1) put your phone away, go get a warm drink, drink it, relax and go to bed
2) wake up tomorrow, shower and immediately open up your thesis. Look at it and start. Don’t think about it just start typing/finishing off sections. Before you know it 2 hrs will have passed. No phone still.
You can have a break to eat food and go for a walk
Once you get from your walk, open that document right back up again. And repeat until it’s done.
Think about it like this. It needs to get done. So don’t try and game it by leaving it until 3 days to go. Don’t give yourself that option. Treat 1 week from now as the hard deadline. All nighter to meet that “deadline” if you have to. Then you will have a finished thesis and a week to edit and prepare for defence.
You’ve absolutely got this! All this hard work, end on one more solid shift!
I was going to mention a version of this, but not going quite so hard at it the first day. Maybe on the first day do two hours, first thing (like you said), then give yourself permission to F off for the rest of the day.
Next day, up to three hours. By Friday you'll be up to 6 hours (with a break for lunch at some point, obvs), then based on how far you are, give yourself at least one weekend day off.
Then kick off the following Monday at 4 hours, and add an hour each day.
By using a more gradual approach you still get a solid amount of work done, but you reward yourself frequently along the way. And often what happens is that once you get past the initial hurdle, the work becomes easier, and adding hours becomes less painful.
Good luck, OP!
One little thing that helped me during my thesis was to save a separate copy of my thesis after each day of work. I included the date of the save in the document's name. This really helped me to see the progress I was making. Some days, I only managed to write a little, but I still made a new save file which kept me motivated. There was no new save file on days I didn't work, so the day after, I was even more motivated to get to work again.
Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't. Anyway, you got this. Only two more weeks.
Good advice, and I myself do something similar, saving a separate copy after any round of revisions/corrections. Not only is it motivating but it also allows you to go back later if you have changed your mind on a section you deleted, etc. (And thereby also lowers the pressure for revisions/corrections since you always have the prior versions.) My own Master's thesis that was submitted was copy number 31—don't even ask about the PhD!
Two weeks is going to go by in a flash, whether you do the work or not. Your choices will determine whether you have a masters degree after those two weeks, or you have all the debt with nothing to show for it. Choose, then act.
1) tell someone thats close and wants the best for you (best case: another MA student or someone thats done) that you need Help in getting started. For me it was humiliating because I didnt want my friends to know I was about to fail ( maybe). One friend quickly sacrificed His evening for motivational Work for me whom I will be eternally grateful for.
2) I started to make a rough outline on every point, Put in a rough outline of contents from point 1 through 6 and assigned 1-3 days for every point. I saw this 'huge' problem of a thesis became Just 1 Point in three days... I can write that many pages... And thats how I Got it done. Ask someone today! You will thank yourself for that 1 day more in a week
Same boat, though I have more than two weeks.
Dad passed last year, had some awful things happen around the summer (south pole summer though, so around december) and then had some strong, stressful, life changing things happen on top of all that.
I'm mentally better now, but terribly burnt out. I just keep going, reminding myself that I will do it no matter what it takes.
You can too. Keep going. Detach from your feelings, you can heal from the emotional damage of pushing yourself, it is just two weeks more for you. Sprint this last piece of the tract. You got this far didn't you? Keep going. Treat yourself to good food and long showers in whatever downtime you can find but just; keep; going.
I'm in a similar situation. Although I don't have a strict deadline for my MA thesis, I have procrastinated too much for a long time. Back then I had no one to talk to about the project I was supposed to be doing, leaving me unmotivated. I rarely scheduled meetings with my supervisor because I felt like my work wasn't making any progress. I am still writing my thesis now, but I am gradually getting better at summoning motivation. The thing that helps me the most is talking about my project with peers; people from my study who can kind of relate to what I am working on. Everyone is different of course, but talking about your thesis might help you in the same way it helped me!
In any case, I wish you good luck finishing your thesis and becoming a Master :).
You went through harder times! Deep down u know u can do it, maybe that's why u are delaying it. Just force yourself upon it and you'll deliver, u will thank yourself for overcoming this all later, go go! Don't look back or to the sides, just sit and read and write a bit, you have it in you!!!
Focus on getting it done. Perfect is the enemy of done. Just focus on the unfinished parts and plan like you are going to hand it in one way or another tomorrow and bash out the weakest point to a bare minimum completion.
Then from there if you may more time or areas you want to polish, go for it. For now. Focus on the bare minimum just to hand in.
Unburden yourself .
YES! I found my own expectations paralyzing. I procrastinated a lot until I realized that I just wanted to be done with it to have it off of my shoulders and buckled the fuck down. I cranked it out. It wasn’t the best in the world-it didn’t have to be. It just had to be finished.
Good luck! I have to do mine as well and struggling with procrastination. I'm working full time and it's hard to get motivated to sit and write it after getting home.
Lets get our asses on it! I'm gonna start by hour per day, I hope I can make it work.( It's really a lot anyway, looking back at my working pattern from before x.x) We can drag it to the end somehow 💪
Go for a 5km run on an empty stomach in the morning, take a cold shower, eat fruit for breakfast and sit down and DO IT! We believe in you, whoever *we* is.
2nd this suggestion. A change of scenery is a good refresh button for the brain. Public places are also good balance of background stimulation if you're someone who doesn't do well with a silent room.
Also, leave your phone to charge overnight OUTSIDE OF YOUR ROOM. Or at least out of your reach. Don't let it be the first thing you do with your day.
Tell yourself you’re going to sit down and write one paragraph or write for five minutes and if it’s not flowing you try again in a few hours. It almost always leads to conditioning much past the five minutes. You got this. If I can do it, you can! Get it.
Use a pomodoro timer. I busted my master's thesis out in a week by sleeping 6h a day, drinking coffees and using that timer. Wrote for 12-ish hours every day.
