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INSIDE THIS ISSUE - August 1, 2007
1. A Note from the Editor/Feature Article
Where Did the Time Go?
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
August 1, 2007
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
Where Did the Time Go?
There was time to get it done. You planned your work for the day and really meant to accomplish it. But where did the time go? What happened? Why didn't it get done? The answer, most likely, is Procrastination.
If your life sometimes seems to run parallel with the above scenario, the cause can probably be attributed to simple, mundane, how-could-I-be-such-a-slacker procrastination. It's a commonplace bane of ABD life (and of life in general), but it doesn't have to get the best of you. In fact, now is a good time to stem this adverse habit, keeping in mind that each stretch of procrastination adds to the distance between you and your Ph.D. We'll take a look at just a few causes and how one cause in particular may be related to the dissertation.
I do know (from experience, regrettably) whereof I speak on procrastination. However, I am a recovering procrastinator, and if you have been reading the ABDSG for a while, you know that I have written on at least one aspect of procrastination. How do we editorial writers procrastinate? Well, we get on the web and call it research.
I can spend hours in my search engine's black hole. It is, as I rather inelegantly but accurately noted in the previously referenced article, a giant time suck. And I'm evidently not the only one distracted by technology. The American Psychological Association reported that whereas in 1978 only about 5 % of Americans considered themselves to be chronic procrastinators, today that figure is 26%.
A big difference between '78 and now is the omnipresence of high-tech items in our personal lives, and that may account for the substantial increase in procrastination. It's so easy to find an entertaining alternative to what we would rather not do!
We often find ourselves spending too much time with technology's many attractive applications. Some of us enjoy electronic gadgets and games or DVDs. Others of us seem to get lost (where did the time go?) when surfing the internet. No harm done--unless, of course, we need to spend the time on something else. Such as…well…a dissertation.
If you find yourself, consciously or unconsciously, looking for ways to avoid getting down to work on the dissertation, you may be dealing with one of the most frequent causes of ABD procrastination--anxiety. Although a little anxiety never hurt anyone, excessive anxiety can be a problem. If you feel overwhelmed by the scope of your dissertation and by thoughts of the tasks ahead, or if your anxiety crosses over the border into fear of failure, you may look for an escape from the discomfort of anxiety or fear--and the easiest, quickest escape route is procrastination.
As escape routes go, this one is a bummer. Procrastination just piles on the guilt feelings and makes you feel even worse. But I have some very good news for the procrastinating ABD: You don't need that escape route. You don't need to escape because any excessive anxiety or fear regarding your dissertation is unfounded. It is evident--yes, evident!--that you are capable of doing the work. By progressing this far along the doctoral route and achieving ABD status, you have already demonstrated the attributes needed for academic success.
When the work ahead seems daunting, as occasionally it might (since everyone has a bad day now and then), just remember that you have already done everything that the dissertation requires--reading, analyzing, writing, critiquing, re-writing. The dissertation is just a much longer series of comparable tasks. You've done them before, and you can do them again. And again, until it's done! You are totally up to it!
Admittedly, being up to it is one thing, and actually getting down to work is something else. Not everyone's procrastination is related to dissertation anxiety, and some of us must plead guilty to another, more commonplace cause of procrastination--poor time management.
If you have been coping with grad school requirements by putting off academic assignments and then playing catch-up, that strategy is unlikely to bring you success in the dissertation phase. The project is too huge. (Note that I did not say it is unmanageable, for the project is quite manageable; however, it is huge and you must be organized.) I strongly suggest that you not procrastinate when it comes to ticking off those numerous tasks, one by one.
Mark Twain penned some applicable advice: "The secret of getting ahead is getting started; and the secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small, manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." More than a century later, that's still the secret. But each small task requires time, and that's why we're talking about procrastination.
Procrastination is a thief that steals your time. If you think that's dramatizing a bit too much, keep in mind that I have confessed to being a recovering procrastinator, and I tend to warm to this subject. My heart raced with interest a few days ago when the local paper pointed out that "procrastination can be costly. There are late fees for failing to pay bills on time or paying taxes late. There are costs to relationships by failing to do what is promised." The writer even observed that most of those people with Bluetooth earpieces are procrastinating! Who knew?
If you are having difficulty in getting down to work, you may find it helpful to check out some of the articles on time management and procrastination available in our archives. And for good measure, I will include a few of my own favorite methods for deterring procrastination during the dissertation process:
Keep a structured work schedule. Break up your work sessions into 60 minute periods, with 10 minute breaks, instead of sitting at the computer for hours at a time. (Just make certain those 10 minute breaks don't grow. Use a timer with a ringer, if necessary.)
Take advantage of your peak times. For example, if early mornings are most productive for you, grab a cup of coffee (or tea or whatever) and go straight to the computer as soon as you awaken. Don't let anything interfere with your peak time.
Don't let technology interrupt. (This was a really important one for me.) Refuse to check e-mail except at two designated times per day. No exceptions. And don't take phone calls during work periods. And if you call on a break, remember: 10 minutes only!
Try to keep your work space reasonably neat and organized. When your project is as gargantuan as a dissertation, you need to come up with a good system for keeping up with all those pieces of paper. Things lost or misplaced will translate into lost time.
Don't put off writing because you want to start polishing the draft.
At this point it will slow you down. Just write!
I can't conclude this note without thinking about the one I wrote to you in the last issue. I certainly don't flatter myself that you would remember, but the point I wanted to make then was that the ABD process grants so many invaluable intangibles (those been-there--done-that confidence builders) along with the Ph.D. Actually, I shouldn't use the word "grants" because the ABD process doesn't grant or simply give you anything; you work for everything. And in this case, some of you are working to defeat a problem with time management and procrastination.
The problems you overcome and the qualities you develop in meeting the immediate needs of the dissertation process will serve you equally well in the long term. But for the moment, celebrate your short-term achievements and keep checking off those dissertation tasks one by one. As for procrastination, I'm happy to have you joining me in recovery!
Inspirational Quotes
"Come to the edge, He said.
They said: We are afraid.
Come to the edge, He said.
They came. He pushed them,
And they flew . . ."
-- Guillaume Apollinaire
French poet
Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and
keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts."
-- Coleman Cox