Dissertation
Chapter 4 Complete
This chapter will be flying in a holding pattern until I submit it after I get chapter 3 back in the next week or so. Until then, chapter 5, here I come.
Chapter 2 Approved, Chapter 3 Submitted, Chapter 4 Almost Done
I’ve now written 126 pages, submitted 95 of those, and gotten 69 of them approved. DV, I’ll be finishing Chapter 4 this weekend and starting Chapter 5 next week.
30/30 Timer – My New Favorite iPhone Productivity App
When I started my dissertation, I knew that it would be hard to keep myself productive and motivated on a year-long, self-planned schedule. What I didn’t realize until recently was that the key to keeping myself on that schedule was not to plan monthly deadlines, but to manage my hourly productivity each time I sat down to work. I’d sit down for an afternoon of research or writing, hit a block (obstacles are everywhere in a dissertation!), and spend 2-3 hours chasing bad leads, looking for distraction, or just staring and waiting for inspiration. Apparently, even a 4 hour block of time is too long for me to be left unsupervised! Enter 30/30.Chapter 2 Done
Chapter 2 was a veritable beast to write. I’m glad to be finished with it. It’s been sent off to my volunteer readers and I’ll be editing and submitting it on Friday. Assuming that it is approved by my committee, that will bring my total page count to 68.
Chapter 1 Approved
Both my initial committee members have approved Chapter 1! Hopefully I can finish Chapter 2 within the next week or so.
Chapter 1 Submitted
What a relief! I just submitted Chapter 1: “The Official Development of the Imperial Cult in Rome.” It ended up being almost 7500 words (10% of the minimum requirement).
Flexibility and Deadlines
You know that feeling of starting a new project, having no idea how much time it’s going to take, but still needing to set some deadlines? Starting a dissertation fits that description precisely.
Fighting for Progress: Quick Wins
After spending two days on a single book (a very detailed, very relevant single book!), I decided to aim for momentum today. I’ve got another two volumes of two-day reading (and two or three more in the library loan shipping system), but before getting back into the “good stuff,” I knocked out several shorter, less pertinent sources this morning.
My Dissertation Workflow & Tools
I’ve just started dissertating (barely 6% of the way through…) but I’ve already been asked a few times about my dissertation workflow and tools. I spent a while planning this before starting. Honestly, I was terrified of the thought of getting 35% finished and realizing that my workflow was slowing me down or that I needed to change tools. Here are the tools I’m using to write my dissertation:
Dissertation Calendar
Thanks for your interest in my dissertation! I invite your feedback and accountability as I hit the deadlines listed below. Please subscribe to whatever calendar format you prefer and give me some gracious prodding if you notice that I miss a deadline.