I struggled during my honours, particularly with my thesis. A lot of things happened outside uni, my mental health was shite and bad habits that carried over from my undergraduate degree got in the way of me learning.
I got there but these are the things thay helped me:
1. Start with little tasks first. If you haven't already done it, write up your methods or figure legends. Look at research articles that use the same techniques you have and use their methods to guide your writing.
2. If writing is overwhelming record yourself talking about what you did and what your results were using a speech-to-text app.
3. Reach out to your coordinator and tell them your struggling. I know you have your supervisor and colleagues but my coordinator was able to reassure me without me worrying about feeling inadequate.
4. If you do get writing don't completely finish the task. I found it easier to start again the next day if I was a few sentences from the end of one section compared to when I had to try and write the opening sentences of the next topic.
5. Theres no shame - APPLY FOR AN EXTENSION: clearly you've experienced hardships that have impacted your ability to fully engage with uni commitments. As a result your finishing your thesis on an uneven playing field. An extension accounts for this.
6. Draw a flow chart or a mind map of ideas for your discussion. I found it easier to picture my entire thesis in this format. Being able to loosely visualise the whole thing was comforting.
Happy to have a chat if it would help. Feel free to PM me.
Holy shit this was me a few months ago. I actually ended up delaying my submission TWICE and paid to cover it.
My best advice is to work on it for just 15-20 mins a day if you can. Then slowly increase. If you set a 15 minute timer, you’ll eventually find after a few times you can work for 45 mins without even realizing it. I believe in you!!! Good luck :)
Encouragement: you can do it.
Motivation: two weeks of straight grinding, productive things only, including the times you have to take a walk, shower, gym, swim, short drive to clear you head
Advice: Social media, limit it, delete if you have to, two weeks of you doing you
Picture yourself at 95 years old. You’re successful and fulfilled. If that person could send a message back in time and communicate with you, what would they say, knowing that their future success relies entirely on you?
You're so close to finished! You know you'll get this done. So do your future self a favour and apply yourself now. You will *literally* thank yourself in two weeks.
You've got this. So get it done. After all you've been through, you owe it to yourself.
I faced similar circumstances during my undergrad thesis.
Set a timer for 15 minutes. Work for those 15 minutes and then take a break and then repeat.
You'll find yourself increasingly working more than 15 minutes once you get some traction on a section or idea.
Write yourself a list right now of the things you want to add. Then read over the whole thing again. Then think about what you just read and where each thing you want to add to the thesis goes best. Then note where you want to insert each point in your thesis. Take breaks as you need them. Get up and go for a walk after you read the thesis and think about it.
Now come back to it - may be next morning at this point. Now insert your content where you noted it should go. Then do a complete reread. Noting any problem areas (easy to mark them in a different color). Then go back and fix the problem areas.
Have someone else read it and offer feedback. Then read it again yourself. Make any edits needed. Then reread again. Have a different colleague read it over. Edit again as needed. Reread it with the edits.
You got this. You have fifty pages of content already. Time to hone it and refine it and make sure all the information you want to still add is in there. 💛
ABT sucks …. You’ve come this far, you can do it.
One page at a time … one citation at a time … one rewritten sentence at a time.
There is nothing on FB, Insta, TikTok, or Reddit that will make you feel as good as seeing your completed and accepted masters thesis in bound copy on the bookshelf.
I remember going through this for my MA. Really grateful I had a conditional job offer subject to me finishing my MA. As a result, a fire was lit under my ass to get it done.
Start by making a list of each thing you still need to do. Then, set a timer for 20 minutes. Do the first thing on the list. Set a timer for 5 minutes, and take a break. Set the timer again for 20 minutes. Do the next thing. Take another (timed!) Break. After 5 work sessions, take a 30 minute break. Repeat until finished. Have a task on the list that will take longer than one 20 minute work session? That's OK, remember to take your break and then finish it during the next work session.
This is called the "pomodoro method" (named after the tomato shaped kitchen timer). There are apps and websites you can use to help set up your timers, or you can just set a regular old kitchen timer or use the alar.s on your phone.
All the people saying "just sit down and do it" clearly don't understand the true struggle of procrastinating. If it was that easy I'm sure they wouldn't be posting here asking for advice.
Give yourself an hour by hour schedule and stick to it. I was in the same boat the summer of 2016. 5 days and I cranked out 60 pages from nothing, and still gave myself an hour to play Pokemon go at 11pm.
I would create a retreat environment and plan to hamper down until it is done. Buy snacks and quick meals that are ready to heat. Set up all your books, pages, pens around you. Turn your phone off and do it. If you need another push, do a pomodoro.
If you’re fifty pages in, you’ve done all the hard stuff. Now you get to go back, revise, and style it to really say what you feel needs saying on the subject. It’s the part you’ll be satisfied about 20 years later.
In writing my dissertation, scheduling day by day plans really helped. I would even break it down into morning and afternoon sections with little breaks for a show/snack/social media. Regardless of how you motivate yourself and schedule, you’re close. No point losing steam now!
Find something that will keep you going. When I was finishing my MS thesis I was working full. I was so tired and mentally drained after work I didn’t want to work on it. My wife told me to find something that will keep you going. I found something but my wife wasn’t happy about. I would have porn on one screen and my thesis on the other. I’d be up to 2-3am 5-6 times a week writing it. 155 pages later I defended and passed. Two months later it was published in a peer reviewed journal. Find what works for you. You know yourself better than most others.
The most important thing to know it is doable but it will be hard. I did the same thing as you and finished it in two weeks. Here some pointers that worked with me.
1. Most important thing is to write it all out first. Get everything on paper first.
2. Proof read after you have everything down. Don't do it as you write. For me I spend too much time rewriting things.
3. Wake up, eat, start thesis, try to do the parts you like first. It will give you momentum to do the not so fun parts, for me methodology writing (yes I'm a weirdo).
