Time Management
It's an odd sensation transitioning from undergrad to thesis work. Being an undergrad is built around structure: lectures, tutorials, labs, essay deadlines, test and exams. Come semester end you even get a damn holiday! Thesis work on the other hand could almost be defined by the lack of deadlines and structure, and students who struggle with time management and self-imposed deadlines can find it hard to make progress and get shit done.
A thesis involves a wide range of various tasks, some of which are easier to prioritise because they have clearer deadlines – grant and scholarship applications, conferences abstracts and progress reports all have absolute deadlines. Field work or other data collection may have timeframes for completion – for example before the weather turns autumnal or when lab rats are big enough for brain extraction (you kooky psychologists). Entering data, analysis, catching up on reading and writing chapters can all fall by the wayside while you focus on those tasks with clearer timeframes.
I've wound up at the end of my thesis with loads of progress reports, grant applications, conference presentations and data collection under my belt. But I also have only partially analysed data, just one published article and several unwritten chapters. What do I wish I'd done differently? I reckon if I'd put a bigger focus on publication I'd be in a happier position. There are a plethora of reasons to publish articles during your thesis, which I'll be visiting later, but for me it would have forced me to finish some of those jobs that are still sitting half cocked. With the beauty of hindsight, it's hard to justify why data I collected over two years ago is still only half analysed and half written.
What's more, the deadline headache comes on top of an unstructured work life. No lectures to be at, no boss checking you're at your desk, Facebook... Some people are really good at maintaining routine; up at 7, at work by 8, home by 6. Others of us struggle without boundaries and accountability. Where's the harm in sleeping for an extra hour or watching one more episode of Big Bang Theory? Oh right, I think the harm is when you're two years overdue on your Ph.D.!
Time management, goals, self-imposed deadlines and task lists should all help. As is treating the thesis like a job that you're expected to be at during "work" hours. But what do I think would really fix it? Having an editor for your thesis. There's nothing as motivating as the threat of knee-capping if you miss a deadline (right, Hannah?).
Ed note: This article was turned in way past its deadline.
A thesis involves a wide range of various tasks, some of which are easier to prioritise because they have clearer deadlines – grant and scholarship applications, conferences abstracts and progress reports all have absolute deadlines. Field work or other data collection may have timeframes for completion – for example before the weather turns autumnal or when lab rats are big enough for brain extraction (you kooky psychologists). Entering data, analysis, catching up on reading and writing chapters can all fall by the wayside while you focus on those tasks with clearer timeframes.
I've wound up at the end of my thesis with loads of progress reports, grant applications, conference presentations and data collection under my belt. But I also have only partially analysed data, just one published article and several unwritten chapters. What do I wish I'd done differently? I reckon if I'd put a bigger focus on publication I'd be in a happier position. There are a plethora of reasons to publish articles during your thesis, which I'll be visiting later, but for me it would have forced me to finish some of those jobs that are still sitting half cocked. With the beauty of hindsight, it's hard to justify why data I collected over two years ago is still only half analysed and half written.
What's more, the deadline headache comes on top of an unstructured work life. No lectures to be at, no boss checking you're at your desk, Facebook... Some people are really good at maintaining routine; up at 7, at work by 8, home by 6. Others of us struggle without boundaries and accountability. Where's the harm in sleeping for an extra hour or watching one more episode of Big Bang Theory? Oh right, I think the harm is when you're two years overdue on your Ph.D.!
Time management, goals, self-imposed deadlines and task lists should all help. As is treating the thesis like a job that you're expected to be at during "work" hours. But what do I think would really fix it? Having an editor for your thesis. There's nothing as motivating as the threat of knee-capping if you miss a deadline (right, Hannah?).
Ed note: This article was turned in way past its deadline.
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