Get it Done Faster! Secrets of Dissertation Success
By Rachna Jain
()
About this ebook
Get it Done Faster: Secrets of Dissertation Success is full length book offering proven strategies and techniques to help you finish the dissertation faster. Based on the author’s expertise in coaching ABD’s to finish their dissertations- most in a year or less, with a 95%+ success rate, the tools you’ll learn in this book will work for you, if you apply them. Laid out in easy to read, practical and applicable chapters, you’ll learn workable approaches for getting more done in small blocks of time, how to take care of yourself in this process, how to set up your work-space for maximum effectiveness, strategic goal setting, and how to create good dissertation work habits. You’ll also learn how to organize your research materials and manage your papers and citations through the process. You’ll also get some strategies for dealing with the interpersonal and intrapersonal issues that often arise when working on your dissertation, including tips for dealing with your own perfectionism and procrastination, as well as how to talk to others in your life about your dissertation, and tips for dealing with your advisor. If you read and apply the strategies in this book, you will get the dissertation done faster.
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Get it Done Faster! Secrets of Dissertation Success - Rachna Jain
Get it Done Faster!
Secrets of Dissertation Success
Dr. Rachna D. Jain
Smashwords Edition
Moonswept Press, Inc.
20203 Goshen Road, #374
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
http://www.CompleteYourDissertation.com
Copyright 2002 Dr. Rachna D. Jain
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reprinted in any form, printed or electronic, without permission from the author.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
~~~~
This book will tell you:
What you should do before starting the dissertation
How to get more done in small blocks of time
How to take care of yourself in the process
How to setup a work space that works
How to organize your materials
How to get back to the writing each day
How to overcome dissertation blocks
How to avoid dissertation derailment
How to get it done faster so you can move on with your life!
You’ll receive all these strategies, and more, at a fraction of the cost of individual coaching. Best of all, you’ll have them together in one place so you can refer to them as often as you need to.
~~~~
To Deepak
Whose love and support remain
constant, shining, and true.
I am blessed to have you in my life.
~~~~
Phd365 Newsletter
Get my free email newsletter delivered directly to your inbox.
Each week (or so) you’ll get a piece of advice, a tip, or a strategy to help you complete the dissertation more easily and more happily.
Here is what one satisfied subscriber had to say:
"I want to thank you for your words of encouragement and to know that I would have never finished had it not been for your weekly promptings and encouragement. I have dedicated my dissertation to you and others, as you gave me so much encouragement. I only have my Oral Defense and then the dissertation will be sent to the Dean…almost six years of work! Again thank you and many blessings! Namaste!"
~Phillip B. Shamas, The University of Phoenix Online
Just for signing up, let me send you my free report: 15 Strategies for PhD Completion.
Your information is safe, and will not be sold, shared, and traded without your consent.
Sign up today, follow my suggestions, and you’ll be just 364 days away from your Ph.D.
Visit http://www.CompleteYourDissertation.com/go/Phd365
~~~~
Table of Contents
How doing your dissertation is like eating an ice cream cone
Why do you want this degree?
Some truths about the process
Qualities that will help you get through
Self Care
Pain? No gain
Preparing your life for the dissertation guest
Finding your optimum working style
Patience is a virtue
Organizing your materials
Creating a work space that works
Ideas for controlling clutter
Creating good work habits
Maximizing your progress
Goal setting/Planning/Time management
Don’t let the gremlins get control of the truck
Time management and task planning
What’s the payoff?
Researching
Getting down to writing
Set realistic deadlines
Intrapersonal/Interpersonal issues
About the author
What people say about the Get it Done
coaching process:
Other recommended resources
A special note about dissertation coaching:
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How doing your dissertation is like eating an ice cream cone
Think back, a moment, to the last ice cream cone you had. Maybe it was a double dip chocolate chip with sprinkles (my favorite!) or simple vanilla. In any case, I would like you to take a moment and think about how you approached eating that ice cream cone.
Did you take a big, deep bite out of it?
How was it to try and swallow that solid lump of cold ice cream? The last time I tried this, I got brain freeze
, a headache and my teeth hurt. It was not enjoyable.
Contrast this to a time where you might have eaten the ice cream leisurely, taking small bites and licks, slowly and patiently wearing it down. You were, perhaps, lost in the moment, yet focused on the outcome.
How is this related to the dissertation?
Many times, graduate students approach the dissertation from perspective number 1- they try to bite off huge pieces and cram their way through it- ending up with brain freeze
, headaches, stress, and an unpleasant feeling about the whole thing.
Students who approach the dissertation from the second perspective take longer to wear down the ice cream. They have to be patient, keep track of the melting and dripping, but most of all, they have to have faith that they will, indeed, get to the bottom of the scoop.
Break down the dissertation, one small bite at a time, and you, too, will get to the bottom of the scoop!
~~~~
Why do you want this degree?
Congratulations! The mere fact you’re reading this book suggests that you have completed many years of schooling and are now contemplating the completion of your dissertation so that you may obtain your Ph.D.
