When I left my job in 2016 to start my masters in an altogether different country I promised my self be what ever I would dedicate this one year to bring more discipline, more productivity more self control in my life. I promised my self I would try and build a stress free life for myself and my partner.
In the past one year I have tried positive habits, acquired them and lost them again due to lack of discipline but like I said I would not stop because I wasn’t succeeding.
In May 2017 we had our first discussion about thesis. I thought well there is still a lot of time. Our thesis track coordinator asked us to start thinking about a research topic that we would like to do. I did not bother and went on with my life. Later in the beginning of July I met with one of my friend at the school. During our conversation I realized she not only had a topic ready to carry out her research but has already started with literature review. Thanks to her , today 7th of September 2017 a day ahead of my final submission date I finished my thesis and sent out the final draft to my supervisor to have a quick review. Well, he already reviewed before just a quick look.
I finally managed to finish my thesis on time. Read more to find out how I managed to finish on time.
I decided to show you my work station as it is without cleaning my table of my favorite hand creams, toner and mint box.
1.Get yourself a healthy company and indulge in a healthy competition.
Someone once said “You are what you surround yourself with“. Trust me it is absolutely true. When I procrastinated with my thesis I had people around me who were equally clueless with their thesis topic which made me feel it was okay to not think about thesis till I met my good friend and realized it was disastrous not to think about my topic and I would land up in big trouble if I don’t start asap.
2. Have a fixed time to work on your thesis.
This comes from the Marketing Professor Julian (one of my fab). Yes, it is logical to think that you have the whole day to work on your thesis but trust me if you do not have a fixed timing you will end up putting things for the next day.
3. Set small goals and reward yourself once you reach them .
I had to write 14,000 words for my thesis. So, I planned writing minimum two hundred words each day and when I reached my goal I would reward myself with a cup of coffee or tea while scrolling through my social media account. During literature review I would make sure I read at least one paper per day.
4. Discuss with your peers about their progress as well as yours.
This will help you stay motivated and keep going. If you see yourself falling behind don’t panic. I increased my working hours by 30 mins everyday to keep up with the pace. Help others if you have something to share. This will increase your satisfaction.
5. Write down your achievements.
Writing down your achievements will help you to increase your productivity. You will feel good when you see in paper what you have achieved. I personal had sticky notes on my desk reminding me of my achievements. For example when I finished literature review I made sure I had a note remaining me that I have already accomplished something in the thesis.
6. Stop and take a break.
Thesis writing can be tiring and mundane job. No group work, no immediate deadline makes life difficult and keeping yourself focused is challenging . If you feel you are getting suffocated give yourself a treat by organizing a getaway with your friends for a few days or one day of not working at all and reading your favorite book and the ones who derive pleasure from retail therapy, just get yourself that dress , you wanted to buy since a long time.
Remember working fixed hours everyday at the same time requires a lot of patience and discipline.
Okay, if you have read so far then it is clear you want to finish your thesis on time. You have already taking a step ahead. Go ahead and do it.
Good luck folks!
