how to write your dissertation in 15 minutes

Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day

Joan bolker.

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

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Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis

Expert writing advice from the editor of the Boston Globe best-seller, The Writer's Home Companion Dissertation writers need strong, practical advice, as well as someone to assure them that their struggles aren't unique. Joan Bolker, midwife to more than one hundred dissertations and co-founder of the Harvard Writing Center, offers invaluable suggestions for the graduate-student writer. Using positive reinforcement, she begins by reminding thesis writers that being able to devote themselves to a project that truly interests them can be a pleasurable adventure. She encourages them to pay close attention to their writing method in order to discover their individual work strategies that promote productivity; to stop feeling fearful that they may disappoint their advisors or family members; and to tailor their theses to their own writing style and personality needs. Using field-tested strategies she assists the student through the entire thesis-writing process, offering advice on choosing a topic and an advisor, on disciplining one's self to work at least fifteen minutes each day; setting short-term deadlines, on revising and defing the thesis, and on life and publication after the dissertation. Bolker makes writing the dissertation an enjoyable challenge.

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Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis

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About the author

Editor of the best-selling The Writers Home Companion , Joan Bolker, Ed.D ., has taught writing at Harvard, Wellesley, Brandeis, and Bard colleges. She is currently a psychotherapist whose speciality is working with struggling writers. She lives in Newton, Massachusetts.

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Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis (my reading notes)

The first book in a series of volumes I have been interested in reading is Joan Bolker’s “ Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis “.

First on my list of books is Joan Bolker's Writing your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day. Wishing had read this during grad school. pic.twitter.com/FBh9v3tjox — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

What sold me from Bolker isn't the advice she gives to PhD students, but the fact that she included a chapter for PhD ADVISORS. Golden. pic.twitter.com/u26z9V2YDd — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

Bolker takes a very similar approach to writing to the one that Joli Jensen preaches: you should have constant contact with a writing project (Bolker suggests at least 15 minutes every single day). For me, writing IS a way to get myself out of a writer’s block. For example, I am writing this blog post precisely to get out of a rut and find the headspace again where I can make final edits to a Revise/and/Resubmit (yes, yet another one!)

Bolker, Elbow, Skinner, @explorstyle and I all agree that we write TO THINK. I believe that's how we end up producing text that's solid. pic.twitter.com/0C3oATrywo — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

Bolker is right and that’s why her book works. You MUST write text for your doctoral dissertation at least 15 minutes every single day. This, obviously, doesn’t guarantee that you will finish the dissertation in 3, 4 or 5 years, but like Joli Jensen suggests in her book “ Write No Matter What ” ( which I’ve also written about here on my blog ), gives you constant contact with a writing project, and particularly low-stakes kind of contact. Reading Jensen’s Write No Matter What changed my life and cemented the thought that constant contact with a writing project is fundamental.

I champion the "write memorandums" and "scribble notes in your Everything Notebook" because that's how you "write your way in". #PhDChat pic.twitter.com/irVFyKl9hM — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

On the topic of advisors, I strongly disagreed with Bolker, particularly because I am kind of slightly famous on the internet, and therefore I felt like this was a jab at me. I do remember a professor at UBC telling me “you don’t want to do your PhD at Harvard only to have your advisor be travelling the world and forget about you”. I DO travel the world and my schedule is tremendously busy, but my students are my priority and I make sure to give them time, regardless of whether I am at a conference, workshop or doing fieldwork. As I said on Twitter, Elinor Ostrom was SUPER famous and she was an incredibly dedicated advisor. It’s not about the fame, it’s about making yourself (as a PhD advisor) available to answer questions and help your students.

Uh oh. The "setting writing quotas" convo. Pages vs words vs hours. Oh dear. Personally I've made much more progress setting small goals. pic.twitter.com/yQPCnbZ9y9 — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

As I said on Twitter, by now I know just about everyone suggests a daily writing practice, even if it is for just a tiny bit of time. Don’t ask me, ask Dr. Joan Bolker, and Stephen King.

