Are you struggling with your dissertation? Do you need motivation for dissertation writing? It’s not a secret, writing a dissertation is perhaps the least enjoyable task for students.
Ranging from tedious research to meticulous planning, busy days to sleepless nights, writing a dissertation may drain your energy and inspire procrastination. A testament to this is the number of students that have fallen victim to the downward spiral of procrastination, ending up in a place of ever-increasing stress.
“The person who makes a success of living is the one who see his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.” – Bob Dylan
This article will highlight some tips to help you fully focus on your dissertation and secure a quality grade.
How to get motivated to work on a dissertation
1. Chunk your dissertation sections
Like many students, I also had no motivation to write my dissertation when I approached my thesis as one mammoth undertaking. To avoid falling victim to a similar challenge, we recommend that you break your paper into sections and further chunk each portion into a unit that can be catered for in one session of your schedule.
Doing this helps you view the work as an achievable bit, giving you the drive to write your paper.
2. Employ the reward system
An alternative method for gaining dissertation motivation is by awarding yourself a reward after achieving your set milestones. The system should offer incremental rewards, thus increasing the intrinsic drive to address various portions of the dissertation.
For this to work, you should be genuine with yourself and only offer yourself the reward when a set milestone has been reached.
3. Start with the body of your paper
If you’ve written a paper before, you must know how hard it is to start your paper with an introduction. It would be best to start with the body of your paper and finalize with the intro once you are properly acquainted with your argument.
4. Prepare a schedule
Knowing what to do at a particular time holds you accountable and ensures that you stay on track with your dissertation.
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” – Napoleon hill
We recommend using a schedule and placing the dissertation writing sessions for a time you are most active.
This will allow you to easily maneuver various arguments and unveil necessary materials from research, thus providing you with dissertation inspiration. Be keen to ensure that your schedule offers some wiggle room to accommodate various emergencies and reschedule your session for a free slot.
5. Set long-term and short-term goals
Goal setting is also a great method to gain dissertation motivation. The achievement of a goal inspires a sense of success, giving you the impetus to reach your next goal.
This approach should be coupled with incremental rewards to drive you to realize your goals within the stipulated deadlines.
6. Find a conducive study environment
Find an environment that is free of distractions to muster ample focus and concentration to work on your paper. Distractions may side-track your progress and inspire procrastination, resulting in less commitment to complete your thesis.
7. Select a topic of interest
It is best to select a topic that interests you as this provided you an internal drive to perform thorough research in a bid to satisfy your curiosity. A less interesting topic on the other hand results in less motivation and promotes you to procrastinate.
8. Save challenging parts for last
Nothing inspires procrastination more than a period of slowed or no progress. As such, skip various parts that you find hard to tackle and either schedule them for later or consult experts for guidance.
This approach also saves you time allowing you enough time to handle tough sections and reducing the likelihood of surpassing the deadline.
9. Take breaks
Break your sessions when writing to avoid mental burnout, thus avoiding any negative attitudes towards your dissertation. This may be ensured by using the Pomodoro technique or by setting a timer to help you manage your time.
Final take
Writing a dissertation is like running a marathon. You can overcome seemingly impossible obstacles by setting small goals and meeting deadlines. Each small goal can provide momentum. You can make steady progress every day. Use incentives to help you reach your goals. Recognize that the dissertation will take time, hard work and patience.
