The UnDissertation Blog
A collection of tips and tools for starting, creating, and finishing your dissertation or other mega-projects.
“What does coaching dissertation completion have to do with an evolving brain?”, you may be thinking. It’s what I would call “brain-based coaching”. Working on any large important project demands the best from our brain - in how we talk to ourselves, how we approach our tasks, the strategies we use, etc. etc. It’s the perfect place for “no-equipment brain training”. So let’s get started changing your brain for more optimal performance…
Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 18:50 I saw this comic today and couldn’t NOT think of all you dissertationers out there.
It’s osrt of Just For Fun, but sort of Something to Think About…
Which version feels like you?
Which version feels “right”?
How can you create the version that’s Real?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 14:00 What’s that mean, anyway…taking a baby step?
Most of the time people use this phrase to taking tiny, tiny little steps.
That’s probably a good and useful image when we imagine it from the adult perspective of walking beside a baby.
And it can be useful when we are wishing the dissertation would complete itself overnight or when we feel like we’re just not Making Progress.
But, as dissertations go, we’re not the adult who knows how to walk and take giant leaps whenever necessary.
We’re the baby….
Friday, November 20, 2009 at 12:00 How To Generate Overwhelm:
In your head, make a big pile of vitally important stuff to do.
Identify with the belief that it must be done,
sooner than possible.
Put all your attention into imagining the future.
Focus on what you don’t yet know how to do,
keeping in mind that it is essential to know
what you don’t know.- Jude Spacks, in Creativity Insightments newsletter, August 2009
I suspect you can see why I’m thinking dissertation here…the very opposite of the Growth Mindset, UnDissertation approach…
Feel like sharing how you control the Overwhelm Monster? (Note that it’s not a “taming” — you need to keep applying your strategies or it breaks out all over again — sneaky beast.)
Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 14:07 This is a gem extracted from Chris Guillebeau’s blog, The Art of Nonconformity.
Half-marathons are difficult and worthwhile. Product launches are difficult and worthwhile. Getting to Nepal takes time, but I’m glad to do it. And so on. Note that not each step along the way is enjoyable. The half-marathon, for example, went like this:
Miles 1-3: cautious, warming up
Miles 4-6: feeling better
Miles 7-9: initial onset of fatigue, but also growing confidence that I would finish the race well
Miles 10-12: this is so hard
Miles 12-13.1: ommmmmmm one foot in front of the other
I don’t know about you, but I’m hearing “Doing a Dissertation” here. ;-)
What mile are you in? Isn’t it refreshing to know that the harder it feels, the closer you are to Done? 8^)
Monday, October 19, 2009 at 14:59 Just wanted to share this article from the 18 October Toronto Star about how writers get their writing done…or not.
Several writers share their favourite procrastination techniques.
But I’m not sharing so you can get a whole new set of techniques for delay!!
I thought it might be instructive to hear that even people who intend to be writing for a living have those moments where it’s Very Very Hard.
So don’t beat yourself up for it.
And there’s a lovely little lesson embedded in those struggles. Not only that, but you may not be surprised to know that it’s all wrapped up with mindset and Play. ;-)
Let’s think about it for a minute…
