Dissertation Without Discipline: Flexible Scheduling

Discipline never did work for me. Just the word conjures up some sort of forcing, some sort of rigid, externally set boundaries, even when it is "self-discipline." Then my internal knee-jerk reaction kicks in and demolishes my whole program that I so carefully planned. Does that mean I never get things done? It did, until I figured out what I could do to help myself.



Since trying to set a firm schedule didn't work for me, I went about setting some common-sense goals, then being very flexible about how I scheduled my time. It worked for me then, and has worked for me since.


1. Figure out your major goal, and the significant minor goals. Have time lines for them. The major goal can be, as mine was, a dissertation help. Make sure the deadline for that is a hard one. Then you can backtrack to figure out the time lines for the preparatory steps. The backtracking can be a great exercise in realistic planning. It works best if you have a pretty good sense of how long it takes you to do what's needed for each intermediary step.
2. Split up your thesis or dissertation into little steps. It does count to write a paragraph in a day, or write a question or response to feedback and send it to faculty. These things have to be done. Why not do them in little bits, to help yourself see accomplishments?
3. Be flexible. Sometimes our plans don't work, or schedules fall apart. Take advantage of a free half hour here or there, or other plans falling apart to do something that will help you work toward your goal.
4. Make a new schedule daily, or with a frequency that works for you. For those of us who can't seem to plan ahead and stick to it, ask yourself this question: "What can I do today that will help me feel good about myself when I go to bed tonight?" Then act on the answer to that question.
5. Look at a bigger picture to take care of yourself. It's so easy to get caught up with what's in front of our faces, we forget to look larger. Be honest in asking yourself what you need most today to have and to be what you want for tomorrow or next week or next month or next year.
6. Take breaks. We all need time to relax, to recreate. If you try to push yourself too far, what happens is breakdown, not breakthrough. Take time to ease up and relax now and then. You'll have lots more energy for your project that way.
7. Figure out what works for you and do it. Sometimes others see our strategies and tell us we're nuts or that it won't work. If your strategy works for you, use it, not matter how it looks or seems to others. That's the only way you'll succeed.

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