Finding it hard to get motivated to write or edit? Checking Facebook again or organizing your boards on Pinterest will undoubtedly be more appealing. Perhaps you're avoiding your work because you don't know how to deal with it. You might be struggling to figure out what to say next or how to "fix" what you've done thus far. My advice: just open the document.
I've had a few non-urgent writing tasks hanging over me for several weeks now. (Ok. Two months, if I'm totally honest with you.) More urgent and impactful items have been prioritized ahead of them -- and that makes perfect sense when you think about your goals. But now that there's nothing more urgent or important to focus on, I knew it would be better to just get them done instead of having them weighing on my mind. Unfinished projects are a special kind of stress -- they expand to take up more mental space than they deserve.
Even though I knew I should complete them this week to clear the docket, so to speak, each morning I found myself doing other things, like filing. Why? Because one of the unfinished projects was a report that needed to be submitted to the funder and, despite my best efforts, I still wasn't happy with the wording. I initially put it aside so that I could think about the right approach, but then I never got back to it. If I didn't take action, I'd be a very productive procrastinator this week.
This morning, sitting at my desk, looking for "things to do," I said to myself, "Just open the document!" (Ok, maybe I yelled it inside my head, tagging an emphatic "Already!" at the end.)
Just open the document. It really was that simple. I opened it up and glanced at a few comments left in the margins, and before I knew it, I was done the editing task that had been causing me so much angst. I worked at it one section at a time, one comment at a time. It wasn't nearly as painful as I'd anticipated. Why? Because it wasn't nearly as big a task as it had grown to in my head.
So next time you find yourself avoiding your work -- whether it's writing or editing -- just open the document and see what happens. You might surprise yourself.
Showing posts with label procrastination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label procrastination. Show all posts
Monday, December 7, 2015
Monday, November 30, 2015
Try a New Location
Got writer's block? Just can't get motivated? Try working in a new location.
Generally, throughout university, I was able to write my papers and study from home, sometimes at a desk and sometimes at my kitchen table. There were times, however, when nothing I did could actually get me going in that environment. On these days, I joked that I needed to "institutionalize" myself by going to the library. The change of surroundings was often enough to help me get writing again or begin committing to memory the historical details of musical compositions.
Today, things haven't changed much. I still often write from home (following my writing ritual), but if I have a looming deadline or there's a hint of procrastination brewing, I'll go to my office to work on my personal research projects. I try to make it as enjoyable as possible, bringing along a French Vanilla from Tim Hortons or going out for lunch to break up the day. Being in a dedicated work environment helps me to be productive, eliminates any distractions that may exist (like laundry or other housekeeping tasks), and allows me to enjoy my free time when I return home after a productive writing session.
So, if you're having trouble powering through in your usual location, why not try something new? A new coffee shop, the local library, a friend's office, the cafe of your local museum -- there are lots of options!
Where's your favourite place to get work done?
Generally, throughout university, I was able to write my papers and study from home, sometimes at a desk and sometimes at my kitchen table. There were times, however, when nothing I did could actually get me going in that environment. On these days, I joked that I needed to "institutionalize" myself by going to the library. The change of surroundings was often enough to help me get writing again or begin committing to memory the historical details of musical compositions.
Today, things haven't changed much. I still often write from home (following my writing ritual), but if I have a looming deadline or there's a hint of procrastination brewing, I'll go to my office to work on my personal research projects. I try to make it as enjoyable as possible, bringing along a French Vanilla from Tim Hortons or going out for lunch to break up the day. Being in a dedicated work environment helps me to be productive, eliminates any distractions that may exist (like laundry or other housekeeping tasks), and allows me to enjoy my free time when I return home after a productive writing session.
So, if you're having trouble powering through in your usual location, why not try something new? A new coffee shop, the local library, a friend's office, the cafe of your local museum -- there are lots of options!
Where's your favourite place to get work done?
Monday, November 23, 2015
Power Through
Are you avoiding reading or writing? Has procrastination taken over? Try a power hour.