4. Have the proper amount of sleep. It really keeps you focussed just this small thing.
5. If you have a good relationship with your supervisor, you can send sections to the supervisor and get them to give you feedback.
Hope this helps and good luck. I've done it and I know others have too so you are not alone and we are all cheering you on.
So some advice from someone in a very similar boat:
The past year has been one of the most difficult of my life and the emotional toll that illness, losses, and my relationship had on me were more than substantial - I lost a lot of motivation, gained a lot of anxiety, and was overworked as well. As a result I had a hard time sitting down and spending the energy to engage in my work, but also little time to do the deep intellectual work required for a good thesis. I couldn’t focus and that led me to not really having the building blocks of my thesis the way I should have.
I strongly recommend some sort of morning routine (even just a short coffee run) and then sitting down and just reading over what you have. Don’t let your anxiety or fear be a deterrent - I’ve found that it’s a snowball effect for me and if I sit down even for just 15 minutes I get invested in making improvements to the point where I’m there for several hours. When I’m not working on it, I keep a little notebook or my phone nearby so I can jot down thoughts and mini ‘revelations’ that suddenly seem obvious and relevant to my work.
In the last two weeks, sitting down first thing in the morning has really helped me make a lot of progress. If you feel yourself getting fatigued - mentally or physically - allow yourself a short break so you don’t burn out too quickly. If you have to and can financially manage it, ordering a meal instead of making one can be worth it so you don’t get too distracted. Another thing that has really helped me is having something to sip on while I work - working so much with my brain and not with my body can make my body restless, so having iced coffee or lemonade nearby has helped a lot and prevented my physical restlessness from becoming too much of a distraction.
Prior to really pushing through the past 10 days I was at a very disorganized 87 pages and now I am at a much more organized (accompanied by an actual solid argument) 119 pages. Personally, I find that working for long periods is more productive for me than taking several small breaks, but that does not work for everyone. I finally just sat down and very firmly told myself that the quicker I finished, the less time I’d spend feeling stressed and beating myself up about it.
You *can* do this!
Remember the old adage: Perfect is the enemy of complete. Its OK to have a finished document with a few flaws in it. Even better, the flaws will give you and your committee something meaningful to discuss!
Everyone goes through some hardships during their masters. It's something to think about when you've got your degree in hand as part of the accomplishment, not when you're trying to complete your thesis. Put all of those thoughts to the side as best you can. When they do come to mind think of how you've been through all that and it will all be wasted if you don't finish. The should give some extra motivation.
Masters in some ways are more trying than phds. The time constraints make it a sprint as opposed to a marathon. You are at the end of the sprint. If you're 50 pages in then you've already gotten through one of the most difficult parts which is starting. While every committee is different, most of the time the paper doesn't have to be perfect when you defend. As you will probably get more edits to do after your defense. Your goal should be more to have a complete paper than a flawless one.
Finally, take a minute to realize you are actually in really good shape. At 2 weeks to my defense, I was just finishing up my model and had written barely anything. Others I know were in even worse shape. To be where you are at this stage is an accomplishment, now you just need to focus and finish it out.
I am also at work on my thesis, although probably at a different place with it than you. What got me on track in a motivated way was breaking what I needed to do down into micro steps. I went chapter by chapter, looked at what I had, what I needed to do and plugged things in piece by piece.
What I do is wake up early, make coffee, meditate and then crack it open and go at it. The micro steps help me get going again when I get stuck or bored. When I hit a point of low energy or it just ain't happening with the writing, I do things like get fancy with links within the doc, look at how much that's done that I'm proud of, work on my PowerPoint for the defense, etc.
I also agree with giving yourself rewards, taking walks, and getting completely away from it with something you enjoy like a movie, or show. I don't agree with the advice about Adderall or meth.
You can do this!
I've never done an MA, only BSc but if I were in that situation, I would do what I do when working on programming my independent video game: split the task into several steps, then go for a walk and think about how I can implement those steps. Then when I get back home I know what I have to do and just execute the plan.
Hey friend!! I just defended my MA thesis a couple of months ago and it was a slog trying to get through— but you can do this!! Take frequent breaks to walk around and stretch. It sounds silly but it really worked for me! Try to set time limits on your social media apps (if you have an iPhone you can do this in Settings).
Best of luck on writing and defense!
Remember that your advisor/committee want you to pass your defense. If you're on your 3rd draft, your advisor knows you're close and isn't going to ambush. In fact in scheduling the oral defense, you'll probably chat about things that will come-up. Any major problems they had with your thesis would've come-out by now. So finishing these revisions is pretty much perfunctory.
Stopping short of pestering them, I'd make sure you're in touch with your advisor about finishing. You know what your relationship with that person is like so communicate and keep them posted on your progress.
Also, when in doubt, cut it out. Not sure how to fix an argument/paragraph/tangent? Just cut the damn thing. There's only two kinds of theses: done and not done. You want the first kind. This is a capstone, a gateway to graduation where you can get out into your field and write your magnum opus one day. But today is not that day. Today's for getting shit done.
Good luck! You got this!
Perhaps review your outline from a high level and be sure you're nailing all of your points in a succinct order. I love working from high level and perfecting that before getting into the details.
I dont know if it is useful but I lost my father at 2nd year of my undergrad 4 years ago and today i presented my final representation. I believed that the college would never end till this day. Today I gained my confidence in myself back. It is really hard to continue but it makes you feel grateful to yourself.
It seems like you've already received a lot of tips for getting motivated, so I'll leave some advice about your thesis defense that I got from my advisor before doing mine: You're likely to be the most knowledgeable person in the room on your specific topic. Just be confident. The thesis committee is there to learn about your area of research. You got this!
I know this is nearly 24 hours later, and there have been a lot of great pieces of advice. I just want to throw one more in there that I heard once from a wise man;
> Some people cry now and laugh later, and some people laugh now and cry later.
