How to Finish a Dissertation on Time

It's easy enough to start writing a dissertation. The real challenge is finishing it before the next ice age!

Things You'll Need

• Electronic Personal Organizers
• Floppy Disks
• Personal Organizers
• Computers
• Software For Doing Backups
• Word-processing Software
• Floppy disks

Instructions

1. Choose a well-defined and realistic topic (see "How to Choose a Topic for a Dissertation").

2. Apply for as many dissertation write-up fellowships as you can. Keep in mind that this requires a lot of early planning.

3. Set a reasonable deadline for yourself that takes into account whether or not you'll be working while writing. If it's an unrealistic deadline, you'll end up disappointing yourself by not meeting it.

4. Write down your deadline on a calendar.

5. Set shorter deadlines for each chapter, and mark these down, too.

6. Check the nearest deadline after each day's work to see how you're progressing and to remind yourself of what you still need to do.

7. Prioritize if you're up against a deadline; cut out that extra TV show or that leisurely chat on the phone. If it looks like you might have difficulty meeting a deadline, talk with your advisors about it as early as possible.

8. Remind your advisors to assist in keeping your nose to the grindstone. Some advisors, if not reminded in this way, will find ways to make your project grow instead of shrink.

9. Don't let the size of the project discourage you. Take it in small pieces, remembering the sage advice that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Tips & Warnings

• Set aside chunks of time for recreation and relaxation. If you don't, you might go crazy!

• Resist the temptation to expand your topic. It's a slippery slope that's hard to avoid.

• Save as much money as you can before beginning the writing process. While writing, you'll want as few distractions as possible, including work.

• Back up your dissertation after every writing session. Be sure to keep at least one copy of your backup off-site, in case of fire or other disaster.