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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?New MentorCoach Training Programs launching. Subscribe to our other no-cost ezines: Visit Ben Dean's Live Coaching Workshops in Dallas, Austin, St Louis & Detroit. INTERESTED IN WORKING WITH A DISSERTATION
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE - November 26, 2008
1. A Note from the Editor
2. How a Busy Harvard Professor Finds Time to Write
by Patricia Flynn Weitzman, Ph.D.
3. Four FREE Telephone Workshops for ABDSG Readers
i. Picking Up The Pace (begins December 5, 2008)
ii. Using Your Signature Strengths to Complete the Dissertation (begins January 12, 2008)
iii. Turning Procrastination into Productivity
(begins January 6, 2008)
iv. Secrets to Completing Your Dissertation in 2009
(begins December 2, 2008)
November 26, 2008
A Note from the Editor
Tracy
Steen, Ph.D.
As the official holiday season gets underway, even the most disciplined ABDer may find it difficult to maintain a regular, consistent work schedule. The ongoing challenge of balancing social and family responsibilities with research and writing time will likely only intensify during the holidays. If the issue of work/family balance is salient to you, be sure to read this week's feature article by Dr. Patricia Flynn Weitzman.
Dr. Weitzman interviews a highly productive colleague from Harvard to learn
her secrets of success. You may be surprised at what this successful academic
has to say about how she schedules her time. And you may pick up a few hints
that will help you keep on track with your research and writing throughout
this holiday season and beyond.
While we all strive for balance, Wharton Professor Stewart
Friedman makes an interesting case that a "balanced life" is
an unrealistic and anxiety-provoking goal. He argues that satisfaction and
success come from thinking creatively to integrate multiple life domains rather
than pitting, for example, work life vs. family life.
One of my own coaching clients recently provided a fun example of how to integrate family time with research time. (I'm sharing this with you with her permission.) In order to motivate herself to meet a rapidly approaching deadline and to make her children and extended family feel part of the process, she staged a "Guess the Weight of My Dissertation" contest (with prizes of course). The result? Her paper baby weighed in at just under three pounds!
If you want to maintain sanity (if not mythical balance!) during the holidays, consider signing up for one or two of the free dissertation workshops offered in this month's issue. Virtual workshops are helpful not just for the content presented but also for the camaraderie of other workshop participants. And if you come up with any innovative strategies for integrating multiple life domains, please share them with me at steen_t@mail.trc.upenn.edu. Happy Thanksgiving!
How a Busy Harvard Professor Finds
Time to Write
by Patricia Flynn Weitzman, Ph.D.
Most people facing the challenge of writing a dissertation have, at one point or another, despairingly thought, "How the heck will I keep up as an academic, if just getting my dissertation written feels so tough?"
Indeed, an academic career requires the constant juggling of writing responsibilities with teaching, committee work, mentoring, and a personal life. Such a juggling act can be tricky to say the least, but there are those who pull it off quite successfully.
Take, for example, Dr. Hannah Riley Bowles, Associate Professor of Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Dr. Bowles has published widely in premier academic journals, and she won the Kennedy School's 2003 Manuel Carballo Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Bowles currently serves as the faculty director of Women & Power, the Kennedy School's executive program for women leaders. In addition to her myriad professional accomplishments, Dr. Bowles is also the mother of an almost 3-year-old daughter, so she is very adept at the complex balancing routine required to be a successful academic and an involved parent.
Who better then to pose the question of how to keep up with academic writing responsibilities than someone like Dr. Bowles? Here's a summary of our conversation:
1) How do you manage to be so productive?
Discipline is most important. I look for chunks of time for writing. After
I get off the phone with you, I go directly to a meeting. Scheduling things
this way allowed me to spend this morning working on only one thing.
2) Do you have a writing schedule?
Yes, but it changes from day-to-day.
3) Where do you do your writing, in your office or your home?
Either place. I carry my laptop with me wherever I go so if my daughter is
napping for 20 minutes, I write.
4) So you do your writing on the fly?