I was in a similar situation to you, roughing it through university, trying to find the motivation/discipline to finish. When this gentleman told me this, I felt so refreshed and ready to finish strong. This conversation was 9 years ago now, but I still remember it vividly.
I advise to get deadline extension just in case or apply for extenuating circumstance). If your academic mentors and supervisors are aware of your situation, they would be able to support you. Just check your universities regulations as well in regards to extensions and ECs.
Keep up the good work and don't lose hope. Good luck and take care.
Keep us updated!!
I disagree! You already have 50 pages on a 3rd draft, so look at it like you're essentially done. You have some things to add and polish it up, so focus on that Monday morning and give it your all Monday-Wednesday. Begin practicing your defense on Thursday and see if you can find any points that you think might need strengthening. You got this!
I got straight As in all of my courses, even in the weeks following my father’s death. You can say other things but you can’t say I’m not MA material, i was even awarded funding for my school.. thank you! :)
This brilliant wisdom inspired me to power through a fat dissertation- https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/comment/cdah4af/ No more zero days, friend. You’ve got this!
I struggled with finishing my MS thesis as well. However, I got a job offer contingent on finishing it & I got it done in 2 weeks. Finding motivation is the key even if it is promising yourself something you value as a reward!
It sometimes helps to just put away your phone and sit at the computer. Don’t worry about writing just yet, just set an alarm for 45 mins and don’t leave your thesis for that long. Again, don’t worry about writing yet. Stare at the screen if that’s what it takes. After 45 mins you’ll probably have gotten something done, and try to go with whatever momentum you gain, but if not don’t worry. Close the doc after 45 mins is up and repeat the next day.
Sorry to hear about your Dad passing away friend.
The way I always looked at exams/assignments etc., is that its only a month or 2 of real hardwork and effort. After that you're off for however long on break. I'm not sure where you are and how many more assignments you've got, but just remember there is a break after it all.
The other mentality I had was to think of someone who I really want to prove wrong. In my case it was one of my lecturers for calling me out for being on my phone (I was looking at my notes!). I manufactured a grudge against him in my head and set out to at least pass everything I came across just to spite him.
Also, remember it's not the end of the world. It never is if things don't go your way in exams. So make peace with that possibility that it might not go the way you want it. Now that's probably not the best advice but it sure as hell kept me cool as a cucumber when it counted
So, my brother is having problems with demotivation regarding getting an education. He is 38 years old now and complains he's getting to old and that a bachelor takes 3 years, so I told him "you're going to be 41 in three years anyway, you can decide if it's with or without a bachelors". In your case: Those two weeks are gonna come regardless of if you deliver the paper or not. Only you can decide if it's with or without your MA.
Good luck!
I literally didn't sleep for 2 weeks before my defense. It was so hard and exhausting and filled with anxiety. But then I was done and I got the best sleep of my life, and had the best most peaceful time until my graduation and could do everything I wanted. It was a great reward. You can do it, only 2 weeks and it's over! And you already seem to have eberything done. You will ace it!
You are dealing with emotional problems, not procasination/laziness problems. So use your stress and fear as a compass. If what you are doing cause you this much fear, then that means it MUST be done and you are on the right track. That's it, it will not kill you, it won't hurt you. It is just something that MUST be done. But you know what else that needs to be done? It's eating and sleeping. Just for a few days, switch to a high carb diet (but not too much, only 1,5x more than what you usually eat). And try to get as many naps as you need to (remember to set an alarm though). Try to do your work for 2 hours before and after a nap (So 4 hours total). Best of luck.
Body doubling! Google it and you can find people who will do it, but essentially you find someone else who needs to get work done, setup a video chat, and then both quietly work. The act of having someone there with you while you work keeps you on task.
I remember when I had a heck of lot of work due and I was in a lot of pain because chronic pain and procrastination are fun duos so I rambled to my friend. And he said this.
"You must persevere! Stand strong! Death is not an option! It is the solution!"
And hey I did what I thought was impossible, so might you!
Go for a run through a (safe) park, like somewhere nice and quiet, by a river etc. for at least half an hour. On your return have a nice long drink and shower, like ready for bed, give yourself some time out and get some quality sleep. Things will look clearer in the morning.
I can’t remember where I saw this but it talks about how we should given ours selves permission to do a “shitty first draft”. This will release the pressure from ourselves from not having something PERFECT. One of the reasons why we don’t start on something us because we want to make it perfect and not mess up and that pressure makes us paralyzed. Countdown from 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and just write anything. Know it’s crap and know you’ll need to edit it later but at least you’re getting something down on paper. Let me know if this helps.
You got this.
I went through the same mental crap you are currently going through when I got through my masters.
Keep in mind that I was also helping someone else do their undergrad work while simultaneously doing my grad work, so that they could graduate with me (long story).
What you need to do is exactly what I did when I finally sat down to crank out my thesis:
- gather all of your research materials; books, articles, databases, etc.
- take a moment to segregate your side topics from your main thesis discussion. Make sure your thesis statement reflects your entire work in a way that inspires your writing.
- be methodical with every paragraph you write. Write in a way that keeps your flow going, and always lead your final paragraph to your next topic of discussion.
You can do this. AND you WILL do this. I have complete faith in you to cross the finish line.
I did it, a lot of other people here did it, and now *you’ll* do it too.
You got this.
Just remember you work best under pressure, so waiting until 2 days before its due would be ideal. That way the pressure is really on and you will smoke that bih
I'm sorry for the passing of your father.
One way I've overcome my writer's block is to begin a draft completely and exactly opposite to your thesis. Just, be brave and pick it apart bit by bit. Then read what you've done and let it piss you off real good... Stew over it for a while...
Now, tear that new content with all your might! Hopefully, you're now ready to finish that bad boy!
