PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide - March 3, 2006
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THE ALL-BUT-DISSERTATION SURVIVAL GUIDE™ The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide™ focuses on ways to help its readers more readily overcome the roadblocks that often seem to stand in the way of completing the dissertation. It is read throughout the world. Want to become a coach? Spring classes starting March 8th.Subscribe to our other ezines: INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A DISSERTATION
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The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide is devoted to practical steps for completing
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE - Mar. 3, 2006
3. Motivating Yourself Over the Long Haul by Lynne Berrett
4. Free Dissertation Workshop Beginning April 12
March 17, 2006
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
Spring is just around the calendar corner (March 20), and it can't come soon enough. Despite some lovely, picture-postcard snowfalls, I've had enough of this year's winter. I'm tired of walking my reluctant (she's no fool) dog in sub-freezing wind and rain. I'm tired of how the slush seeps through my boots and numbs my toes. But most of all, I'm tired of hearing how nice and warm it is elsewhere!
That bit of indulgent whining (forgive me) is actually but a momentary flare of envy, unjustified and even a bit ridiculous. After all, I chose to be here! But even when we choose our circumstances, we may feel a twinge of irritation at what appears to be the utterly blissful existence of those who have escaped our current distress. It's just another variation of the familiar "grass is greener" illusion, and we're all susceptible. Your ABD process can be particularly conducive to the perception that the rest of the world is having a wonderful time while you are trapped in a writing dungeon of your own making. But REALITY CHECK: Those dungeon doors are not locked—It's your own brave choice bolstered by admirable self-discipline that keeps you in--and those doors will eventually open to green (yes, sometimes the grass really is greener!) vistas of opportunity. The ability to defer gratification is the classic sign of maturity, and have you ever got that one covered! Just keep on deferring for a bit longer, and gratification will come in more ways than you can now imagine.
The Ph.D. will be a fantastic reward, and you will not tire of the sound of "Doctor" before your name. But beyond those more obvious honors, you will possess something no less enduring--the immense gratification of knowing that you measured up to your own expectations. It will go without saying that you satisfied your advisor and your committee, but it was YOU who made demands of yourself and met them; it was you who summoned the discipline for the long hours of research and writing; and it was you who managed the inevitable stressors along the way. As you move onward and upward through the rigors of your dissertation and defense, you are proving to yourself your own competence. And long after you have seized the Ph.D. prize, the confidence derived from the knowledge of your own perseverance will serve you well for a lifetime.
For added thoughts on perseverance and on hard work in general, don't miss this issue's Inspirational Quotes. And if your own perseverance could use a little pick-me-up, perhaps Lynne Berrett has just the carrot (or stick) you need for some rejuvenation. Her guest article is entitled "Motivating Yourself Over the Long Haul." Read and rejuvenate!
Inspirational Quotes
"Genius is divine perseverance. Genius I cannot claim, nor even extra brightness, but perseverance all can have." --Woodrow Wilson
"Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work." --Stephen King
MOTIVATING YOURSELF OVER THE LONG HAUL
By Lynne Berrett
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You stare at the computer. What to do? Pull up your dissertation project
and revise what you've already written—again? Or look up even
more sources for your lit review? Or play solitaire…or check your email…or…?
Everyone has these moments when you start to wonder if you really have the willpower to keep on track. After all, you have a life, other responsibilities, maybe even a full-time job and kids. Perhaps you've been working on your dissertation on and off for a while now, or perhaps you're returning to it after several years. Either way, you're not always sure you'll be able to hang in until the end.
How can you stay strongly motivated over the long haul? It's a question almost every ABD will struggle with at some point.
A good place to start looking for the answer is to ask: What motivates me?
Some people are motivated by the Carrot. If you'd like to see your name on published papers and you have dreams of applying for a great postdoc, your desire for the carrot of a reward may push you forward. It's a great motivator.
Others are more effectively motivated by the Stick. They have a strong desire to avoid the unpleasant consequences of the stick's sting: You have spent a lot of time and money on this degree and will feel like a failure if you don't complete it. Ouch!
For most of us, motivation flows between these two poles. Sometimes the Carrot lures us forward, and sometimes we're propelled by fear of the Stick.