No, you really can't do good writing on the fly. But if you don't do some
things on the fly, you'll never have a chance to write. You have to schedule
your writing time.
5) How do you balance writing with teaching?
The hardest part in balancing writing and teaching is saying no to students.
I really care about my students; I've been engaged and available to them.
But you really need to make sure you say no to certain things-- and sometimes
they're the things that are the most fun part of the job-- in order to discipline
yourself so that you get the other stuff done.
I think that's very important for an ABD student. There are a lot of things you can do as an ABD: you can go to seminars, you can teach in classes, there are a million things you can do with that unstructured time. But you need to impose structure on your time. You need to impose structure on unstructured days.
For example, these are the tasks I'm going to accomplish today, these are the tasks I'm going to accomplish in this three-hour period, etc. That's what I mean by discipline. I really am quite disciplined. I remember some of my friends in graduate school. They needed to be writing at their desks, they needed to have their teacup right there, but life really doesn't allow for that.
6) How do you keep yourself in a disciplined place? If you feel yourself
drifting away from that discipline, how do you bring yourself back?
Self talk, like "You're screwing up, get back to work!" [Laughter].
7) Do family obligations ever interrupt your writing time?
Yes, and then I lose writing time. I'll try to wake up early to cover it.
My ideal would be to wake up at 4am each morning and write for 3 or 4 hours
before my daughter gets up. But that assumes you have a daughter who goes
to bed at a reasonable hour [laughter].
8) What do you think about this concept of work/life balance?
It's a profound question. I think the person who views work/life balance in
terms of happiness, and the person who views it in terms of meaningfulness;
well, they are two very different things.
If you are really working, and trying to be an engaged mom, it's very messy and exhausting. But if it's really about feeling like you've got meaning in your life, well throw out some sleep and physical comfort, and throw in a bit of stress-- but you feel it's meaningful, so ultimately your cup runneth over. I don't know if you call that balanced, but you can be fulfilled in multiple dimensions of your person.
9) What advice would you give to academics early in their career about
productivity?
I think the critical thing is that you schedule large blocks of time to write.
Your days can get eaten up. You need to schedule large blocks of time, but
at the same time, if you have a half hour here and there, you need to take
advantage of it.
Focus is also really important for people starting out. You want to do good stuff that takes thought and time. You can get pulled into too many directions. You need to pick a few things that you really care about, and dig into them. There's the good advice that you need to pick a research stream, and not just be writing a paper.
10) Do you schedule "think" time?
You have to. You need to say this morning is about X. If you find yourself
frittering away time with lots of meetings, you're not going to go anywhere.
Sometimes I think really hard about something, very focused, for about 45
minutes, and then I'll need to take a break. If I've thought myself into a
corner, then I'll take a break. I think you need to be very self aware, though,
and know if you're work-avoiding when you take a break.
11) How much do you think your dissertation prepared you for your academic
career?
Oh, very much so. It's fundamental. Of course, I had a lot more to learn,
but my dissertation was basic to the research I'm doing now. I think people
who don't write dissertations that become the basis for their future research,
that's a tough way to start. You have to build off of your dissertation. You're
really working on creating a foundation for what you ultimately want to do.
So, take heart ABD students, you're in very good company. Even a Harvard professor can find it challenging to attend to her writing! It's also nice to get confirmation from Dr. Bowles that the simple strategies of discipline, focus, structure, and scheduling really do work. Moreover, the way that Dr. Bowles survives the stresses of working motherhood by connecting to its meaningfulness might also have use for ABD students. When the going gets tough, you might try following her lead.
For example, remind yourself of the value that completing your PhD will have, not only to you personally, but to the many others who will benefit from your expertise and guidance. Search for what there is to be grateful for in this whole ABD experience. (Surely you are learning and growing a lot.)
Maybe even picture your joy on being awarded your diploma, hurrah! Take a moment to bask in all those happy, appreciative feelings and images. Then roll up your sleeves and get back to work. It's worth it!
