Not being able to work is the curse of the PhD student. And writer’s block is one of the worst to deal with. We all get it. Usually, there’s no reason apart from the inability to settle down and work. My supervisor told me that the way to beat not being able to write is to follow the ‘take one small step’ procedure. She told me that to get myself writing again I should take one small first step. This method works in breaking through writers’ block and similar problems. I know because I’ve used it.

The first step might be something simple such as opening a Word file ready to write something, but without actually doing any writing. Once the first small step is accomplished, take a short break. Have a cup of tea. Then, take another small step. This one might be naming the file or putting in a temporary title. Have another break for a few minutes and then take another small step such as writing a rough abstract. And so on.

Eventually, the small steps will add up to something useful and you will have got started. Having done something useful you will be encouraged to do more. Then you can stop taking small steps and start taking larger ones like writing the first draft of the whole of a chapter, revising it and finishing it. The larger steps will follow naturally from the small ones if you take enough small ones. The important thing is to recognise that you are making progress with each of the small steps and should continue on with more of them. The many small steps will build up to a big step which will help to overcome the urge not to work and break through the block.

Sometimes, you can only take the first small step. Doing any more is just too stressful. That’s alright. Take a break for a few hours and then take the small step again. This time you should persist and be able to do a little more. Don’t get stressed. If the next step is too much, then stop, have a break and then start again. As long as in each working spell you take at least one more small step than the previous one you will be making progress.

Whatever your problem with starting to write, try the ‘one small step’ procedure. What the small step is to be will depend on what you are agonising about, but should become plain with a little thought. The important thing is to do something. What you do isn’t as important as doing something. Try it – what have you got to lose? Nothing but your excuse to continue procrastinating. Once you have started writing again it will all have been worthwhile.

The decision between writing and not writing is yours to make. Maybe this simple procedure will help you to break the barrier and get something done. Try it – one small step at a time…

I’ve added some new writing tools to the site.  Here’s what you’ll find if you click here:

Writing Energy Audit: Never sure where your writing energy is going?  You may need an audit to help prioritize. 

Project Breakdown Sheet: Overwhelmed by your dissertation?  Break it down into manageable pieces. 

Scholarly Pipeline Visual: I created this for myself and my campus writing group to help keep us on track and to eliminate gaps in our scholarly pipelines.  This one is best printed out on 11 x 17 and can be laminated for several future uses with dry erase markers.  I recommend posting it in your office!

Enjoy and happy writing!

Zombie Dissertation: productivity on autopilot?

Some aspects of writing a dissertation are mentally very tough. If you spent half an hour thinking about some of the finer details you would need to lie down in a darkened room for a day to recover. Other aspects of writing are not mentally challenging in the slightest. In fact, far from being mentally challenging, they are so mentally un-taxing that a chimp could do them. Things like looking for journal articles to read, formatting references and doing corrections are really time consuming but are not mentally engaging. You can normally spot the poor souls who have spent their day doing these tasks due to their zombie like appearance.

So what am I getting at? Well I reckon more than half of dissertation writing is made up of this mindless stuff which is actually very handy to know. It means that a chimp could actually do half of your dissertation for you, or you could do half of your dissertation in a zombie like state, you choose.

I have only really started taking advantage of this recently and it pays dividends. Basically, as you get into writing you can identify periods during the day when you are mentally very alert. One of the most productive things you can do during this “alert” time is to set up and plan for things to do in your “zombie” time. Give yourself specific, but boring tasks to do, when you don’t have the mental faculties to cope with any high level pondering.

Some examples of “zombie” activities are:

• Formatting your references to make sure they are all up to standard
• Proofreading your drafts to look for spelling mistakes (not for comprehension)
• Downloading and naming pdf’s of important articles.
• Inserting references into your text with a citation manager
• Even doing searching through key words in a database becomes a zombie activity after you have done it many times
• Most corrections also constitute zombie activities (not re-writes but easy to change words and sentences)

Remember though that zombie activities are personal and can change throughout the course of your writing. It’s important to identify what these are so you know you can save them for a time when you are technically a zombie.

The best thing about zombie activities is that normally you can have a bit of fun while you do them. You can have the T.V. on in the background, listen to some music (Zombie Nation maybe?), or curl up on the sofa with your laptop and relax – whatever you like!

