First of all...
Get in the zone
Leave Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, video games, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, The Walking Dead etc. Try to position your mindset in the ‘working mode’ for these couple of months. Eventually, it will come natural that every weekday evening you would devote your time to putting the work into the thesis exclusively.The 15 minute rule
Read or write for at least 15 minutes a day, no matter how much production it would give. The point is to force and make a habit of putting the work every day and keep the habit going until you finish. This works great even, when you’re tired after work - 15 minutes of reading a thesis related book and you’re done. When in the mood and full of energy - these 15 minutes will extend to 150 or more per day. |
| The 15 minute rule alternative |
You’re not the only one struggling
Do not bother about all the other guys who might or actually are ahead of you with the progress. This is one of the most demotivating thoughts when creating anything. Almost everybody in a similar position as yours is struggling to write the thesis.Write in non-stop sprints
Do not think too much of the structure, and introduction and conclusions when creating new content. It’s better to transfer your thought into concrete text, and then introduce and conclude the chapter. The key is to write fast, then, when doing a review, worry about rephrasing and proofreading your text.Contemplate, envision
Contemplate the topic of your thesis during your downtime - you do not think about anything particularly important during breaks or travel so you’re better off thinking about something useful than waste precious time in the void.Share your experience with others
It is always useful to share your progress outside your shell. Someone will definitely turn out to have some valuable tips. You might also hit the jackpot and discover that someone has written a thesis, article or has developed interest in your thesis’ topic. But beware not to ‘overshare’, otherwise your friends will be put off by your obsession.Contact your thesis supervisor as frequently as possible
That is obvious in theory, but in many cases - not attended. This is a key, when your concept melts down or you are out of ideas. Your advisor will also notify you when you’re going the wrong way with the topic and it is better to catch that sooner than later, as a huge chunk of unsupervised text might go to trash.Give yourself a breather
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| Always comes in handy |
Make notes
You may (or rather - will) accidentally (or not) get a thought or a topic to add to your thesis - write it down. It doesn’t have to be elaborate - just a single phrase to remember and develop when you sit down and start writing. Nowadays we have many tools like Evernote to quickly make notes and associate a media resource with them.Take a (audio)book whenever you can
This is linked with the “Contemplate, envision” tip. Most of us are full-time employed (and not working from home) and the main problem with gathering data and/or knowledge is the lack of time or insufficient time management. Have you wondered how much free time we have while travelling to or from our workplace?Sources:
http://www.thedissertationcoach.com/resources/the-15-minute-rule/
http://www.vladimirchen.com/10-ways-to-motivate-yourself-to-finish-your-thesis-on-time/877/
http://phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd061913s.gif
http://socialchuttney.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Evernote.png
I have to try this "15 minute rule" in the context of my master's thesis because right now it doesn't go very well...
ReplyDeleteOther thing which comes to my mind (thanks to your presentation) is that I suppose to listen audiobook during travelling to and from the work.
Thanks for the comment, Przemek!
Delete15 minute rule for me is the key here - I use it myself, and though the actual writing progress is not that impressive, but gathering knowledge and noting it down alone will greatly help kickstarting the writing phase.
Hope you'll make it on time! :)
I'm actually using non-stop writing method, and I admit it's working fine for me. I've good progress by writing one chapter per sprint.
ReplyDeleteAbout (audio)books, give me longer journeys to work or it won't happen :)
I need at least 30 minutes of steady journey to properly use this method.
And one last thing, breather, I'm too busy to watch anything more often than twice a month, so the best breather for me is playing basketball with friends.
Anyway good luck with your thesis.
Good to know that at least one of these tips actually work for you :)
DeleteNice tips :) Did you describe your experience only or you got it from the Internet or some guide? I also read books when going to work and on my way back to home after work. It's not always possible to focus because of taliking passengers (especially on their phone... gosh I hate it) but it's always a change to find something interesting to your thesis and then read more at home
ReplyDeleteThe other passengers talking loud and other frustrating behaviours on public transit is a topic for another article :) My tips come from personal experience with major thesis, as well as from Internet and friends' experience.
DeleteVery nice article. Not only for the content, which is really valuable, but also for clean text and great formatting.
ReplyDeleteThe X minutes rule is a very good idea. I prefer more 25mins time periods like in Pomodoro technique but I recommend to check it on your own.
I always had a “problem” with presentations like this, because some of the tips are so painfully obvious – “do not play on Playstation, while writing your paper”. If you are writing - you’re not doing anything else. Simple as that. If you are focused on writing – you should spend every minute of your spare time on work – reading, writing, taking notes etc. I do not know a person, who would think about something else, when deadline is coming. Also “contacting supervisor” is an obvious one – let’s be honest: How many people will read you masterpiece? They are the only one, who will exam you, read what you wrote, so ask what they want, make them happy and forget about work. There are also tips, which do not work for me. At all. “15 minutes rule” – I don’t know what useful can you write in 15 or 20 minutes. When you start writing – push yourself to the limit, because you’re in the workflow. Spending 2 hours at once every week, would be more beneficial than spending a little time every day. I also think that if you spend more time the first day, you would want to write more the next day to prevent forgetting anything. Also I think you should follow a plan you made at beginning, so structure is very important for me to divide valuable information. You can add comments etc, but from the start you should keep your work clean and simple.