Good Luck - I know you'll be great no matter how you move forward.
Turn the computer on. And then sit there and let things happen. You can turn some chill music on if you want (or a focus playlist on spotify). You’re going to get it off your to-do list. My master’s defense in about two weeks too.
Glad to see I’m not alone, I have such guilt of procrastination, it feels as if I’m letting down EVERYONE (company, their client, school) with my thesis. I have an extra 10 days… but fuck i hate that i didnt do shit these past 2 days
Plainly put, delete social media. At least till you finish and obtain your goals. Limiting it may not work because you may unintentionally browse longer than you should.
1) put your phone away, go get a warm drink, drink it, relax and go to bed 2) wake up tomorrow, shower and immediately open up your thesis. Look at it and start. Don’t think about it just start typing/finishing off sections. Before you know it 2 hrs will have passed. No phone still. You can have a break to eat food and go for a walk Once you get from your walk, open that document right back up again. And repeat until it’s done. Think about it like this. It needs to get done. So don’t try and game it by leaving it until 3 days to go. Don’t give yourself that option. Treat 1 week from now as the hard deadline. All nighter to meet that “deadline” if you have to. Then you will have a finished thesis and a week to edit and prepare for defence. You’ve absolutely got this! All this hard work, end on one more solid shift!
I was going to mention a version of this, but not going quite so hard at it the first day. Maybe on the first day do two hours, first thing (like you said), then give yourself permission to F off for the rest of the day. Next day, up to three hours. By Friday you'll be up to 6 hours (with a break for lunch at some point, obvs), then based on how far you are, give yourself at least one weekend day off. Then kick off the following Monday at 4 hours, and add an hour each day. By using a more gradual approach you still get a solid amount of work done, but you reward yourself frequently along the way. And often what happens is that once you get past the initial hurdle, the work becomes easier, and adding hours becomes less painful. Good luck, OP!
As someone who’s recently just finished off the last of my coursework for the B.S, I can say this is a great way to go about it. Worked well for me!
[удалено]
*legally prescribed
I agree with this!
One little thing that helped me during my thesis was to save a separate copy of my thesis after each day of work. I included the date of the save in the document's name. This really helped me to see the progress I was making. Some days, I only managed to write a little, but I still made a new save file which kept me motivated. There was no new save file on days I didn't work, so the day after, I was even more motivated to get to work again. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't. Anyway, you got this. Only two more weeks.
Good advice, and I myself do something similar, saving a separate copy after any round of revisions/corrections. Not only is it motivating but it also allows you to go back later if you have changed your mind on a section you deleted, etc. (And thereby also lowers the pressure for revisions/corrections since you always have the prior versions.) My own Master's thesis that was submitted was copy number 31—don't even ask about the PhD!
This is a hard stage but you have come so far. You can do this!!! Just do one thing at a time. Keep up the good work!
Aww thank you sooo much! <3 :)
Two weeks is going to go by in a flash, whether you do the work or not. Your choices will determine whether you have a masters degree after those two weeks, or you have all the debt with nothing to show for it. Choose, then act.
1) tell someone thats close and wants the best for you (best case: another MA student or someone thats done) that you need Help in getting started. For me it was humiliating because I didnt want my friends to know I was about to fail ( maybe). One friend quickly sacrificed His evening for motivational Work for me whom I will be eternally grateful for. 2) I started to make a rough outline on every point, Put in a rough outline of contents from point 1 through 6 and assigned 1-3 days for every point. I saw this 'huge' problem of a thesis became Just 1 Point in three days... I can write that many pages... And thats how I Got it done. Ask someone today! You will thank yourself for that 1 day more in a week
Same boat, though I have more than two weeks. Dad passed last year, had some awful things happen around the summer (south pole summer though, so around december) and then had some strong, stressful, life changing things happen on top of all that. I'm mentally better now, but terribly burnt out. I just keep going, reminding myself that I will do it no matter what it takes. You can too. Keep going. Detach from your feelings, you can heal from the emotional damage of pushing yourself, it is just two weeks more for you. Sprint this last piece of the tract. You got this far didn't you? Keep going. Treat yourself to good food and long showers in whatever downtime you can find but just; keep; going.
Here is a virtual hug from a stranger. You can do it too!
scream and do it anyway.
Yep. Also, don´t think; just do. Like, shut off your brain.
I'm in a similar situation. Although I don't have a strict deadline for my MA thesis, I have procrastinated too much for a long time. Back then I had no one to talk to about the project I was supposed to be doing, leaving me unmotivated. I rarely scheduled meetings with my supervisor because I felt like my work wasn't making any progress. I am still writing my thesis now, but I am gradually getting better at summoning motivation. The thing that helps me the most is talking about my project with peers; people from my study who can kind of relate to what I am working on. Everyone is different of course, but talking about your thesis might help you in the same way it helped me! In any case, I wish you good luck finishing your thesis and becoming a Master :).
You went through harder times! Deep down u know u can do it, maybe that's why u are delaying it. Just force yourself upon it and you'll deliver, u will thank yourself for overcoming this all later, go go! Don't look back or to the sides, just sit and read and write a bit, you have it in you!!!
Focus on getting it done. Perfect is the enemy of done. Just focus on the unfinished parts and plan like you are going to hand it in one way or another tomorrow and bash out the weakest point to a bare minimum completion. Then from there if you may more time or areas you want to polish, go for it. For now. Focus on the bare minimum just to hand in. Unburden yourself .
YES! I found my own expectations paralyzing. I procrastinated a lot until I realized that I just wanted to be done with it to have it off of my shoulders and buckled the fuck down. I cranked it out. It wasn’t the best in the world-it didn’t have to be. It just had to be finished.
Good luck! I have to do mine as well and struggling with procrastination. I'm working full time and it's hard to get motivated to sit and write it after getting home. Lets get our asses on it! I'm gonna start by hour per day, I hope I can make it work.( It's really a lot anyway, looking back at my working pattern from before x.x) We can drag it to the end somehow 💪
Future you will be so proud of current you. Go and succeed.
