It’s sometimes more fun to plan to do something than to actually do it.
No. I don’t mean fun things like lunch with your friends or reading a good book or watching a movie. Those things are always fun to do. What I am talking about is planning to do the dissertation can sometimes be more fun than actually doing it.
That’s not surprising; the dissertation process is filled with planning and thinking and grand concepts and large scale ideas. Most graduate students love that part. ‘You mean *I* could contribute to the literature in an important way? and *I* could be lauded and recognized? That sounds great!’
Of course it does!
Unfortunately, though, the one snag in the plan is that you have to finish your dissertation before you can count that as a contribution to the literature and before you can collect all the fame and glory you desire and deserve.
The actual "writing of the dissertation" is rarely as fun as the "planning to write" phase of the dissertation.
One way to make the dissertation writing easier is to focus, first, on getting it written- and then, later, focus on getting it right. This doesn’t mean you write anything you know to be incorrect (obviously) but it does mean that you worry about things like proper grammar, punctuation, and of course, correct APA style (the mere mention of which gives me the creeps!) after you’ve written about your main themes and supporting information.
If you can get your ideas out in reasonable coherence, there will be time for refining later. You’ve probably heard me say this before, but the best dissertation is a written dissertation.
Get it right after it’s written; until it’s written it will never be right.
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Welcome to all our new readers! It’s exciting to be connecting with so many new people from all over the world. I wanted to remind you that I recently made some changes to the dissertation coaching membership to make it even more valuable. You now have access to me via email for help, guidance, and support. If you’ve been thinking about joining, now is the time. Click here to learn more: The Secrets of Dissertation Success
{For all current members: the recording of "Writing the Literature Review" is now available in the members area, and I just added several new content items today. Check them out!}
