(Part 2)
How do I organize myself and keep making progress without losing it? Especially when you are at the beginning of your thesis and after you have your topic and some research, you need to write and organize it all. You’ll see that very quickly many obstacles will start showing up. Don’t panic, there are ways to keep going.
I can give you several tips about this question and I will. But you are the key for all of it to work out. That means that you will have to take care of yourself also in the middle of this job. You might think, wow, I already knew that. But let me highlight that the academic life is very demanding and your first years will be very hectic, that’s why I’m telling you to start taking care of yourself from the moment you start your first research paper, your thesis. Trust me it’s the beginning of an amazing journey in research and also a very demanding one. So let’s tackle this first one and then see how the rest of it will unfold.
For self-care tips, I will have a different post. So if you feel you’re in good shape and ready to tackle the monster, let’s discuss some tips to keep you on track with your goals. Whatever stage you’re in right now, you need to always keep in mind these:
- Cut our writing into digestible chunks: you can only do so much each day and having smaller goals will make you feel good about making progress instead of feeling stuck and not being productive.
- Take a day off: in order to be productive, you need to rest. Never underestimate the power of a nap, or just an afternoon off playing video games. You’ll come back to your desk with more energy and focus and get a lot more done, trust me.
- Be accountable for your deadlines: tell a friend/fellow student and report back to them, if you do this you’ll be more likely to make the deadlines. Also, if you don’t have deadlines, make them up. This way you’ll be able to measure your progress.
- Start writing immediately: you will have several drafts, don’t worry it won’t be perfect from the start, you’ll have to go back and make corrections many times.
- Move forward: don’t get stuck in a part that is not working out, move on to the next, and then go back. Your thesis probably has many chapters, an introduction, a conclusion, etc. Don’t get stuck in one of them, just go to the next one and move on. Progress is what you’re looking for at the beginning, not perfection or completion, yet.
- Be extremely clear on your topic and check often that you’re not getting away from it. Again, you can bounce ideas with a friend or colleague and make sure you are on the right topic and you’re not straying too far. It’s very easy to be seduced by texts that you find and ideas that show up in other papers. Do not give in! You will be the specialist of your topic, so stay on topic.
Follow these steps and repeat any of them that you need to just keep making progress. At this stage, the most important thing is to keep going until you have a first draft. Then, you’ll have a second, and third. Never get stuck in the challenges, they’re there because this is a long process. You can do it!