In the long, (perhaps arduous) process of writing the dissertation, it’s only natural that your motivation will, at times, wane. You may feel inspired and enthusiastic for the first few months of your dissertation process, but notice that, gradually, you start to lose focus and feel less interested.
Most often this seems to happen when you feel that you keep ‘spinning your wheels’ or going over the same ground over and over again: such as in writing the proposal, where you can’t quite seem to get it just how your committee wants, or even later in the process, where you continually write and rewrite your discussion section, but it’s still missing that something which will move it from a dissertation draft to a done dissertation.
Having confronted this kind of motivational challenge at several points in my own dissertation process, and vicariously in the processes of those I’ve coached to finish, I can offer the following tips and hints for getting through the rough spots and to the finish line.
- Find another way to engage with your project. Loss of motivation, loss of focus- these are all fancy ways of describing boredom. It can be boring to go over the same points again and again. How can you re-engage with your project in a way that feels fresh or new? Some examples might be to ask yourself what you loved about the project in the first place? or to think about how your findings will serve humanity. Connecting to the larger picture or theme can help you engage with your project in a different way.
- Turn your work around as quickly as possible. Be OK with ongoing feedback. If you can’t quite get it right, get it as close as you can, then turn in the paper for feedback. Get the feedback, make changes, and turn it in again. It can be difficult to get this much feedback this quickly, but it’s better than spending days working when you’re not all that sure you’re on the right track.
- Try to focus on places in your life where you don’t feel stuck. It is way too easy to dwell on your feeling of being stuck, or feeling of not moving ahead. The problem is this: whatever you focus on expands in your life. So if you find yourself dwelling on being stuck, you’ll expand your feelings of being stuck.
Another, final point is to try and get some input or feedback from your friends or colleagues. Sometimes, in a safe place, we can converse more easily about our thoughts and ideas. From this conversation, that missing piece just might arise. Social support is always a good antidote for stuckness.
No matter where you are in the dissertation process, keep making progress each and every day. Even incremental movement will, eventually, add up to noticeable results.
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The Secrets of Dissertation Success
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