By Gayle Scroggs, PhD, PCC, Editor & Coach

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Do you believe that you need deadlines to be productive? They loom on the calendar, promising to whip you into action — eventually. But for many dissertation writers, deadlines fail miserably as progress stimulants. 

 

The truth is, open-ended projects like dissertations rarely come with external consequences for being a week or even a month late. Without an external “panic monster”, as Tim Urban observes, it’s too easy to push things off until “later” — and later rarely arrives. No one wants to experience the panic that follows an official warning from the Graduate Office stating that you are about to exceed the time allotted to finish your degree.

 

By then procrastination has already eaten up your best time. 

 

The fix? Flip the focus from when you must finish to when you will start. Instead of depending on deadlines, or “due dates,” create “do dates.”

The Power of the Do Date​

 

A do date is a commitment to begin a specific task at a specific time. Instead of a looming endpoint, you’ve got a clear starting point — a trigger for momentum. In fact, the do date approach is essentially the same as what psychologist Peter Gollwitzer calls an if–then plan: If it’s 9 a.m. on Tuesday, then I will start editing Chapter 1. His research shows that these specific situational cues can double or triple follow-through.

 

Want to edit Chapter 1? Block out Tuesday at 9 a.m. and start then. Need to draft your methods section? Put it on the calendar for Thursday at 2 p.m. and treat it like a doctor’s appointment you wouldn’t dare miss. Many clients consider this their top dissertation hack.

 

Why does setting a start time for your task work?

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• It shrinks the task: Starting feels doable, even if finishing still feels far away.

• It creates structure: You build steady progress into your week.

• It reduces stress: No more white-knuckle writing sprints.

• It fights perfectionism: You focus on action, not outcome.

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Deadline vs. Do Date at a Glance 

 

Compare the difference between the Deadline and the Do Date options and consider which approach would serve you better:

 

Deadline: Focuses on when the work must be finished.
Do Date: Focuses on when the work will be started.

 

Deadline: Triggers action only when time is almost up.
Do Date: Triggers action before urgency kicks in.

 

Deadline: Relies on panic to overcome procrastination.
Do Date: Relies on momentum to overcome procrastination.

 

Deadline: Often leads to last-minute rush and stress.
Do Date: Encourages steady progress and lower stress.

 

Deadline: Works best for short, externally imposed tasks.
Do Date: Works best for long, self-directed projects.

 

Deadline: External accountability (boss, professor, client).
Do Date: Self-accountability, possibly with an accountability partner.

 

Deadline Example: “Paper due Friday.”
Do Date Example: “Start drafting on Tuesday at 9 a.m.”
 

 

How to Make Do Dates Stick

 

As you experiment with Do Dates, you’ll find the greatest effectiveness if you follow these practices:

 

1. Put them on your calendar — treat them like real appointments.

2. Be specific — “Work on dissertation” is vague; “Write literature review introduction” is clear.

3. Set up accountability — tell a friend, coach, or study buddy.

4. Protect the time — no rescheduling unless there’s an emergency.

5. Celebrate small wins — progress fuels more progress.

 

 

The Magic Starts When You Start

 

When you swap deadlines for do dates, you trade panic for progress — and that’s the kind of momentum that gets dissertations done. Start small. Choose your next concrete dissertation step and create a plan:  If it’s 2 p.m., then I will read the next article for my literature review for 30 minutes at my desk.

 

You can also routinize other parts of life to save mental energy—bedtimes, weekly menus, workout schedules. You’ll free up more brainpower for your research and writing.  Once I started using the “if-then” / Do Date strategy, I discovered it could power me through disliked tasks like tax preparation, customer service calls, suitcase packing, as well as domestic chores.  In fact, I now calendarize many things that I formerly saved for “when I find the time,” and they almost always get done.  

 

You can give yourself that same sense of satisfaction. Try this one right now: If I have finished reading this column, then I’ll take the next step in my dissertation.

 

If you do, you’ll be that much closer to calling yourself “Doctor.” I’ll bet on it.

 

P.S. Want someone in your corner? A  positive psychology dissertation coach can help you build your motivation, fuel your success, and keep you accountable with proven strategies. Are you ready to enjoy productivity without panic?  Request your free consultation here.

 

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More Resources

 

• Gollwitzer, P. M., & Brandstätter, V. (1997). Implementation intentions and effective goal pursuit. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 186–199. Pdf here.

• Halvorson, H. G. (2010). Succeed: How we can reach our goals. Her own video summary here.

• Tim Urban. TED Talk: Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator. 

• WoopMyLife.org. Take if-then planning to the max by using the WOOP strategy by Gollwitzer and Oettingen.

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GAYLE SCROGGS, Ph.D., P.C.C., Editor, ABDSG
Get Coach Gayle's new free e-book, Nine Strategies That Get My Dissertation Clients Across the PhD Finish Line. An accomplished coach and former professor, Gayle earned her social psychology doctorate from the University of New Hampshire. Now she leverages her unique integration of positive psychology and coaching to partner with clients to cultivate strengths, habits, and confidence to overcome procrastination, impostor syndrome, self-doubts, and other blocks so they achieve their big goals. A popular coach trainer, she also contributed two chapters to Women's Paths to Happiness. For coaching and presentations on flourishing at work, school, or life, contact her at gayle@essencecoaching.com. Enjoy more free resources at essencecoaching.com.

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BEN DEAN, Publisher, ABDSG
Ben holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He began writing the ABDSG in 1997. Over the years, the ABDSG has published hundreds of articles and provided thousands of hours of pro bono coaching and teleworkshops to ABDs all over the world. Ben is also the founder of MentorCoach (www.MentorCoach.com), a virtual university focused on training accomplished professionals to become part-time or full-time coaches. You may wish to subscribe to the Coaching Toward Happiness eNewsletter! It's on applying the 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 Dusty, their Norwegian dwarf bunny.

 

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