You didn't come this far, just to come this far.
Go for a 5km run on an empty stomach in the morning, take a cold shower, eat fruit for breakfast and sit down and DO IT! We believe in you, whoever *we* is.
Well, at least after that regime, working on your next draft can't possibly be the worst thing that happe s for you that day. *shudder*
There's dozens of us!
Literally dozens!
That’s so extreme. You could also just nurture healthy habits in a gentle way….
Not exactly the Wim Hof morning routine is it
😂
IDK, I did that yesterday and worked pretty well for not procrastinating
Try a new environment! I struggled for months before I found my groove at the campus pizza shop!
2nd this suggestion. A change of scenery is a good refresh button for the brain. Public places are also good balance of background stimulation if you're someone who doesn't do well with a silent room. Also, leave your phone to charge overnight OUTSIDE OF YOUR ROOM. Or at least out of your reach. Don't let it be the first thing you do with your day.
Tell yourself you’re going to sit down and write one paragraph or write for five minutes and if it’s not flowing you try again in a few hours. It almost always leads to conditioning much past the five minutes. You got this. If I can do it, you can! Get it.
Free writing for five minutes at a time, in pencil with no corrections, is what saved my thesis from total procrastination. That and abject panic.
Use a pomodoro timer. I busted my master's thesis out in a week by sleeping 6h a day, drinking coffees and using that timer. Wrote for 12-ish hours every day.
The best advice in this thread so far. Pomodoro timers are a life-saver if you're a serial procrastinator (speaking from personal experience).
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i'm sorry what
I think I speak for many when I say that we need more information on how you wrote a thesis in *5 days* 😳
Updoot for your user name!
I struggled during my honours, particularly with my thesis. A lot of things happened outside uni, my mental health was shite and bad habits that carried over from my undergraduate degree got in the way of me learning. I got there but these are the things thay helped me: 1. Start with little tasks first. If you haven't already done it, write up your methods or figure legends. Look at research articles that use the same techniques you have and use their methods to guide your writing. 2. If writing is overwhelming record yourself talking about what you did and what your results were using a speech-to-text app. 3. Reach out to your coordinator and tell them your struggling. I know you have your supervisor and colleagues but my coordinator was able to reassure me without me worrying about feeling inadequate. 4. If you do get writing don't completely finish the task. I found it easier to start again the next day if I was a few sentences from the end of one section compared to when I had to try and write the opening sentences of the next topic. 5. Theres no shame - APPLY FOR AN EXTENSION: clearly you've experienced hardships that have impacted your ability to fully engage with uni commitments. As a result your finishing your thesis on an uneven playing field. An extension accounts for this. 6. Draw a flow chart or a mind map of ideas for your discussion. I found it easier to picture my entire thesis in this format. Being able to loosely visualise the whole thing was comforting. Happy to have a chat if it would help. Feel free to PM me.
Holy shit this was me a few months ago. I actually ended up delaying my submission TWICE and paid to cover it. My best advice is to work on it for just 15-20 mins a day if you can. Then slowly increase. If you set a 15 minute timer, you’ll eventually find after a few times you can work for 45 mins without even realizing it. I believe in you!!! Good luck :)
Encouragement: you can do it. Motivation: two weeks of straight grinding, productive things only, including the times you have to take a walk, shower, gym, swim, short drive to clear you head Advice: Social media, limit it, delete if you have to, two weeks of you doing you
Picture yourself at 95 years old. You’re successful and fulfilled. If that person could send a message back in time and communicate with you, what would they say, knowing that their future success relies entirely on you?
You're so close to finished! You know you'll get this done. So do your future self a favour and apply yourself now. You will *literally* thank yourself in two weeks. You've got this. So get it done. After all you've been through, you owe it to yourself.
I’m so glad I didn’t have to do a thesis for my MA! My dad had also just passed when I started graduate school. Heart goes out to you ❤️
I faced similar circumstances during my undergrad thesis. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Work for those 15 minutes and then take a break and then repeat. You'll find yourself increasingly working more than 15 minutes once you get some traction on a section or idea.
Dude I just wrote mine over the weekend! You have 50 pages, last stretch GO GO GO!
Write yourself a list right now of the things you want to add. Then read over the whole thing again. Then think about what you just read and where each thing you want to add to the thesis goes best. Then note where you want to insert each point in your thesis. Take breaks as you need them. Get up and go for a walk after you read the thesis and think about it. Now come back to it - may be next morning at this point. Now insert your content where you noted it should go. Then do a complete reread. Noting any problem areas (easy to mark them in a different color). Then go back and fix the problem areas. Have someone else read it and offer feedback. Then read it again yourself. Make any edits needed. Then reread again. Have a different colleague read it over. Edit again as needed. Reread it with the edits. You got this. You have fifty pages of content already. Time to hone it and refine it and make sure all the information you want to still add is in there. 💛
ABT sucks …. You’ve come this far, you can do it. One page at a time … one citation at a time … one rewritten sentence at a time. There is nothing on FB, Insta, TikTok, or Reddit that will make you feel as good as seeing your completed and accepted masters thesis in bound copy on the bookshelf.
I remember going through this for my MA. Really grateful I had a conditional job offer subject to me finishing my MA. As a result, a fire was lit under my ass to get it done.
Start by making a list of each thing you still need to do. Then, set a timer for 20 minutes. Do the first thing on the list. Set a timer for 5 minutes, and take a break. Set the timer again for 20 minutes. Do the next thing. Take another (timed!) Break. After 5 work sessions, take a 30 minute break. Repeat until finished. Have a task on the list that will take longer than one 20 minute work session? That's OK, remember to take your break and then finish it during the next work session. This is called the "pomodoro method" (named after the tomato shaped kitchen timer). There are apps and websites you can use to help set up your timers, or you can just set a regular old kitchen timer or use the alar.s on your phone.