The good news is that you can use this knowledge of carrot and stick to escape the inevitable doldrums that accompany long-term projects. By understanding how to employ both of these motivational factors, you can do specific things to help yourself get the job done faster and with more positive energy.
How to Wield the Stick of Negative Reinforcement Effectively
The Stick works because of its link to anxiety. It may seem counter-intuitive, but anxiety is a form of energy that can actually contribute to improved performance. In judicious amounts, it makes the brain more alert. You will need to learn how to harness the raw energy of anxiety. One way to do this is to set up a time line and a concrete plan for working on your dissertation:
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Start by putting a large twelve-month calendar up on the wall by your desk. Looking ahead, write in your project submission date: that is, the completion date required by your school in order to be eligible to graduate when you want to. Use indelible ink for that date, in a festive color. (For everything else, use a pencil.) If you have already started work on your dissertation, currently or in the past, get out those materials and refer to them during the next steps.
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Your deadline is now graphically before your eyes. How many months away is it? Probably sooner than you would like it to be. Your rising anxiety may lead you to think something like, "I can't possibly finish it in that amount of time. Maybe I should just give up." Conversely, you may try to avoid anxiety by thinking unrealistically, "I'll have plenty of time; I don't need to do anything right now." Neither of these paths is going to be fruitful. The reality is that work always takes more time than you expect. You get the flu, you can't find materials you need, and so forth. Here, using the Stick means facing a hard fact: "If I don't start this today, I am not going to meet the school's deadline, so I have to bite the bullet right now."
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You should already have some sort of outline to work from. Analyze it briefly to estimate which areas of the project are going to require more--and less--time and effort. Jot down your thoughts. Check this analysis against any work you have already done. You may be surprised and pleased to discover that you have done more work than you realized. See how applying the stick can lead to unexpected rewards?
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Now, use your wall calendar to set interim deadlines for yourself based on what you have learned. How you plan to apportion the work is your choice. The most important point is to keep that final deadline always before your eyes. And once you begin work, it is critical to stay aware and honest with yourself. When you don't meet a deadline—and that will happen--you will need to erase the original date and move it forward. (Now you know why you need to use a pencil.) You will probably feel anxious when that happens. That's okay, since it can provide the impetus to rethink your initial plan. For example, should you change the order in which you are doing things? Should you consult with your advisor now, so as not to waste more time? Brainstorming with others can also help you improve the initial plan.
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Finally, tack up a list of potential Sticks for the purpose of prodding yourself whenever you feel too complacent or are tempted to close your eyes to the negative consequences of ignoring your calendar. One client of mine tacked up a list of appealing jobs she would not be able to apply for without the Ph.D., just as a reminder of what she stood to lose.
How to Choose the Most Nutritious Carrots of Reward:
Remember those cute stickers your teachers or parents gave you for good behavior? Well, a version of them works for adults, too. Rewards are motivating when they help keep energy high and build momentum. Sometimes a piece of really good chocolate can do that, but more often the kind of reward described here is an activity that directly supports your goal. Try some of the following:
Celebrate your successes. Tell other people what you have accomplished—from writing for 15 minutes every morning before work to sending out a chapter draft to your advisor. Celebrate even your smallest steps forward as if they are big deals. They are. You are promoting your ability to stay on target by openly saying not just "I can do it," but "I am doing it!" Excitement is a powerful motivator.
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Schedule mini-holidays for yourself when you have met a deadline. This could be as simple as finally seeing that movie everybody is talking about or sleeping fifteen minutes later the next few mornings.
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Schedule exercise time, whether you go to the gym or just take a walk in the fresh air: Anything that releases tension is helpful. You will find that even when you deliberately put your work on the back burner, ideas will continue to percolate, especially while your body is in motion. This is a good reason to carry writing equipment at all times.
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Give yourself permission to feel good about your work, even if it's not perfect. Most ABDs are perfectionists. Consciously let go of an impossible ideal and learn how to recognize when what you have done is "good enough" to send out. Even the toughest advisor is likely to be less critical than you are.
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Spend time with people, friends and family, who want you to succeed. Using social time as a reward works well when it reinforces the sense that what you are doing is highly valued by those you love.
