Writing a dissertation paper is a long process that most students never know whether and when they’ll finish. It is a slow and uncomfortable position to be in. You’ll find yourself jumping from paper to paper and from idea to idea without getting any publishable results. It’s also common to procrastinate when things get hard. And pushing away the most important tasks. However, when you keep on keeping on, your efforts will pay off in spades in the long run. As you are going to find out, habits and routines play an important role in helping you complete your dissertation paper without giving up your life.
Why are habits important?
Habits are important because they alleviate the burden of making choices. Making decisions is one of the most exhausting activities for the brain. When you have to make a lot of decisions in a day, you’ll not only feel overwhelmed but also unhappy. Forming habits frees you from wasting mental energy. At the end of the day, you’ll be more focused to do a great job for an extended period. To achieve your goals, you’ll not only need to set them but also form habits that will propel you toward your desired outcome.
Habits to Reclaim Your Life When Writing a Dissertation
Here are ten important habits that will help you reclaim your life when working on your Ph.D. dissertation paper:
Master your time
When working on a dissertation paper, it can be easy to be a victim of your schedule. Most college students have to juggle jobs, family commitments, and social activities. All these activities make it harder for them to work on their academic papers. Some students go a step further by sacrificing their exercise or sleep to meet their deadlines. To achieve all your goals, you have to manage your time effectively. You should structure your day, seek help from dissertation writers and use effective strategies to enhance your productivity.
Limit email and social media use
While digital communication has made our lives easier, it has led to a wastage of time and energy. When you start your day by checking your mail and relying on other peoples’ comments on social media, you are prioritizing other peoples’ needs. The more you respond, the more work you are creating for yourself. You should focus on completing your most important tasks for the day before refreshing your mail and social media.
Break down long-term goals
One of the biggest problems that college students face is being unsure of what they need to do during the week or day to stay on track with their dissertation. The magnitude of the project might be so overwhelming that they end up procrastinating. When the deadline is around the corner, they start working long hours. And this leads to low-quality work and fatigue. With the help of an expert, you can break down big goals into small milestones that you can achieve in a couple of days.
Discover what you want to do
If you are always focused on doing what you have to do, you’ll always feel exhausted. Grab your to-do list and look at the activities that you’ve written down. Do they support your professional and personal goals? Is there anything that you have to do but don’t want? You need to focus on the things that you are compelled to do to achieve your goals and live happily.
Identify the most important results that you want to achieve
With short-term goals, you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. To boost your chances of success even further, find out the three important goals that you need to achieve every day. Having a clear picture of what you want to achieve before you start your day will boost your focus and keep you motivated all day long.
Align your day with your productivity cycle
When planning your day, you need to group your results into the following categories:
- Important results that demand creativity and focus – writing a dissertation paper and creating a presentation
- Minor results that require little thinking – paying bills, scheduling appointments
If you are a morning person, focus on the most important activities when you wake up. On the other hand, if you are a night owl, complete the minor tasks during the day and focus on the important projects at night.
Avoid multitasking
Most people think that multitasking boosts productivity and performance. However, this is a myth. The human brain can only focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking involves switching between multiple tasks. And this ultimately leads to exhaustion and reduced performance. If you find yourself multitasking, you should get help from dissertation writing services to stay on top of everything. Focus on one thing at a time.
Let your creative mind work
Most students spend most of their free time on social media. And this hinders their creativity. Have you ever noticed how most of your brilliant ideas come to mind when your mind is not focused on anything? Your brain has been wired to develop creative solutions for survival. Your creative mind needs a chance to work. Take short breaks regularly and avoid using your phone.
Use short time fragments to work on your dissertation
As you work on your dissertation, you’ll have to attend meetings and be present for your family and yourself. At times, all you’ll have is ten or twenty minutes to work on your dissertation. For the average person, this might look like limited time. However, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve in these few minutes while working on your dissertation.
Carry a book and pen with you
When working on your dissertation, you’ll need to come up with new ideas. Since new ideas come to mind during the most unlikely times, you should always carry a notebook and pen with you. This way, you can record anything that comes to mind and relieve yourself of the burden of storing them in your mind.
These are the ten best habits that you need to form to reclaim your life when working on your dissertation paper. While forming a habit can take a lot of time and energy, the payoff will be huge in the long run. Which habits are you going to start forming today?