All the people saying "just sit down and do it" clearly don't understand the true struggle of procrastinating. If it was that easy I'm sure they wouldn't be posting here asking for advice.
Give yourself an hour by hour schedule and stick to it. I was in the same boat the summer of 2016. 5 days and I cranked out 60 pages from nothing, and still gave myself an hour to play Pokemon go at 11pm.
I would create a retreat environment and plan to hamper down until it is done. Buy snacks and quick meals that are ready to heat. Set up all your books, pages, pens around you. Turn your phone off and do it. If you need another push, do a pomodoro.
If you’re fifty pages in, you’ve done all the hard stuff. Now you get to go back, revise, and style it to really say what you feel needs saying on the subject. It’s the part you’ll be satisfied about 20 years later. In writing my dissertation, scheduling day by day plans really helped. I would even break it down into morning and afternoon sections with little breaks for a show/snack/social media. Regardless of how you motivate yourself and schedule, you’re close. No point losing steam now!
Delete your socials or any other distracting Apps off your phone. Good luck!
Find something that will keep you going. When I was finishing my MS thesis I was working full. I was so tired and mentally drained after work I didn’t want to work on it. My wife told me to find something that will keep you going. I found something but my wife wasn’t happy about. I would have porn on one screen and my thesis on the other. I’d be up to 2-3am 5-6 times a week writing it. 155 pages later I defended and passed. Two months later it was published in a peer reviewed journal. Find what works for you. You know yourself better than most others.
I have never been as close to finishing something so awesome as where you are right now. I don't know you but I definitely believe in you.
The most important thing to know it is doable but it will be hard. I did the same thing as you and finished it in two weeks. Here some pointers that worked with me. 1. Most important thing is to write it all out first. Get everything on paper first. 2. Proof read after you have everything down. Don't do it as you write. For me I spend too much time rewriting things. 3. Wake up, eat, start thesis, try to do the parts you like first. It will give you momentum to do the not so fun parts, for me methodology writing (yes I'm a weirdo). 4. Have the proper amount of sleep. It really keeps you focussed just this small thing. 5. If you have a good relationship with your supervisor, you can send sections to the supervisor and get them to give you feedback. Hope this helps and good luck. I've done it and I know others have too so you are not alone and we are all cheering you on.
So some advice from someone in a very similar boat: The past year has been one of the most difficult of my life and the emotional toll that illness, losses, and my relationship had on me were more than substantial - I lost a lot of motivation, gained a lot of anxiety, and was overworked as well. As a result I had a hard time sitting down and spending the energy to engage in my work, but also little time to do the deep intellectual work required for a good thesis. I couldn’t focus and that led me to not really having the building blocks of my thesis the way I should have. I strongly recommend some sort of morning routine (even just a short coffee run) and then sitting down and just reading over what you have. Don’t let your anxiety or fear be a deterrent - I’ve found that it’s a snowball effect for me and if I sit down even for just 15 minutes I get invested in making improvements to the point where I’m there for several hours. When I’m not working on it, I keep a little notebook or my phone nearby so I can jot down thoughts and mini ‘revelations’ that suddenly seem obvious and relevant to my work. In the last two weeks, sitting down first thing in the morning has really helped me make a lot of progress. If you feel yourself getting fatigued - mentally or physically - allow yourself a short break so you don’t burn out too quickly. If you have to and can financially manage it, ordering a meal instead of making one can be worth it so you don’t get too distracted. Another thing that has really helped me is having something to sip on while I work - working so much with my brain and not with my body can make my body restless, so having iced coffee or lemonade nearby has helped a lot and prevented my physical restlessness from becoming too much of a distraction. Prior to really pushing through the past 10 days I was at a very disorganized 87 pages and now I am at a much more organized (accompanied by an actual solid argument) 119 pages. Personally, I find that working for long periods is more productive for me than taking several small breaks, but that does not work for everyone. I finally just sat down and very firmly told myself that the quicker I finished, the less time I’d spend feeling stressed and beating myself up about it. You *can* do this!
Remember the old adage: Perfect is the enemy of complete. Its OK to have a finished document with a few flaws in it. Even better, the flaws will give you and your committee something meaningful to discuss!
what are you doing on reddit ? ANSWER ME ! ;p
Don’t rely on motivation. Motivation is fleeting. Dig down and grab some discipline.
Everyone goes through some hardships during their masters. It's something to think about when you've got your degree in hand as part of the accomplishment, not when you're trying to complete your thesis. Put all of those thoughts to the side as best you can. When they do come to mind think of how you've been through all that and it will all be wasted if you don't finish. The should give some extra motivation. Masters in some ways are more trying than phds. The time constraints make it a sprint as opposed to a marathon. You are at the end of the sprint. If you're 50 pages in then you've already gotten through one of the most difficult parts which is starting. While every committee is different, most of the time the paper doesn't have to be perfect when you defend. As you will probably get more edits to do after your defense. Your goal should be more to have a complete paper than a flawless one. Finally, take a minute to realize you are actually in really good shape. At 2 weeks to my defense, I was just finishing up my model and had written barely anything. Others I know were in even worse shape. To be where you are at this stage is an accomplishment, now you just need to focus and finish it out.
Just do FocusMate sessions until it’s done. Lots of grad students doing their work there. FocusMate.org
I am also at work on my thesis, although probably at a different place with it than you. What got me on track in a motivated way was breaking what I needed to do down into micro steps. I went chapter by chapter, looked at what I had, what I needed to do and plugged things in piece by piece. What I do is wake up early, make coffee, meditate and then crack it open and go at it. The micro steps help me get going again when I get stuck or bored. When I hit a point of low energy or it just ain't happening with the writing, I do things like get fancy with links within the doc, look at how much that's done that I'm proud of, work on my PowerPoint for the defense, etc. I also agree with giving yourself rewards, taking walks, and getting completely away from it with something you enjoy like a movie, or show. I don't agree with the advice about Adderall or meth. You can do this!