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Vividly imagine a positive future for yourself, especially when you are wondering if all the effort is going to pay off. Visualize yourself doing what you want to do when that degree is on your wall. Breathe in deeply and let excitement build in your body. Ride the wave of energy back into your project.
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Finally, tack up a second list for your wall, reminders of all the reasons you chose this project. Include what you hope to contribute to your field and what you personally will gain by following through. This is a list to savor. For one of my clients, a primary motivating factor was the simple fact that he would be the first in his family to earn an advanced degree. That was what kept him going more than anything else over the long haul.
One Final Thought: A Glitch to Watch Out for at the End of Your Long Haul
When one of my clients was six or so, she took a reading comprehension test. She was given a story about a family returning home from a long, tiring trip. At last their house was in sight. "What did the family do then?" she was asked. The "right" answer was that they hurried up, because they were so close to home. But she answered differently. In her mind, they slowed down precisely because they were so close to home. This memory came to her when we talked about her diminished motivation as she approached the home stretch of her dissertation. The tendency to slow down unconsciously, just when the destination is in sight, occurs more often than we realize. Simply making this connection allowed my client to laugh and recommit to taking the final steps to her goal!
In summary: Keep moving forward; mind your carrots and sticks for added motivation over the long haul; and don't slow down in the home stretch!
About Lynne Berrett
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Lynne Berrett, M.A., LCSW, held positions in higher education for many years,
teaching writing and helping students achieve academic success. She currently
works with authors of non-fiction through her service, Coaching With W.I.T.
(Whatever It Takes), on topics ranging from economics to cultural history to
personal memoirs. Her coming website, you-can-write-it.com, will focus on helping
writers complete projects for professional and personal reasons. She can be
reached by calling 914-666-0912 (NY Metro area) or by writing lynne@coachingwithwit.com.
SURVIVING AND THRIVING: STEPS ON THE ROAD TO DISSERTATION SUCCESS
A free 3-week teleworkshop on consecutive Wednesdays -
April 12, 19, 26, 2006
7-8 p.m. EST
TELEWORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
- Do you struggle with finding or making time to write?
- Are distractions a problem?
- Do your critical thoughts about your writing slow you down or stop you completely?
- Does the dissertation seem like too huge a project to complete?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, this workshop is for you!
In this workshop you will learn the following:
~Time management strategies
~Ways to deal with distractions, including critical thoughts
~Problem solving
when you are feeling overwhelmed
WORKSHOP LEADER: Mary Beth Averill, Ph.D.
Mary Beth has been on the writing road many times, having completed a dissertation
in biology, a MSW thesis, several funding proposals, a book chapter, and several
academic papers. For 19 years she has coached grad students through the thesis
and dissertation process and she's seen a lot of writing successes along
the way. Mary Beth enjoys contributing to others by partnering with people
to complete their writing projects.
Contact: SurviveABD@aol.com
Dr. TRACY STEEN, Editor, ABDSG
Tracy Steen, Ph.D. , is a clinical psychologist and dissertation
coach in Philadelphia, PA. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan
and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in positive psychology at the University
of Pennsylvania. Dr. Steen draws on her research background in positive psychology
in her coaching work with writers, helping them to remove internal obstacles
so they can find more engagement and flow in their work. You can contact Dr.
Steen with questions about this newsletter or about writing coaching in general
at tracy@mentorcoach.com. You can
also visit her website at www.tracysteen.com
YOUR OWN COACH
If you are considering whether to get your own coach to help you reach
your academic goals, send any email to the following: ben16-76471@autocontactor.com
BEN DEAN, Publisher, ABDSG
Ben holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.
He is the founder of MentorCoach (www.MentorCoach.com),
a virtual university focused on training accomplished helping professionals
to become extraordinary coaches and eCoach (www.ecoach.com).
Visit www.coachingtowardhappiness.com,
and subscribe to the Coaching Toward Happiness eNewsletter on applying
the new science of Positive Psychology to your work and life (131,000 readers).
Ben
lives in
suburban Maryland with his wife, Janice, their two children and Norman,
their Norwegian dwarf bunny.
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