Seven tips to help with the PhD thesis writing
Pointers that helped me.
“How’s the writing going?” Some tricks I learnt along the way.
Ok, you’re either about to start your thesis, or your halfway through it and need some procrastination. Here’s some tricks that helped me in case it helps others:
💻 Find the best writing software for you. Zettlr was the one for me, but look around as there are some great options besides Word. Distraction free mode and typewriter scroll are a winner for me 🏆 I also liked Zettlr because it made it extremely easy to export my drafts to Word for my supervisors, and LaTeX for the final mark up.
⌨️ Buy/find a really nice keyboard. I bought a mechanical keyboard just for writing and it’s an ongoing joy to use. I only use it for focused writing (e.g. not everyday tasks), which immediately makes me look forward to a writing session. It’s amazing how much difference this made for me.
🍵 Make writing a ritual you look forward to. For me, it’s about brewing my favourite tea, pulling out that keyboard and finding a certain physical space that helps me write. Find whatever you can that puts you in the right head space for writing (music, exercise, etc.) and build it into the ritual. Craft a process you look forward to.
🎯 Make challenging, but achievable daily targets. For me, it’s a daily word count and a specific section. Make it something you’re pleased to achieve. You can continue or stop after hitting that target, but you can leave your computer at the end of the day knowing you’ve made another important step 🏃
💭 If you reach a sticking point, write your thinking. We all hit a difficult section where you stare at a blank page and flashing cursor. When I reach those points now, I imagine I’m in a pub explaining the situation/problem to a friend. How would you describe it so they understand? Type that methodical explanation. Focus on getting the sentences first and improving them afterwards. Doing so will unstick those stuck sections.
🥱 If you feel yourself burning out, stop. This is different to being tired/bored/fed up. Take a break, do those things that replenish you and come back when you’re ready. As Covey would say, “sharpen the saw”.
❤️ “Remember to enjoy it.” This was the most profound advice I heard my masters supervisor say when asked for how to approach the thesis. These things are difficult and frustrating - but they’re also on topics you care about and they are a step in your career. You believe in these things and now you are sharing why you think these things are important. Find what you love in it and remember to enjoy the process too.
Oh and mistakes I learned the hard way:
🚫 Keep those emails closed.
🤹♂️ Multi-tasking during the thesis writing is only for the brave. Schedule and avoid if possible.
📵 Social media is a distraction. Hide it away.
☁️ For goodness sake have cloud back ups (hello hard drive failure in May 😱).
Good luck! You’ve got this!