ReplyDeleteThe only tip, which I found useful sharing and not obvious was that about taking a break. For sure you will think about your work, but going to the gym or for a jog, might ease up your stress a little bit.
Please do not take my comment to personally, I just do not like articles like: “10 tips, which would help your xyz”. All in all presentation I enjoy your presentation – language was fine, nice formatting I simply do not like topics like this.
Topic of this presentation is on time because a lot of us have to write master`s thesis – congrats for good timing. Your advises are very useful but I think the most motivating factor is time - I knew this on myself. The hardest is to start writing but with time it looks better. I don’t know what I can say more about this case so I think the best is to wish everyone rapidly progress and not many things to correct after finished.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for those tips, definitely it is on time topic for most of us . I have known most of those rules but unfortunately I am not used to use it. I have tried 15 minutes rules but I gave up after 3days… Probably I am not the most systematic guy in the world :D Nonetheless after I have read your tips I decide: I will try those advise again because my master's thesis doesn't want to write itself on its own - Gosh why?! :D:D
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips:) They might be very helpful. My favorite one is a 15 min rule. It is very simple and probably I should try it out.
ReplyDeleteYou pointed that, the key to get into a ' working mode' is to do not worry about other things, leave fb and other social networking sites, tv series and start focus on the work. In my point of view the hardest thing is to calm down because there is too much incentives that distracted attention. It is difficult to leave them. Even when we are taking a break, we are checking new updates on fb, e-mails, etc. Another thing is people live fast now. We are always busy and have problems with time management. Most of us like things that comes easily and doesn't require too much effort. Unfortunately, they often need lots of motivation or short deadline to do anything.
I always consult with other people about my work. It helps me to look at something from a different perspective and I also do make notes or mental maps.
ReplyDeleteThe ease of reading your post made me smile. It’s clear, easy to follow and split into bite-size parts - I can tell you are on top of your time management game. Maybe it's a little Buzzfeedy in a "10 tips to..." way but I like it - the presentation worked with the content.
I especially like the part about audiobooks. It’s true - sometimes it’s hard to justify the time you have to spend on reading a book when there are more pressing things you could be taking care of. I try to read at least an hour a day but sometimes I fail miserably. Audiobooks allow me to burn through many books I wouldn’t otherwise touch with a ten foot pole (“Song of Ice and Fire” I’m looking at you).
What usually works for me when I just don’t feel up to writing anything is a variation of the 15 minutes rule you've described. I sit down, open the dreaded document(hardest part!) and just start writing whatever. I usually find that not only it gets easier every time but also after the initial shock subsides you actually get into the flow and produce something decent. The method works for me with anything else really:)
Now that is good post !! Described tips looks very good. From tomorrow I will try to use some of them. I hope it will increse quality of my work cause at the moment it is a bit poor and so you all know we don't have a lot of time :)
ReplyDeletewriting in non-stop sprints look interesting, but the hardest part is to get into zone. Nowdays it is very hard to just turn everyhing off. I think this is the biggest problem
Nice tips, they can be usefull with any bigger projects that you have to do by yourself. But I think it would be better to reserve one whole day every week or two for working on your thesis, than to write it every day in short spans. This style of work might be better suited for people working full time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips. Please note that there is a nice word which defines and explains exactly what we or at least i'm doing all the time: PROCRASTINATION.
ReplyDeleteI'm a master of that behavior. :-))
Thank you for the tips. Actually I am not writing the thesis, but the tricks seem to work with many others. “Get in the zone” tip sounds very simple. Many people have problems with it – they just can’t focus on work because of – I think I can call it addictions. I belong to this group. Furthermore I find many other things to do if only not to start working. You know, the things you have put on hold like cleaning up your room. I really think that this tips are key to success and the very important is “the 15 minute rule”. You have to build some regularity in your work and make good habits. This is really much more easier to work a little time everyday than for example all day once a week. I like your article it’s very useful. Thx :)
ReplyDeleteYup I contemplate and envision a lot and then I use the non-stop writing method. This gives me the best output. But I will be writing my masters in september, just because I just have no time right now. But maybe this article will help me manage this situation better and find the motivation where I have never looked for it. Also there is a golden pareto rule, which is 80% of the time you analyse and design the action plan, 20% of the time is the execution of the plan. This is what always works fine for me with some great results and I really recommend anyone to remember that rule. This should shorten your time of any kind of work you are doing.
ReplyDeleteWriting the thesis... it is my current nightmare. It is a bit funny because before I have read this artice I had already been using ’15 minutes rule’. Well, except of small difference – for me it is ’60 minutes rule’ twice a day. This is the only way I can force myself to sit in front of my computer, focus and write. Most of my friends do the same, they try to spend 1-2 hours a day writing, so this strategy must be right!
ReplyDelete