Dissertation motivation!

sali_mali

Hello everyone, sorry I've been AWOL recently. There's been a bereavement in the family so the dissertation has taken a back seat and now I don't seem to be able to get started again. It doesn't help that Endnote is on the uni computers so I'll have to reference by hand until I get back up there.

Anyway, well dne to everyone who's still going. PD, I found it really daunting to get started after my reading was starting to repeat itself too! You just have to get started, write everything you know. It's a lot easier to then know when you need to read more because you'll find gaps in your knowledge while you write it up.

You'll feel a lot better when you can see your progress too!

pavlovs_dog

sorry to hear about your loss sali. love to you, mum and the rest of the family xxx

pandora205

Ferris - your post is very reassuring. I have a 4000 word assignment due on Monday (the first for my taught doctorate) and I've only done 1000 words so far, though have done lots of reading. It seemed like a huge task to complete it till I read this post!
I've had a while to do this but am working full time, have kids, etc etc so life gets in the way... but it's never going to happen again!
Any advice (apart from keeping off MSE!) gratefully received...

ames123_2

Well done everyone on your progress!

I started writing mine tonight, got 300 words woo lol! I think 300 every night should get me there! Still got research to do though!

MoneySaver86_3

I am sooo glad I'm not alone! My dissertation is getting me extremely stressed and depressed. It's not that I don't know what I'm doing, I need more time, I haven't been procrastinating too much, perhaps I'm a slow worker. My biggest worry is getting my draft done in time before half-term otherwise I doubt my supervisor will check it. Needed a mini rant. :sad:

Good luck everyone!

pandora205

Well I've done just over 2000 words now, so half way there and say 12 hours to go (depending on what time I go to bed!). It's not too bad once I get started as it's an interesting topic - I just need to focus and ignore distractions.
I'm a bit worried about the feedback sheet that my tutor has to complete, as it includes a section whether the paper is fit for publication, which is unlikely given the last minute that I'm doing it.
Any tips for staying alert?

I'm never going to leave it this late again!

sali_mali

Hello pandora, sorry I didn't see your post yesterday, did you manage to get it done? Don't worry about the 'fit for publication' section, that box will only get check if you'vw got 80% or above so it's not a big panic if it can't be published!

I'm finally back on the wagon today, I want to get it finished by tonight. It's proving pretty difficult to concentrate though because I'm at home and people keep talking to me!

aurora_borealis_2

sali_mali wrote: »

I want to get it finished by tonight. It's proving pretty difficult to concentrate though because I'm at home and people keep talking to me!

No I don't

sali_mali

Haha stop stalking me, I'm a very busy person!

Ferris

pandora205 wrote: »

I'm a bit worried about the feedback sheet that my tutor has to complete, as it includes a section whether the paper is fit for publication, which is unlikely given the last minute that I'm doing it.

i got two published conference papers out of my very last-minute MSc dissertation, so stranger things have happened! spent a very pleasant few days in sunny Lisbon at my university's expense :cool:

if your supervisor is not too proud (to have their name associated with an undergrad/MSc student), it's always worth submitting something to a conference if you get a chance... a few days in the sun seems like a good reward for your hard work...