This is going to make some people's blood boil but yes, Virginia, Bolker suggests the first thing in the morning is you should do is write. pic.twitter.com/T31C1eNhBg — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

I do not champion the 1,500 words or 5-10 pages a day approach. On the contrary, I suggest that we find a different measure of scholarly writing success: filling up sentences , completing paragraphs one idea at a time , and writing small bits and pieces of text ( 50-100-200 words a day ).

Jesus, I wish I had Bolker or King's speed. 1,250 words doesn't take them more than 1-2 hours? Some days all I generate is 50 words pic.twitter.com/uJzHxueYNJ — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

Bolker dislikes chaos and disorganization as much as I do, apparently. She encourages students to revise their processes/setup often. pic.twitter.com/Cy4MzIFG7n — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

The idea of a Dissertation Writing Group is useful. The main shortcoming with Bolker and just about every book I’ve read on writing is that they devote the least time to the final stages of the PhD dissertation (or of writing a book, like the conclusion, and how to put the book together). Yes, the best dissertation is the DONE dissertation but there isn’t a solid roadmap (or I haven’t seen it yet) for a student in the throes of final submission.

This shortcoming and oversight reaffirms my belief: no book is perfect and nobody covers everything that is needed, so there's always room. pic.twitter.com/lBy32MzQGA — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

This sentence sums up my feelings about Bolker: A MUST READ BOOK for all doctoral candidates.

Bottom line: PhD advisors – if you can, purchase this book and if you have the means (grant funds) acquire copies for our students. — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

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Thesis Helpers

Find the best tips and advice to improve your writing. Or, have a top expert write your paper.

How To Write Your Dissertation In 15 Minutes A Day

Dissertations can take a long time to finish. The good thing about it is that you have time to write it. However, you should not rush the process. You may have to struggle with motivation to work daily. You may even begin to think you have a lot of time on your hands to finish the dissertation.

Before you know it, you’ll have just a few weeks to turn in your paper. It may be difficult to produce your best work if you rush it. Try your best to create a decent paper. Experts recommend the 15-minute rule to follow while writing your paper. Is writing your dissertation in fifteen minutes a day feasible?

Some experts believe that it may take a longer time to finish the paper. Still, you can make the rule work in your favor, and it will keep you inspired enough to finish up. This guide will show you how to write your dissertation in 15 minutes a day.

What Does The 15-Minutes Rule Say?

This rule says that students should commit barely fifteen minutes daily to writing their dissertation. It means that you must write it no matter your mood, how you feel, or other problems you are facing at this time. Sometimes, it may get difficult to follow the routine and spend that time on analyzing data, reading, or penning down ideas on the topic. Still, you should try.

The trick is that this time is enough to serve as a warm-up so you can move to a valuable work session.

It is a very effective strategy, but you can still choose to get dissertation writing help from an expert.

Writing Your Dissertation In 15 Minutes A Day – Steps To Follow

Here’s a brief guide on how to write a dissertation for 15 minutes a day:

When the fifteen minutes elapse, evaluate the content you have written, and start to remove the irrelevant information.

• Expand All Work Sessions And Be As Productive As Possible When you get used to this rule, plan to add more 15-minute sessions per day. Expand the sessions and make them longer. This makes it easier to cope with the task of writing your dissertation. To succeed, you must dedicate at least fifteen minutes a day. It will really keep you motivated.

Whatever information you add to your dissertation should be both quantifiable and measurable. Remember that writing a dissertation is complicated, and you can always get writing help from experts.

Extra Tips For Writing Your Dissertation In 15 Minutes A Day

It can be very tough to dedicate time daily for your dissertation work. You have to analyze data, read, and put down your findings. This is why the 15-minute rule comes in. It smoothens the transition period from not being engaged to sitting down to write your dissertation daily.

With the rule, you must commit 15 minutes to the relevant parts of your dissertation.

You should get a dedicated timer for this purpose. Don’t rely on using your laptop time. After going over your work at the end of the fifteen minutes, you will feel inspired to continue. It is a lot like warming up before exercising. This one works for your brain.

This rule is an excellent way to repress a lack of inspiration that comes with working on long projects. No matter how clear or detailed your action plan or outline is, you may still feel some apathy towards working. You can lose days of work on your dissertation if you keep up with this system. When you implement the rule, it helps you to make discoveries, connect ideas, and analyze sources. This motivates you in the long run. But, there’s also nothing wrong with getting some help from others, or getting online cheap dissertation help .