You probably didn’t get to this point without hearing some stories-probably some good and some bad about the dissertation process. Unfortunately, the bad stories seem to carry much more weight. Many graduate students come to this phase of their education feeling uncertain and confused about what it takes to really complete their dissertation in a timely fashion.
In my work as a dissertation coach and as editor of The All But Dissertation Survival Guide, I’ve worked with hundreds of graduate students directly and thousands indirectly. Through this work, I have had the opportunity to better understand what qualities are necessary for a successful dissertation process. In fact, with the support and structure of the coaching framework, many of my former clients completed their dissertations in a year or less, even those who had been ABD for more than twelve years when we began working together. The process doesn’t need to drag on to be meaningful; you can complete the project within a year and get on with your life.
Through this book, it is my intention that you will find many strategies to propel you into completing your dissertation as quickly and as easily as possible. One of the main questions to ask yourself as you begin or proceed on your dissertation journey is Why do I want this degree?
Now, this may seem like a very basic question and might be simple to answer, but I’m going to ask you to consider it anyway. More than anything, the dissertation process is a measure of your own perseverance and diligence in reaching your goal. It is not a test of skill or native intelligence. If you remember why you are pursuing this goal in the first place, you can use this understanding as a strong initial motivator for making progress. My request is that you take a few minutes to think about why you are pursuing this degree.
Questions to Consider:
What led you to this field?
What do enjoy most about your areas of study?
How did you pick your topic?
Why is this topic the best one to pursue right now?
What are some fears you’re having about the dissertation process?
What will you do to combat them?
Do you believe you’ll be successful in this project?
What are your unique talents that will help you succeed?
Before you move on in this book, I’ll ask you to take some time and consider these questions very deeply. They will help you uncover your own level of desire and motivation for this degree. If you take the time to write down your answers down, perhaps in a dissertation journal or notebook, you will find your responses to be a source of comfort in the times of stress, anxiety, confusion, and worry that accompany various phases of the dissertation process.
~~~~
Some truths about the process
As we move ahead, I’d like to discuss with you several truths about the dissertation process. These truths are not scientifically documented, but are strongly supported anecdotally.
Truth number one: You are smart enough.
There are times during the process that you’ll feel overwhelmed and uncertain. Am I smart enough?
Can I do this?
Do I have what it takes?
These worries and doubts are quite common and will likely stay with you for a while. That doesn’t mean that you should listen to them or doubt your own abilities.
You may wonder if you’re smart enough to learn all you need to know. You are.
You may wonder if you’ll be able to finish this long journey. You will.
You may wonder if you have what it takes. You do.
The dissertation process is, more than anything, a test of your perseverance and focus. It is not, and has never been, a test of your own intelligence (except, perhaps, when you wonder if you were nuts to even start the Ph.D. in the first place!) You have already proven on numerous occasions that you are smart enough and capable enough.
Even when the process stalls out or the project doesn’t proceed as planned, you are still capable of getting this done. No matter how difficult the journey, there is a way to reach the destination.
You have what it takes to complete this project. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have come this far. If you were not able to do this, the academic gatekeepers would have stopped you long ago. And, besides, if you really, really knew you couldn’t do it-if the outcome was 100 percent certain-you probably wouldn’t even be trying. The uncertainty and doubt means that you kind of know-but aren’t sure-and this is a good place to be. It might not be easy, but you can do this.
You are smart enough and capable enough. You can do this.
Truth number two: You are not an imposter.
Many of my former dissertation coaching clients describe that they suffer from Imposter Syndrome.
For those of you who don’t know this term, it refers to someone who is playing a role
and therefore believes that his/her success is due to tricking
others. People with Imposter Syndrome can live in mortal dread of being found out or uncovered.
What this most often means, in my experience, is that there is a huge gap between the person’s accomplishments and his/her own self view.
For example, do you know someone who is really wonderful, but who just can’t see it? Or who has achieved amazing success, but believes it could be taken away at any second? Or, that s/he wouldn’t have achieved it in the first place if s/he hadn’t fooled everyone along the way?
Do you ever feel this way yourself?
I think we all must feel a bit of Imposter Syndrome every now and then. We sometimes fake that we know what we’re doing, and we sometimes step out into a bigger game or a bigger world before we’re quite ready. The key, I think, is knowing that you can grow into the bigger shoes or bigger game or bigger space.
And, of course, the second step is in accepting that you have every right to be there- because you are, indeed, who you say you are. You have every right to get your Ph.D. There are so many people who have accomplished this already; why can’t you be one of them?
Truth number three: It’s not about intelligence.
Let me make it clear right here that the Ph.D. is not a measure of your intelligence. It is not a secret IQ test that will somehow determine that you are not smart enough or are an imposter. Completing the dissertation has always been and will always be more about your abilities to independently organize, research, and write on a particular topic. In essence, and you probably have heard this before, the dissertation is like a series of related term papers.
The simplicity of this idea is often lost on graduate students who believe that the dissertation is supposed to be the summation of their life’s work. Actually, the dissertation is more of a practical exam, like a driver’s test. Presumably, once your degree is