This works! You get absolutely loads done. Firstly, your productive time is focused on doing productive things. Secondly, you spend your unproductive time doing productive things! You don’t even do them slower because normally they are so boring the pace is dictated by something mechanical like typing – in fact, if you had some fast music on you may even do these tasks faster. Another great benefit that I noticed is that you actually have more productive time. Have you ever noticed that if you feel really alert and ready to go, doing a zombie task rapidly begets a zombie frame of mind, which is very difficult to get over. If you forget the zombie tasks until later, this doesn’t happen. What is even more amazing is that because you are being productive on autopilot during your zombie state you become energized as a result! Crazy right, you actually spend less time being zombiefied as a result.

Give it a go, embrace your zombie time.

If you have found the TD:D blog helpful during your dissertation writing process, you can now have all the posts in a Kindle ebook.

Here’s some more information about what’s included:

The chapters in this ebook are expanded versions of original posts written for the popular dissertation writing blog To Do: Dissertation. During 2010-2011, TD:D experienced up to 300 hits a day from dissertation writers around the world.

Originally created during the author’s own dissertation writing process, this blog offered supportive and encouraging suggestions for dissertation writers across disciplines. The primary goal of the To Do: Dissertation blog was to talk realistically about practical steps that dissertation writers could take to finish their writing and take satisfaction and pride in their process and final product.

The To Do: Dissertation ebook includes the 26 step AB(C)D Guide to Beginning Your Dissertation and also offers chapters on common dissertation myths, how to start a dissertation writing group, and best practices for dissertation writing on a budget, among many other topics. In To Do: Dissertation, you’ll find over 50 chapters offering tips and suggestions for how to survive and thrive during your dissertation writing process.

*     *     *     *     *

As I said in an earlier post, I’m still moderating the blog for guest posts – I just can’t keep up with writing all original posts anymore. You will also find all the TD:D blog carnivals and website reviews as well as all the guest posts still on the blog for your perusal.  The only posts included in the ebook are my own original work.

Enjoy the ebook and think about contributing a guest post or review to the TD:D blog!

In the movie, Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Films, 1998), Joseph Fiennes plays William Shakespeare.  Will has enjoyed some success in his career as a poet and playwright, but when we meet him in the movie he happens to be suffering from a case of writer’s block.  That changes when he meets his muse, the lovely Viola de Lesseps, portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow.  If you have seen the movie, you may remember that when Shakespeare goes home to write, he does four things in succession.  First, he picks up his pen.  Second, he turns around once to the right.  Third, he rolls his pen between his hands quickly several times.   Finally, he spits once over his right shoulder.  Then, and only then, does he sit down and begin.

He performs these steps whether he is out of ideas and forcing himself to work, or so inspired to write that he runs home and bursts through the door.  Even when he can’t wait to get the words onto the page, he stops at his desk and speeds through the movements: pen-turn-roll-spit-WRITE!

Other writers have written about how they prepare themselves to work. Steven Pressfield details his preparatory routine in the first chapter of The War of Art.  It involves a lot of “lucky” stuff: a lucky pair of boots with lucky laces, a lucky hooded sweatshirt, a lucky cannon on his desk and a lucky acorn on his shelf.

At The Simple Dollar, blogger Trent Hamm describes his way of “getting into the zone” (this post was featured in a TD:D blog carnival last winter).  He spends up to an hour doing what does not seem like work: shutting off the internet, turning off the phone, stretching, meditating, making a to-do list.  However, he claims that this sets him up for an efficient work session that would take hours longer without this preparation.

When I was writing my candidacy exam, I had a ritual that worked very well for me. I would sit down at the computer with my stack of journal articles, turn off my e-mail, and play Spider Solitaire or Minesweeper for 20-40 minutes.  Seriously.  I could not sit down and get right to work.  I had to shift mental gears first, and the games did the trick.  Both games were installed on my PC – not by me – but they were there and easy enough to play a couple times.  Playing helped me clear my head of whatever I had been thinking about before I had to immerse myself in research.  An odd thing about this is that I have never been a video or computer game fan.   And I have not played those games since passing my exam.

I am glad that I advanced to candidacy before I read about other preparatory rituals.   I would have felt guilty – how could I be playing minesweeper when cool authors like Pressfield are reciting invocations to muses amongst all their lucky belongings?  I would have talked myself into doing something that worked for someone else.  And it probably would not have worked for me.  So, as I write my dissertation, I may return to minesweeper, a game that I have only limited patience for (so I know I won’t play it for very long).   Or maybe I’ll sing a Gregorian chant or do aerobics for ten minutes.  It doesn’t matter what it is.  It just matters that it works.

How do you get ready to work on your dissertation?  Please tell us in the comments – I would love to hear what works for others!

This is because I have transferred them to Kindle editions!

You can now buy either ebook for $2.99 each – just click here or here.