It seems strange because it actually involves working before being inspired.

Start with fifteen-minute sessions daily and add a few more sessions daily. Two or three times spread out in the day is ideal. It is an excellent way to motivate yourself when you’re struggling to work.

In addition to this rule, you need to note that staying connected to the outlines, ideas, intellectual quandaries, argument, data, and your notes is important as well. These things keep your inspiration alive. Try to write or do dissertation work for just 15 minutes daily. After finishing the fifteen minutes, push yourself to add extra minutes. You can have a total of 30 minutes each session. Then, schedule another session for later in the day and repeat the strategy. If you engage in this rule consistently, you will be able to spend longer periods on your paper. Also, it can be a great way to teach yourself focus and discipline.

Get Dissertation Help Right Now

Writing a dissertation for 15 minutes a day requires a long period of time overall. What if you’re on a tight deadline? Instead of spending hours toiling over your work, you can hire expert dissertation writing help, and even pay for dissertation . Our service provides all kinds of assistance and we have the best writers in the business. So get in touch with us and ace your dissertation.

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Summary Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis

Also by Joan Bolker, Ed.D. The Writer’s Home Companion: An Anthology of the World’s Best Writing Advice, from Keats to Kunitz

Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day

JOAN BOLKER, Ed.D. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day A GUIDE TO STARTING, REVISING, AND FINISHING YOUR DOCTORAL THESIS AN OWL BOOK Henry Holt and Company • New York

Owl Books Henry Holt and Company, LLC Publishers since 1866 175 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10010 www.henryholt.com ® ® An Owl Book and are registered trademarks of Henry Holt and Company, LLC. Copyright © 1998 by Joan Bolker All rights reserved. Distributed in Canada by H. B. Fenn and Company Ltd. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bolker, Joan. Writing your dissertation in fifteen minutes a day: a guide to starting, revising, and finishing your doctoral thesis/ Joan Bolker. — 1st ed. p. cm. “An owl book.” Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8050-4891-9 ISBN-10: 0-8050-4891-X 1. Dissertations, Academic—Authorship. 2. Report writing. 3. Academic writing. I. Title. LB2369.B57 1998 808'.066378—dc21 98-5262 Henry Holt books are available for special promotions and premiums. For details

contact: Director, Special Markets. First Owl Books Edition 1998 Designed by Victoria Hartman Printed in the United States of America 19 21 23 22 20 18

For EDB —Placet

Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Beginning Writing Your Way In Developing Your Own Work Process Choosing a Topic Doing Research On Ownership About Maxims 2. Choosing an Advisor and a Committee Your Advisor Your Committee Using Your Advisor Well On Dissertation Paranoia Troubles with Your Advisor 3. Getting Started Writing Thoughts on the Writing Process Using Behavioral Principles About Creating a Writing Addiction Freewriting and Making a Mess Setting Your Daily Writing Goal 4. From Zero to First Draft The Zero Draft

The First Draft Getting to Your First Draft Asking Questions A Few Approaches to Writing a First Draft More Strategies for Working on Your First Draft 5. Getting to the Midpoint: Reviewing Your Process and Your Progress Taking Stock of Your Dissertation Your Writing Process Your Writing Progress On Deadlines R&R 6. Interruptions from Outside and Inside Interruptions from Outside Ambiguous Interruptions and Events Interruptions from Inside Funky Exercises for Times When You’re Stuck 7. You, Your Readers, and the Dissertation Support Group Writing for Yourself and for Others You and Your Readers The Dissertation Support Group 8. Revising: The Second Draft and Beyond Thinking About the Revision Process Useful Revision Strategies Revision and Truth Telling 9. The Best Dissertation Is a Done Dissertation The Costs of Growth Hitting the Wall Getting On with It

A Possible Horrible Scenario The Thesis Defense Afterward 10. Life After the Dissertation Publishing Your Dissertation Publishing Your Dissertation as Articles Transforming Your Dissertation into a Book Becoming a Writer Appendix I. How the Computer Revolution Affects You and Your Dissertation Appendix II. Some Advice for Advisors Some Useful Books and Articles Index

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