I first heard about the "power hour" as a time management strategy and procrastination buster about a year ago. As I recall, it was described to me as a way of completing tasks that you really don't like. You commit to working on a particular task for one hour and at the end of the hour, you can choose whether you continue or not. And if you decide that you're done like dinner, it's a guilt free ending because you were hyper-productive for an hour. I thought this was a great approach for my most hated cleaning tasks (aka all of them).
I really hate cleaning – washing dishes, vacuuming, dusting. Consequently, I avoid it like the plague. The result of this procrastination is that I just end up with a bigger job to tackle – more dishes, more dust, more recyclables to struggle with. Then it becomes overwhelming, which makes it even more difficult for me to get started and I start feeling bad about the situation. To break the cycle, I commit to a power hour. I’ll clean as much as I can in a one hour period and when the hour is up, I’ll do other things I enjoy doing without feeling any guilt. But sometimes I find that I end up cleaning for several hours because once I start and see improvements, I become more motivated to continue.
Of course, the power hour can be applied to other types of work, including your writing project. Here's one description of how it works.
You could do a power hour of reading, a power hour of planning (preparing an outline), a power hour of writing, a power hour of editing, a power hour of typing your bibliography in the appropriate citation style... you get the picture. You can do a power hour of anything. And then go about the rest of your day guilt-free.
So, if you're overwhelmed by your project or feeling guilty about your lack of progress, why not try committing to one power hour each day? You'll get something done that moves you closer to your goal and for the other 23 hours of the day, you can enjoy life without having to beat yourself up.
Have you done a power hour?
I first heard about the "power hour" as a time management strategy and procrastination buster about a year ago. As I recall, it was described to me as a way of completing tasks that you really don't like. You commit to working on a particular task for one hour and at the end of the hour, you can choose whether you continue or not. And if you decide that you're done like dinner, it's a guilt free ending because you were hyper-productive for an hour. I thought this was a great approach for my most hated cleaning tasks (aka all of them).
I really hate cleaning – washing dishes, vacuuming, dusting. Consequently, I avoid it like the plague. The result of this procrastination is that I just end up with a bigger job to tackle – more dishes, more dust, more recyclables to struggle with. Then it becomes overwhelming, which makes it even more difficult for me to get started and I start feeling bad about the situation. To break the cycle, I commit to a power hour. I’ll clean as much as I can in a one hour period and when the hour is up, I’ll do other things I enjoy doing without feeling any guilt. But sometimes I find that I end up cleaning for several hours because once I start and see improvements, I become more motivated to continue.
Of course, the power hour can be applied to other types of work, including your writing project. Here's one description of how it works.
You could do a power hour of reading, a power hour of planning (preparing an outline), a power hour of writing, a power hour of editing, a power hour of typing your bibliography in the appropriate citation style... you get the picture. You can do a power hour of anything. And then go about the rest of your day guilt-free.
So, if you're overwhelmed by your project or feeling guilty about your lack of progress, why not try committing to one power hour each day? You'll get something done that moves you closer to your goal and for the other 23 hours of the day, you can enjoy life without having to beat yourself up.
Have you done a power hour?
Monday, September 28, 2015
Getting a Handle on Time
How many times have you told yourself that you don't have time to write? To go to the gym? To read that novel for your book club? Like most people, you probably are busy and perhaps even over-committed. Because you're running around from school to work to extracurricular activities, while also trying to have a social life and manage your living space so that you don't end up on an episode of Hoarders, it can seem like there's no time left. The first step to getting a handle on time is a time audit.
The concept here is pretty simple: you map out all of your existing commitments (big and small) to identify space in your schedule for writing (or whatever other activities you need to do to accomplish a particular goal). If your main commitments are generally consistent from one week to the next, you can probably do this audit once a term or season. If, however, your commitments shift -- for example, if your work hours as a cashier at a retail store change every week or two -- then you'll want this to be more of a living document and update it more frequently.
