I just got back from a conference (totally unrelated to my campus/research life) and caught the flu (or some such crud) while I was there. One of the worst things in the world is having a congested head and coming in for a landing on an airplane. If you can avoid it, don't do it. I spent the last 30 minutes or so of the flight hoping my ear drums wouldn't burst. Then they left my bag in Dallas (for a few extra days of vacation for my clothes) before it finally came back to me. (Hey. My favorite shoes and sweater were in there.) Then I spent a few more days coughing and not getting much done. I realized that I have to be in a pretty good place physically and mentally to get much of anything done on my dissertation. I'm still coughing by the way...blech.
But I am getting some work done. For you TAs out there, this is a time to focus on YOUR work...not the work (however good or bad it may be) of your students. For the rest of you, if you're lucky, your advisor or major professor did a disappearing act for the week. It's a little sad when "break" actually means "time-to-work-on-MY-research-aka-do-other-work" and there's a lot of pressure to get something done. Here's a tentative week-long schedule for you:
Monday: Organization Day (aka. Procrastination Day)
You know you want to do it...go through and delete old emails. Sort through and organize papers. Organize your office so you'll be ready to get some real work done. Catch up on Facebook as a reward...then don't sign in again this week. REVISIT YOUR GOALS AND UPDATE YOUR CALENDAR.
Tuesday: Current Research
Search for at least two to three recently published papers relevant to your research topic (but no more than five). Read them and do a review. This will get you in research mode and (hopefully) remind you why you're doing this work and why you're excited about it.
Wednesday: Reader's Choice
I obviously can't plan out your whole week for you because everyone is doing something different and is at different stages of their programs. Do whatever is helpful to you. Update your literature review. Run some tests. WRITE SOMETHING. ANYTHING. EVERY DAY.
Thursday: Reader's Choice Day 2
See Wednesday
Friday: UNIVERSITY CLOSED
The best day to get something done, close down your email and do not open it today. Do not go on the internet today (you had four days to get the info you needed). Write, run tests, read, propose, write, whatever will get you closer to graduating.
Saturday: DAY OFF
You earned it, right? Everyone needs a day off sometime. Go outside if the weather is cooperating. Dig in the garden. Go for a run/bike ride. Catch up on your favorite shows that you haven't had time to watch in a long time. Cook yourself a nice meal. Drink a little wine with that lovely dinner.
Sunday: They're baaaack
Now prepare for the coming week. Write out your goals for the week and things to do. Make sure your research is in there. Every week you should have at least one or two things that represent progress toward graduation (PTG.) Make a plan. Make your advisor aware of your plan. Stick with your plan. You can do it!
"Piled Higher and Deeper" by Jorge Cham
www.phdcomics.com
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One of the things I've been doing during my "procrastination time" is looking at self-help books about finishing your dissertation. While I was at my conference in Portland, I went to Powell's Books. If you ever go to Portland, you HAVE to go to Powell's Books. Trust me. It's a book store that takes up a full city block. There was one used copy of Writing Your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis. It was the only book of this genre that they had...and it was on the second from the top shelf and I had to get on a ladder to even read the titles. It got ok reviews on Amazon, so it's a start. There are a few others out there that have better reviews and they're on my wish list. Have you found any "self-help for graduate students" books that have worked (or are working) for you or your colleagues? If so, please email me the titles at dfarver(at)uark(dot)edu. I'm going to see if I can purchase a few to review for you all as a part of my GA position. I'll try to give you a report back about "15 Minutes a Day" soon.
Happy Spring Break!
-- Dawn
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