Patricia Flynn Weitzman, Ph.D., is a developmental psychologist and life coach in Newton, MA. She received her Ph.D. from New York University. She served for many years on the research faculty at Harvard Medical School where she led several federally-funded studies on communication issues in healthcare. Her website is: www.patwcoach.com. You can contact her with questions about coaching at: pat.weitzman@gmail.com or (617) 455-5976.
Four Free Dissertation Workshops for ABDSG Readers
Dragging Your Feet Getting Your Dissertation Written?
Not hitting your submission dates?
Learn how to pick up the pace!
In this small group dissertation workshop -- you will
• Get past the obstacles that are keeping you from moving forward
• Learn winning strategies to get your dissertation written
• Be guided, and supported, every step of the way by an experienced coach
who will help you reach your goal - a delivered dissertation!
Yes, you can!
Dates: Fridays (starting December 5, 2008), weekly at 12:00 noon (Eastern) for 6 sessions. No fee for these first 6 sessions. We'll manage the holiday time schedule.
Contact: Denise Hassman at denise_hassman@yahoo.com
Please include "ABD Group" in the subject line.
Instructions: Upon email registration you will be provided with the telephone bridge for this class.
Sailing To Success!
Using Your Signature Strengths to Complete Your Dissertation
Having difficulty completing the final stretch of your graduate career? Your signature strengths can help you negotiate troubled waters and create bridges to success.
In this group you will be coached to -
--Identify your signature strengths
--Learn to use your signature strengths to navigate treacherous seas
--Put it all together to return safely to shore
You will sail into the sunshine, your precious cargo safe and complete.
Dates: Weekly on Mondays at 11:00 a.m. (Eastern) beginning January 12, 2008 for 6 weeks. No fee for first 6 weeks. Registration is limited to 12 participants.
Contact: Judith Tutin, PhD, at jtutin@bellsouth.net
Please include "ABD Group" in the subject line.
Instructions: Upon email registration you will be provided with the telephone bridge for this class.
TURNING PROCRASTINATION INTO PRODUCTIVITY
Proven Strategies that Get You Unstuck and Moving Forward
In this virtual group you will learn -
• How to set up priorities and external structures to organize your
mission and time
• How to set intermediate and long-range goals that are attainable
• Behavioral and cognitive strategies for a positive approach to your
dissertation
• Ways to tame your inner critic and move beyond perfectionism and resistance
• How identifying and relying on your strengths can help you overcome
obstacles so that you can complete your dissertation.
Dates: Each Tuesday at 6:00 pm (Eastern), for 6 consecutive weeks. There is no charge for these first 6 weeks.
Date of first session: January 6, 2009.
Contact: Jo-Linda Butterfield at DrJWButterfield@verizon.net.
Please include "ABD Group" in the subject line.
Instructions: Upon email registration you will be provided with the telephone bridge for this class.
How to Eat the Tail End of the Elephant:
Inner Secrets to Making 2009 YOUR Year of Dissertation Completion
Itching to get out? Motivated but overwhelmed? Worried that this won't be your year again? Then this is the coaching class for you.
During the month of December we will discuss:
Secret #1: Making the last few bites manageable and palatable
Secret #2: Controlling the clock and ruling your roost
Secret #3: Stifling the gremlin and calling in the reinforcements
Secret #4: Setting the goal and celebrating the success.
Schedule: Tuesdays, weekly at 12:00 noon (Eastern) for 4 group sessions. No fee for these 4 sessions. Date of First Session: December 2, 2008.
Contact: Dr. Robyn Silverman at DrRobynS@gmail.com.
Please include "ABD Group" in the subject line with your name and
biggest headache in the body of the email message.
Class is limited to first 12 responders. Upon registration you will be provided with the telephone bridge for this class.
Inspirational Quotes
It's how we spend our time here and now, that really matters.
If you are fed up with the way you have come to interact with time, change
it. ~ Marcia Wieder
Thanksgiving is possible only for those who take time to remember; no one
can give thanks who has a short memory. ~Author Unknown
Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure
of our thanksgiving. ~W.T. Purkiser
One kind word can warm three winter months. ~ Japanese proverb