Tips
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I turned in my full draft to my committee at the beginning of January. I had done everything “right.”I planned ahead.I mapped out revisions.I blocked time off work to respond to feedback quickly.I felt organized and prepared. And then… things shifted. There wasn’t much feedback at first. Then, within a short window, I had to…
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You can plan all you want. Color-code the calendar. Block the time. Take the day off. Line everything up so the next step feels clear, responsible, and earned. Planning matters, and it’s something I take seriously. And still, you have to stay flexible, especially when your work depends on other people. Today was a good…
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I’m taking every Monday off in February. No burnout. No resolutions. Just winter, planning ahead, and writing my dissertation with care.
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Dissertation work asks more of your brain than most people realize. It is not just writing. It is sustained decision-making, conceptual alignment, synthesis, and constant evaluation of whether your thinking is “good enough” to move forward. This level of cognitive load cannot be carried continuously without consequence. When we treat breaks as optional or indulgent,…
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I am deep in the thick of research right now. My days are a mix of work, interviews, analytic memos, and everything that comes with trying to finish a dissertation while also showing up for the people who matter most. It is a strange balance. Some days it feels seamless and other days it feels…
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Today I am starting something I have not allowed myself to do in a long time. I am taking a full week off with no work tasks, no dissertation writing, no interview scheduling, no coding, and no academic responsibilities at all. Just rest. It feels strange to type that because, like many of us in…
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One of the biggest lessons I have learned in my dissertation journey is that the work only feels overwhelming when I do not have a system. Once I found a rhythm that fits how I think and how I work, the whole process started to feel more grounded and more doable. I am completing between…
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Lately, I’ve been reminding myself that starting counts. I’m in the research phase of my dissertation, and I have 15 interviews ahead of me, each one about 90 minutes long. Every interview means emailing, scheduling, interviewing, coding, and writing. It’s not just one task—it’s a whole process. And sometimes, even starting that process feels like…
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There’s a special kind of pause that happens when someone asks, “So, what’s your dissertation about?” It’s not that you don’t want to explain it. You’ve probably spent years thinking, writing, and refining your ideas. The challenge isn’t knowing your research; it’s figuring out how to share it in a way that feels natural and…
The Dissertation Diaries 