You can download a blank schedule and complete it in paper form or you can open up a spreadsheet or document on your computer or tablet and create your own. The important thing is to be thorough when identifying and blocking activities and commitments. Include classes, work hours, exercise time, time for studying, time for commuting (especially if you take the bus or live a significant distance from school or work), time for meals, other personal time, recurring appointments or meetings, etc. In fact, if there is one television show that you absolutely must watch each week, add that in as well (just don't schedule in multiple shows per day or a show for every night of the week). And if you have responsibilities related to other people, such as taking mom to church or the kids to hockey, then you'll need to include those activities as well. Colour code if you like. When you're done, you'll have your own version of something like this:
Following this process, which really doesn't take a lot of time and is time well spent, you quickly see where your pockets of open time exist -- and hopefully you do have some. Some people will have more open time than others, of course, and open time will change as circumstances do. For example, if I had done this time audit in June, there would be much less white open time in my schedule: 5pm-9pm Sunday through Thursday would have been filled with course prep and teaching. So, when I said during the summer that I'd like to be swimming in the evenings, but I didn't have time, that was an accurate statement. Now that the fall has arrived and I'm not teaching, it is in fact a lie that I've been telling myself.
Pockets of open time identified, you now have the power to block off time for writing (or, for me, swimming). Even if it's just an hour or two that you can commit, it will get you started on your goal.
Now, some of you undoubtedly are thinking, what if my time audit reveals no open time? I suppose that is possible (though in most cases I don't think it's probable). Nevertheless, if you do find that there is no white in your colourful time audit, you have some decisions to make. The only way to finish a major research paper, thesis, or dissertation is to actually commit some time to it. If you can't find a few hours a week, then you need to make time. This may mean taking a temporary leave from your volunteer activities, cutting back on work hours, asking family members or friends to take the kids to hockey, or spending one hour at the gym instead of two. Only you can decide what activities you'll compromise on to make time for writing. If I may, though, I would suggest that you attempt to maintain a healthy amount of sleep, time for prepping and cooking food (instead of turning to fast fixes), and some sort of physical activity, since these are important for general health and well-being.
One last point: once you've blocked writing time in your schedule, remember to defend it. Treat it as if it's your job or an appointment with a specialist -- don't be late and don't think you can just not show up without repercussions. And if someone asks you to do something, like volunteer for a very worthy cause, during your writing time, politely say no because you are already committed at that time.
The concept here is pretty simple: you map out all of your existing commitments (big and small) to identify space in your schedule for writing (or whatever other activities you need to do to accomplish a particular goal). If your main commitments are generally consistent from one week to the next, you can probably do this audit once a term or season. If, however, your commitments shift -- for example, if your work hours as a cashier at a retail store change every week or two -- then you'll want this to be more of a living document and update it more frequently.
You can download a blank schedule and complete it in paper form or you can open up a spreadsheet or document on your computer or tablet and create your own. The important thing is to be thorough when identifying and blocking activities and commitments. Include classes, work hours, exercise time, time for studying, time for commuting (especially if you take the bus or live a significant distance from school or work), time for meals, other personal time, recurring appointments or meetings, etc. In fact, if there is one television show that you absolutely must watch each week, add that in as well (just don't schedule in multiple shows per day or a show for every night of the week). And if you have responsibilities related to other people, such as taking mom to church or the kids to hockey, then you'll need to include those activities as well. Colour code if you like. When you're done, you'll have your own version of something like this:
Pockets of open time identified, you now have the power to block off time for writing (or, for me, swimming). Even if it's just an hour or two that you can commit, it will get you started on your goal.
Now, some of you undoubtedly are thinking, what if my time audit reveals no open time? I suppose that is possible (though in most cases I don't think it's probable). Nevertheless, if you do find that there is no white in your colourful time audit, you have some decisions to make. The only way to finish a major research paper, thesis, or dissertation is to actually commit some time to it. If you can't find a few hours a week, then you need to make time. This may mean taking a temporary leave from your volunteer activities, cutting back on work hours, asking family members or friends to take the kids to hockey, or spending one hour at the gym instead of two. Only you can decide what activities you'll compromise on to make time for writing. If I may, though, I would suggest that you attempt to maintain a healthy amount of sleep, time for prepping and cooking food (instead of turning to fast fixes), and some sort of physical activity, since these are important for general health and well-being.
