Dissertation motivation!

sali_mali

Anybody else out there struggling with their dissertation? I thought a support group might help us along a bit!

I'm currently sat in the library surrounded by journal reviews and highlighter pens and am very fed up. I've done my research and have got everything I need and really should start writing it up... but it's too big to start!

I need a kick up the bum to get me going. Anybody else who needs some motivation, or just wants to whine and complain to people going through the same thing, feel free to join in! :beer:

pavlovs_dog

oh sali i know exactly how you feel. except that ive only just strated doing my reading :eek:

i have uni fatigue and just cant wait to graduate. dont think my heart is in it any more :rolleyes:

i finding setting lots of very small targets is the key. i generally work better when i feel like im achieving something. at the moment i have so much stuff on that it feels like its one step forward, three steps back. ho hum!

Crabman

Promising yourself rewards of chocolate may help

When I was getting mine done, I knew that the earlier I started, the more time there would be to submit a draft and get feedback from my supervisor. That's what motivated me to get started.

They'll hopefully notice if you're the first or one of the first to get a draft in and may be more inclined/have more time to help & advise. That was the case with mine and as I was the only one who had emailed it to him at the time, he spent a good while looking over it which really helped.

sali_mali

Pavlov's dogs I know exactly how you feel, I'm really struggling to care about my degree now! It's made even harder by the fact that this isn't even the degree I want to do, just a stepping stone. Sigh, just another 5 years to go, and that's if I'm lucky!

Crabman, yeah that's my strategy too! I was getting nowhere when I was setting myself deadlines, so I gave my supervisor the date for my first draft so I'll actually stick to it! I seem to be ahead of everyone else so far too...

I've got a 9am lecture tomorrow and haven't been able to sleep before 3am all week and accidently slept in til 1pm earlier! Tomorrow will not be fun...

ames123_2

Yay, been looking for a thread like this! I am very behind on mine, left it far too late! When is everyone's deadline? Our's is 25th April.

sali_mali

Yeah mines about the same time ames but handing in my first draft in 2 weeks :eek:

That's earlier than everyone else because my sister's coming up to visit the week after when everyone else is handing theirs in :rolleyes: Not great timing!

What subject are you doing? Don't panic about being far behind, I know someone who hasn't done any of her reading yet and another who hasn't even met her supervisor!!

NessyNoo_3

Speaking from experience....I am a senior procrastinator!!

I lived by the mantra I read somewhere, which was 'write first'.

I stuck this everywhere and it made me focus. Just write first- before you do anything..write.

It doesn't have to make sense and it can be full of spelling and grammatical errors. Its starting everyday that is the hard thing. Once you've started you feel so much better.

If it's any consellation I got 80% for mine!:D

sali_mali

Wow well done! :T

Today I have mostly been perfecting my references. Very tedious and time consuming but better to do it now tham at the end when you just want to get it in. I hate Endnote with a passion!

melancholly

i'd also recommend writing your methods section to start.... much easier than all the theory stuff and gets a whole part out of the way!! it's amazing how long i can faff about doing methods diagrams though..... today i made some very pretty diagrams (just discovered how to make coloured shapes transparent in powerpoint so have been adding block see-through coloured arrows to make things prettier.... sad but true!!).

ames123_2

sali_mali wrote: »

Wow well done! :T

Today I have mostly been perfecting my references. Very tedious and time consuming but better to do it now tham at the end when you just want to get it in. I hate Endnote with a passion!

I don't use Endnote, I write them all by hand, well type them. I don't know which way's easier?

elisebutt65

I tried using Endnote when I did mine last year and then discarded it in disgust!!!! It was easier just to do them all by hand.

I'm going through de-motivation at the minute with my PGCE - got an essay to hand in next week and my mid year review on Monday - I need to sort out my teaching file AND do lesson plans for this week and I just can't be arsed!!!!

Got to d it all tomorrow though as I'm back teaching on Wednesday - sigh