Working the Dissertation Writing Plan

Just over a week ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Eastern Communication Association
in Cambridge, MA where I attended a session on graduate education. Eventually the conversation veered towards how to support doctoral students towards completion of their dissertations. Some of the ideas I have shared here were reiterated there; one highlight for me was the idea about creating structure after comprehensives/preliminaries/qualifying exams to enable students to make progress on the dissertation.

One professor shared how in their program, they have created due dates and deadlines by which students should submit various portions of their dissertation. Others felt this might be too structured for some students, particularly if those deadlines are created by the program. In some programs, the most important deadline is the defense date in order to graduate by a particular end-of-semester (e.g. must defend by end of March to graduate in May).

I think there is a way to create a structure that supports your efforts at writing your dissertation. It is to create a plan in cooperation with your dissertation advisor. That plan should include due dates for major sections of your dissertation. The easiest way to do that is to start with your intended graduation date, then work backwards to determine when you have to defend, when you have to submit the completed document for committee review, when you need to submit each chapter/major section, etc.

Once you come up with your plan, introduce it into your daily, weekly and monthly calender. That is, ensure that there are periods of your calender dedicated to achieving your dissertation goals. As many writing coaches will tell you, the best way to achieve your writing goals is to write daily. Waiting until you have huge chunks of time to write especially if you also have a busy work and family life is often not effective. Off course there may be seasons when you can dedicate entire days and even weeks to writing...but that is often the exception rather than the rule. 

As much as it depends on you, work that plan! When life happens (as it often does), then revise your plan accordingly. Be sure to keep your advisor abreast of your progress and any changes. Like you, your advisor quite possibly works on schedule, so any changes to your schedule affects hers. Be courteous by keeping her informed. If you cannot meet a particular deadline, inform your advisor in good time so she too can adjust her schedule.

When you achieve a milestone (such as complete a chapter, or data collection, or defense), reward yourself. Do not wait until the very end to reward yourself, do it along the way. This will keep you motivated and energized along the journey.

As always, all the best. Comments and questions welcome.