Getting "it" done...

All of us have been there...we have a homework assignment, project, paper, thesis, proposal, paper, dissertation that we just can't get finished. Over the years, I've collected a lot of tips from other students, faculty, online articles and blogs, workshops, etc. on how to get <insert your thing here> done. Some of these tips will make more sense for one type of project vs. another, but there is something to be learned from each. Some of them work better for me than others, and the ones that work for me might not work for you. Check them out and send me some of your own if you have them. (As soon as I post this blog, I'll probably think of some that I forgot...but that will be for another post.)

1. Write something every day
This one I was given in a grant writing class. In the class, the professor said that it's important to write something every day to keep in the mindset. What you wrote wasn't as important as the fact that you were writing. I suggest writing notes about whatever you're working on, but we'll get to that in another tip.

2. Carry a notebook (folder, iPhone, etc.) with you at all times
With the invention of smart phones, you no longer have an excuse. (Except I don't have one...mine's a not-so-smart phone so I carry a notebook.) If you have an idea related to your research, dissertation, whatever, you need a place to write it down. Think about where you get your "best" ideas, and keep an extra notebook to use in those situations. Is it right before bed, in the shower, exercising? Keep all these notes together.

3. (Going along with #1) Work a little on your project every day.
If you work on your project a little every day, it will ensure that you accomplish something every day. It will keep you actively thinking about your project and keep the ideas flowing. Even if it's only 30 minutes, sit down, take some notes, read a research article, edit your paper and make some comments.

4. (Building on #3) Set aside a space for your project and LEAVE IT OUT.
Set aside a space in your house, office or apartment where you can keep your project stuff out. It can be a table, a corner of your desk, or if you're lucky, a whole room. How many times have you set aside four solid hours of "work time" just to spend thirty minutes getting your things out and reorganizing them? And then an hour of that time checking email? Finding a pen that works? Getting comfortable? Yeah, me too. My house is always cleanest when I'm working on a project...Apologize to your family, but don't clean that space until your project is done.

5. Set aside work time...
If not every day (see #1 & #3), set aside some specific times that you only work on your project. No exceptions. Ok, obviously if there's an emergency, if you cut your finger and have to go to the emergencey room...there are exceptions, but needing to meet your friends at the bar is not an acceptable exception.

6. ...and during your work time, do work.
TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE. DO NOT CHECK YOUR EMAIL OR FACEBOOK! These can be huge procrastination time wasters. Know what your personal procrastination weaknesses are and make sure you don't engage in them. If one part of a project is not coming easily, try to work on another part.

7. Try writing things out by hand.
In general, I refuse to do a first draft of something on the computer...I write it out by hand. It forces me to take my time thinking about what I'm writing, use a different part of my brain, and slow down just a little. I outline, outline, outline, bullet, etc. first and then fill in with my information. I have lots of paper lying around, but I also use paper that's not white so it's easy to find my work in amongst my research articles, etc.

8. Your time is valuable and you need to protect it.
Having issues saying no? Filling up your schedule with "other stuff"? Try this tip recommended by another graduate student. He keeps a paper calendar on his desk at his office. When people ask him to do something, he tells them that he'll get back to them after he checks his schedule, which is of course, back at his office. This gives him time to think about the request, if it's something that he has time for, is valuable to him to do, if it conflicts with something else he needs to be doing, and then get back to the person instead of immediately saying yes because he has a block of time open on his calendar. Try it. Never say yes immediately (unless your advisor says it's mandatory...and even then, let her/him know you need to check your schedule to confirm).

9. Write out a TO DO list and then prioritize.
It's easy to write a to do list, and then do the easy stuff and feel like you've accomplished something...but then your research doesn't get done. Reviewing an article should not have the same priority as folding the laundry. Try making a weekly list and working through the high priority items first...carrying them over to the next day if necessary.

10. Set timeline goals and seriously try to meet them. LIKE YOUR DEGREE DEPENDS UPON IT.
Set goals for yourself. If you want to graduate by a certain date, count backward. You have to turn in your dissertation a certain amount of time before graduation, which means you need to schedule your defense enough before that to defend and make changes, you need to get your dissertation/thesis to your committee a certain time before that, etc. Check out the grad school website to get started on this process. Work with your advisor on this because s/he will need to be reviewing your documents in a timely manner to meet your timeline needs. S/he needs to be on board with your schedule and can hopefully help you set realistic goals.

11. Have a goal that you're reaching for.
This might be a career goal (I want to have a tenure-track position after I graduate) or another goal that speaks to you (I want to get my coursework done by this semester). Working towards something specific always works for me. Working on getting my thesis done so I could start my PhD at the University of Arkansas was a great driving force for me to get finished.

12. For those of your working on a dissertation/thesis.
THIS IS NOT YOUR LIFE'S WORK...IT'S JUST A PROJECT. You are working with a limited set of funds, and a limited timeline. (If they paid us well to do this work, we'd NEVER get done, right?) You can't take on a ten-year project and expect to finish your dissertation in four years. Do something you're proud of, but then move on. I spoke with one professor in engineering who said that very few of her colleagues continued to do research that was directly related to their dissertation work. This is especially true if you're working on a project simply because that's where your funding comes from. Just get it done. Once you land that position after you graduate, you can take on a longer-term project...or even try research in another area you enjoy.

Here are some articles for you to take a look at regarding finishing your thesis/dissertation, but once again, the advice can transcend to other projects as well:

Completing your dissertation 
(http://gradschool.about.com/cs/thesiswriting/a/diss.htm) 

How To Finish Your Dissertation
(http://chronicle.com/article/How-To-Finish-Your/45619/) 

Finishing the Dissertation
(http://chronicle.com/article/Finishing-the-Dissertation/45136/)
 How eBay Helped Me Finish My Thesis(http://chronicle.com/article/How-eBay-Helped-Me-Finish-My/46361/)  

Place and Space
(http://chronicle.com/article/PlaceSpace/44695/)

Best of luck with your future endeavors. Hopefully one or more of these tips will help you out with your writing/project. Keep at it. Sometimes you need to take a step back before you can jump back in. Ask others for help and accept when it's offered to you. Let me know if you have some tips that worked for you and I'll do a follow up column: "Advice from your fellow students..."


PhD Comic for the Day...

"Piled Higher and Deeper" by Jorge Cham
www.phdcomics.com