Category Archives: Strategy

Sometimes when I’m trying to start working, I get this fluttery feeling. Sometimes that feeling makes me want to clean something, sometimes it makes me want to find comics to read on the internet, sometimes I want to call a friend, and sometimes I want to play a computer game.

“Just for a minute,” I say to myself. “Just to clear my head and calm me down.”

What happens next is embarrassing. With each successive game, I get more and more agitated, telling myself I just need to win one more time and then I’ll get back to work. All the while I’m more and more alarmed at how much time is passing. “Oh, sh**! 3:00 already!”

So I’ve started a new ritual to deal with the flutters. It’s very simple–I’m not into incense or mantras or meditation, though I don’t see any problem with using those techniques to get in the mood for working. All I mean by ritual is that I do the same thing ever day before starting work, to calm me down and get me focused on the task at hand.

I read five pages of The Craft of Research. It’s a guide to writing that I enjoy reading. It’s clearly written, infused with a you-can-do-it! attitude, and relevant to what I’m trying to accomplish.  I think reading anything that you like, that you think is well-written, could be great–even if it wasn’t related to your dissertation specifically. It should be something you know well (this ritual should not be suspenseful), something you like, and, most importantly, something that doesn’t spark any wild emotions.

My last post about breaking a no-work period by making tiny goals got me to thinking about the best time to make daily goals.

For me, the answer is hands-down at the end of the workday, especially if I’m transitioning between activities.

For example, when I’m researching, I don’t find it that difficult to pick up where I left off the previous day. I organize my files by publication date, and then simply read them in order. If I don’t write down “Begin reading sources from June of 2004” at the end of my work day, chances are I’ll figure it out and start reading the next morning anyway.

But, when moving between chapters, starting a new revision cycle, or approaching the introduction or conclusion of a chapter, I need that plan in place. Otherwise, I sit down in the morning with a panicked, overwhelmed feeling that rarely leads to productive work.

I have a calendar just for dissertation matters, and if I use it to plan my next day’s work, I start the day with a specific, reachable goal. In the calendar box for tomorrow, I wrote “make a list of reasons supporting my conclusion” and “make a new outline” (based on the list of reasons). So I know exactly what I will do tomorrow. I will sit down at the computer, open my chapter and a new document. I will read the chapter, pausing to write down reasons in the new document.

It doesn’t sound hard, does it?

That’s the idea.

At the end of each day, I write down five things I want to do tomorrow. I use a notepad file on my PC so that I can easily cut and paste items into different the lists for different days as my priorities shift. Usually one project is writing my dissertation, but it’s something specific, like “write 3 pages of the conclusion.” One project involves planning class or grading. Another might be reading to do for the dissertation. The last two are some combination of household chores, exercise, phone calls I need to make, and errands to run.

My “5 Things” helps me have realistic expectations for the day. Even though I often don’t finish all five, it’s never impossible to do so. I make the list at the end of the day, when it’s fresh in my mind what needs to be done next. And if I think of things I need to do at random times, I put them onto my “5 Things” list, but I schedule them a few days out (or bump something off my list for the current day).

My list has been most helpful at managing my errands and life stuff not relating to work. There’s usually not more than one really important errand to do in a day. I do the most crucial task first, and schedule the rest one at a time over the next few days.

I like this system because when I wake up in the morning, my goals for the day are already defined and managable (this is better than a big, vague cloud of FEAR). Also, if something comes up (which happens a lot), I can decide at a glance what can wait and what needs to be done immediately. Sometime, I do the easiest thing first (a load of laundry, maybe), and then have the comforting feeling that there’s only four things left to do.

As I’ve mentioned, I have many types of long lists, all of which I “put away” into a bookmark on the internet or a file on my hard drive. Only this immediate, short, doable list lives on my desktop. Long lists can be overwhelming and inspire hopelessness. Even if I have a very bad work day, I can still usually get half of my 5 things done.

I use Ta-Da lists. I really like keeping lists on-line because I can update them from any computer or my iPhone.  What’s great about Ta-Da is that you can keep many, many lists. I’ve got 25 at the moment.You can also share lists with other users. I find it very useful to share the grocery list with my husband, for example.

Some my dissertation lists:

• the “my dissertation argues . . .” list. When I have a big idea about the purpose of my project, this is where it goes.
• the “freewrite” list. When I get stuck writing, I can refer back to that list for topics that need some more exploration.
• the “reasons why I’m writing a dissertation” list. This one is handy in moments of doubt.
• my “professional” list. This keeps track of things like paying dues to professional organizations and other tasks related to getting a job.
• the “anecdote” list. When things happen in my daily life related to my dissertation topic, I write them down for later use as paper/talk anecdotes.

If you have a habit of forgetting to write things down, you might try Jott. You can call their 800 number and leave yourself messages that are transcribed to your desktop application and available on-line. Edit: Jott’s services are no longer free as of February 2009.

Real Simple had two cute paper list makers in their January issue. One was a small notepad that said “I will do one thing today.” It could be perfect for the overwhelmed. One thing is so much better than no things.

The other one I liked was the List ME . . . Doodle ME pad from Broadway Paper. As Real Simple suggests, “Doodle to get those creative juices flowing; cross off items to stay on task.”