn’t have to revise it later.
- My mental health came first:
No matter how stressful the task of writing a dissertation is, I didn’t let it affect my mental health. I prioritized myself by making time for the activities that help relax me, such as journaling, other tools and Yoga. I took several breaks throughout the day and let myself go to social events and meet with people to take my mind off the paper. Whenever I felt too overwhelmed with the task at hand, I allowed myself to relax and take the day off.
Working on my dissertation was challenging, and I am not sure whether I can do it again! However, I know that if I need to do it again, I will be able to do so with these tips to keep me focused.
