5 Dissertation Writing Tips to Avoid Procrastination

by Patricia W. Writer

Everyone is a procrastinator up to some extent. Sometimes you’re too tired to do an important task, so you start convincing yourself that at this moment, it’s more important to arrange your closet or cook a nice meal for the entire family. You won’t be wasting your time; you’ll just think of an activity to make you look busy and feel less guilty about not taking care of that important task.

When it comes to dissertation writing, procrastination is your biggest enemy. You constantly promise yourself that tomorrow will be a better day and you’ll do a lot of work, but that bright tomorrow never comes. Since universities impose specific deadlines for application and defense, delaying the dissertation writing process undermines your chances for success. You know this project demands hard work and a pretty long time. You’re willing to make that effort; you’re simply not willing to start.

It’s time to stand up for yourself and beat that bad habit once and for all. We’ll give you 5 important tips that will help you avoid procrastination with dissertation writing.

Contact Your Peers

When it comes to completing the dissertation, PhD candidates usually work in isolation. They write in the comfort of their home and they can arrange their time in whatever way that works for them. That’s exactly why they are prone to procrastination.

You need a push, and you can get it from your peers. Productivity can be contagious. Connect with other PhD candidates and ask how they are doing. Be there to support them. Their progress will pressure you to make progress, too.

Set Clear Goals And Turn Them Into a Plan

If you set “complete dissertation” as a goal, it will lead you to procrastination. Why? Because it’s too general and overwhelming. Sure; completing the dissertation is your main goal. However, it’s an end goal that you should break up into smaller achievements.

“Write the methods section by next Monday” is a clearer, more attainable goal. It gives you a specific direction. You’re motivated because it doesn’t seem too overwhelming.

Set clear goals for the entire dissertation writing process. When you break up the project into smaller steps, it will be easier for you to get focused and beat the inner procrastinator.

Block Out All Distractions

Can you identify the things that are causing delays in your work? You have to block them out! If your room is messy and you can’t stop thinking about it, clean it up so the mess will no longer distract you. However, you must give yourself a precise time frame for that activity and continue the real work as soon as possible.

Do not turn the TV on while you work. Stop checking Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all the time. Forget about Reddit while you’re writing. If you constantly find yourself on distracting websites, it’s time to install browser extensions like StayFocusd and Strict Workflow. They will forbid your access to all online distractions while you work.

Spend Quality “Me” Time

When you’re faced with a project of this complexity, you’re prone to pushing yourself. You want to work as much as possible, and every other activity seems like a waste of time. Such attitude will easily lead you to a burnout, and the burnout will lead to procrastination. We don’t want that.

You should not put your entire life on a break just because you’re completing a PhD project. It’s important to spend quality “me” time, so you’ll have enough energy to go through another challenging day. Exercise! That’s the best thing you could do for yourself. You’ll get more energy and you’ll feel like you still have a life even when you’re completing a dissertation.

If You Procrastinate, Forgive Yourself And Carry On

No matter how hard you force yourself to do the work, you may still find yourself procrastinating. It happens. A friend will come over, your mother will call and drag you for hours, you’ll really need to cook a complex and time-consuming meal… anything can happen.

You won’t do yourself any good if you keep blaming yourself. Ditch the negative self-talk, since it will undermine your confidence. Just stay calm and give yourself a chance to continue.

Are you ready to start working on the PhD paper with real commitment? The 5 tips we listed above will help you deal with procrastination – the greatest enemy of all.