One last point: once you've blocked writing time in your schedule, remember to defend it. Treat it as if it's your job or an appointment with a specialist -- don't be late and don't think you can just not show up without repercussions. And if someone asks you to do something, like volunteer for a very worthy cause, during your writing time, politely say no because you are already committed at that time.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
A New Blog for Thesis Strategies
Recently, two graduate students I know organized a group here in Sydney called the Cape Breton Graduate Research Community (CBGRC). The idea emerged from a conversation we had about how difficult it can be to focus on writing once you've finished all of your course work. Any number of challenges may confront you, including general procrastination, a lack of motivation, or time management issues when part-time or full-time employment becomes necessary. It's also important to note that writing is often a solitary activity and just what goes into writing a major research paper, thesis, or dissertation often can't be understood unless you've been through the process. Consequently, family and friends may struggle to understand how best to support you through the process.
As we discussed these challenges and strategies for dealing with them, I mentioned that during my master's program at University of Alberta, a group of us met weekly at a coffee shop to discuss our work and vent about whatever needed venting. It brought a social element back to our work and established a support system. For many of us, though admittedly not all, it was an important source of motivation and helped us achieve our goals (we had a 75% success rate in our group of four). Perhaps a similar group would help graduate students in the area? Enter the CBGRC.
The CBGRC exists both as a virtual group on Facebook and as real, live social group that meets at the Cooperative Study Club on Monday nights. While the group has only met twice and hasn't fully decided how it will run, its founding members decided that once a month they would invite a guest speaker who could present on some relevant topic, such as breaking through writer's block or editing strategies. I was only too happy to accept the invitation to be the first speaker on the topic of time management, which is critical for success.
And so on Monday of this week, I brought to the CBGRC a list of the tips that I thought would be useful for time management. I also shared my personal electronic calendar with the members so they could see how I manage my time (colour-coded by priority areas). I also encouraged them to do a time audit to determine just how much time they have in their lives for writing once other responsibilities and commitments were accounted for (eating, sleeping, exercising, working, attending classes, etc). I invited them to create their own "Not To Do List" (shout out to JMcD) to help them say no to new projects or tasks that may encroach on their writing time. Hopefully, everyone took something useful from the session.
Having reflected on the presentation I gave, I've decided to establish this blog for the participants in the CBGRC and anyone else who is writing a major research paper, thesis, dissertation, or any other academic work. I hope to provide a few practical strategies based in my own experience and motivate the members to persevere when writing gets tough. And anyone with alternative or complementary strategies or personal experiences to share is invited to contribute them.
So, stay tuned for the first strategy next week in a blog titled "Tasks Take Time."
As we discussed these challenges and strategies for dealing with them, I mentioned that during my master's program at University of Alberta, a group of us met weekly at a coffee shop to discuss our work and vent about whatever needed venting. It brought a social element back to our work and established a support system. For many of us, though admittedly not all, it was an important source of motivation and helped us achieve our goals (we had a 75% success rate in our group of four). Perhaps a similar group would help graduate students in the area? Enter the CBGRC.
The CBGRC exists both as a virtual group on Facebook and as real, live social group that meets at the Cooperative Study Club on Monday nights. While the group has only met twice and hasn't fully decided how it will run, its founding members decided that once a month they would invite a guest speaker who could present on some relevant topic, such as breaking through writer's block or editing strategies. I was only too happy to accept the invitation to be the first speaker on the topic of time management, which is critical for success.
And so on Monday of this week, I brought to the CBGRC a list of the tips that I thought would be useful for time management. I also shared my personal electronic calendar with the members so they could see how I manage my time (colour-coded by priority areas). I also encouraged them to do a time audit to determine just how much time they have in their lives for writing once other responsibilities and commitments were accounted for (eating, sleeping, exercising, working, attending classes, etc). I invited them to create their own "Not To Do List" (shout out to JMcD) to help them say no to new projects or tasks that may encroach on their writing time. Hopefully, everyone took something useful from the session.
Having reflected on the presentation I gave, I've decided to establish this blog for the participants in the CBGRC and anyone else who is writing a major research paper, thesis, dissertation, or any other academic work. I hope to provide a few practical strategies based in my own experience and motivate the members to persevere when writing gets tough. And anyone with alternative or complementary strategies or personal experiences to share is invited to contribute them.
So, stay tuned for the first strategy next week in a blog titled "Tasks Take Time."
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