If you don’t have a Kindle, you can still purchase these ebook editions and download one of the free Kindle apps from Amazon’s website.  With apps from Amazon, you can read Tea-Time Tips and Suggestions and/or 101 Daily Dissertation Writing Tips on your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Blackberry, Android, or Windows phone.

There were several reasons I chose to do this:

First, I think that the multiple formats for reading a Kindle ebook means that I can make reading these texts more convenient for TD:D readers and dissertation writers.

Second, this is an easier (and cheaper) way for me to make these ebooks available to TD:D readers since I can self-publish through Amazon for free.

Third, transitioning the books to Kindle editions means that if I ever decide to close this site or have another blogger take it over, I can still offer the materials that I developed through the blog to readers under my name.

Fourth, this is a way for me to offer some of the TD:D tips and suggestions to a wider audience.  The TD:D readership has definitely grown over time, but it’s not quite as big as Amazon.com…

You might also be interested to know that I’m publishing these ebooks under my real name and not “Happy Dissertating” (mostly due to some pesky tax reasons).  So, if you check out the Amazon websites for the Kindle edition of either of the ebooks, you’ll find out my actual identity, something that I have not previously disclosed through the blog (although if you looked hard enough, you could probably figure it out).  Googling my name will also allow you to connect with me through Academia.edu (to see what I’m publishing these days) or to network with me on LinkedIn.

You are welcome to come find me – I love connecting with TD:D readers and other academics from across disciplines.

Happy reading – and happy dissertating!

Mark says, “May I encourage you from just across the line? I finished my dissertation and received my PhD only about six weeks ago. Now it has been accepted by a major publisher and will be released later this year! Don’t give up! Your dreams are waiting.”

Thanks, Mark!

I’ve been hard at work crafting a book proposal for my dissertation – my deadline is June 1st – so I’m sorry things have been a little quiet around here!  I hope your writing is going well and that you find something useful from the links below.

Enjoy this week’s posts and make sure to check back soon for another edition.

Recover from Writing Burn Out: 18 Tips for Writing with Gusto by Tess Marshall

“Burnout can be described as severe exhaustion, feeling depleted, running on empty and lack of inspiration and motivation. Frankly, you feel like you don’t give a damn.  You begin doubting your capabilities and the value of your work. Your enthusiasm and energy have vanished.”

3 Paradigm Shifts to Help Make Your Writing Meaningful by Ollin Morales

“Because all of today’s bad news is making you feel less and less like your writing means anything in the grand scheme of things. Which in the end makes you stop writing. And in that way your existential crisis has EVERYTHING  to do with your writing.”

Fear and Loathing in Academia by Denise Horn

“This month’s question regarding life balance—how we deal with writer’s block—started me thinking about how I feel about writing. It’s always been an important part of my life, but in my career as an academic, writing has become my biggest source of anxiety.”

What to Do When You Hit a Wall by Joel Runyon

If you would like to submit a post for the TD:D blog carnival, email your link to tododissertation[at]gmail[dot]com.

Update from last Blog Carnival: I got my two article submitted and they are under review!  Also, just got another round of snow today.  I wish it was an April Fool’s joke, but alas, there were at least two inches outside this morning.  I’m hoping for a sunny weekend!

Enjoy this week’s posts and make sure to check back soon for another edition.

How to create a to-do list that helps you get tasks accomplished by Erin

“Making an effective to-do list can be like drawing a picture — some days you produce a great work of art and other days you make something only suitable for the trash. Obviously, the goal is to produce 365 pieces of great art a year.”

Tips for Fighting Writer’s Block by The Writers at the University of Venus

“Our question of the month comes to us from Ana Dinescu: ‘How do you fight writer’s block?’”

Seven Books on Writing for Any Writer by Deanna Fei

“I thought it might be a worthwhile project to comb my bookshelves and poll writer friends to compile this list of books on writing that have guided us in the right direction at the right time.”

F–k Yeah Dissertation by Anonymous Graduate Student

“There are times when I want to curl up under a blanket and hide from my work and the world, but other times, something I write makes me say to myself, “Fuck yeah! I can do this!” FYD is dedicated to creating more of those moments.”

How to write 1000 words a day (and not go bat shit crazy) by Dr Inger Mewburn

“Recently I Tweeted a link to an article called “How to write 1000 words a day for your blog” which I thought had some good productivity tips for thesis writers. @webnemesis wrote back: “ would like to see someone write a blog post on how to write 1000 words of substance for yr dissertation every day”. Of course I answered: ’Challenge? Accepted!’“

If you would like to submit a post for the TD:D blog carnival, email your link to tododissertation[at]gmail[dot]com.