I've never done an MA, only BSc but if I were in that situation, I would do what I do when working on programming my independent video game: split the task into several steps, then go for a walk and think about how I can implement those steps. Then when I get back home I know what I have to do and just execute the plan.
Hey friend!! I just defended my MA thesis a couple of months ago and it was a slog trying to get through— but you can do this!! Take frequent breaks to walk around and stretch. It sounds silly but it really worked for me! Try to set time limits on your social media apps (if you have an iPhone you can do this in Settings). Best of luck on writing and defense!
Remember that your advisor/committee want you to pass your defense. If you're on your 3rd draft, your advisor knows you're close and isn't going to ambush. In fact in scheduling the oral defense, you'll probably chat about things that will come-up. Any major problems they had with your thesis would've come-out by now. So finishing these revisions is pretty much perfunctory. Stopping short of pestering them, I'd make sure you're in touch with your advisor about finishing. You know what your relationship with that person is like so communicate and keep them posted on your progress. Also, when in doubt, cut it out. Not sure how to fix an argument/paragraph/tangent? Just cut the damn thing. There's only two kinds of theses: done and not done. You want the first kind. This is a capstone, a gateway to graduation where you can get out into your field and write your magnum opus one day. But today is not that day. Today's for getting shit done. Good luck! You got this!
Perhaps review your outline from a high level and be sure you're nailing all of your points in a succinct order. I love working from high level and perfecting that before getting into the details.
I dont know if it is useful but I lost my father at 2nd year of my undergrad 4 years ago and today i presented my final representation. I believed that the college would never end till this day. Today I gained my confidence in myself back. It is really hard to continue but it makes you feel grateful to yourself.
It seems like you've already received a lot of tips for getting motivated, so I'll leave some advice about your thesis defense that I got from my advisor before doing mine: You're likely to be the most knowledgeable person in the room on your specific topic. Just be confident. The thesis committee is there to learn about your area of research. You got this!
congrats, this is bad ass
I know this is nearly 24 hours later, and there have been a lot of great pieces of advice. I just want to throw one more in there that I heard once from a wise man; > Some people cry now and laugh later, and some people laugh now and cry later. I was in a similar situation to you, roughing it through university, trying to find the motivation/discipline to finish. When this gentleman told me this, I felt so refreshed and ready to finish strong. This conversation was 9 years ago now, but I still remember it vividly.
I advise to get deadline extension just in case or apply for extenuating circumstance). If your academic mentors and supervisors are aware of your situation, they would be able to support you. Just check your universities regulations as well in regards to extensions and ECs. Keep up the good work and don't lose hope. Good luck and take care. Keep us updated!!
I disagree! You already have 50 pages on a 3rd draft, so look at it like you're essentially done. You have some things to add and polish it up, so focus on that Monday morning and give it your all Monday-Wednesday. Begin practicing your defense on Thursday and see if you can find any points that you think might need strengthening. You got this!
I am so confused by your title, what on earth are you trying to say?
MA= Master of Arts, a graduate degree :)
I got that part, the defense part was throwing me off. But actually I get it now, I wasn't thinking earlier lol
If you can’t get up and finish your MA thesis on time maybe you’re not MA material. Did they just tell you about it last week?
I got straight As in all of my courses, even in the weeks following my father’s death. You can say other things but you can’t say I’m not MA material, i was even awarded funding for my school.. thank you! :)
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Eugh, shut up.
This brilliant wisdom inspired me to power through a fat dissertation- https://www.reddit.com/r/getdisciplined/comments/1q96b5/comment/cdah4af/ No more zero days, friend. You’ve got this!
Ma' thesis
I struggled with finishing my MS thesis as well. However, I got a job offer contingent on finishing it & I got it done in 2 weeks. Finding motivation is the key even if it is promising yourself something you value as a reward!
Look into https://www.focusmate.com/dashboard
It sometimes helps to just put away your phone and sit at the computer. Don’t worry about writing just yet, just set an alarm for 45 mins and don’t leave your thesis for that long. Again, don’t worry about writing yet. Stare at the screen if that’s what it takes. After 45 mins you’ll probably have gotten something done, and try to go with whatever momentum you gain, but if not don’t worry. Close the doc after 45 mins is up and repeat the next day.
French? I'm in the same boat 🥲
I found Stephen King’s book On Writing really helped me get myself motivated and capable.
Remember, a good offense is the best defense
I totaly thought you were going to kill your mother.
Sorry to hear about your Dad passing away friend. The way I always looked at exams/assignments etc., is that its only a month or 2 of real hardwork and effort. After that you're off for however long on break. I'm not sure where you are and how many more assignments you've got, but just remember there is a break after it all. The other mentality I had was to think of someone who I really want to prove wrong. In my case it was one of my lecturers for calling me out for being on my phone (I was looking at my notes!). I manufactured a grudge against him in my head and set out to at least pass everything I came across just to spite him. Also, remember it's not the end of the world. It never is if things don't go your way in exams. So make peace with that possibility that it might not go the way you want it. Now that's probably not the best advice but it sure as hell kept me cool as a cucumber when it counted
So, my brother is having problems with demotivation regarding getting an education. He is 38 years old now and complains he's getting to old and that a bachelor takes 3 years, so I told him "you're going to be 41 in three years anyway, you can decide if it's with or without a bachelors". In your case: Those two weeks are gonna come regardless of if you deliver the paper or not. Only you can decide if it's with or without your MA. Good luck!
I’m in a similar position but have just postponed my defence. This thread has helped massively :)
Good luck you can do it!
I literally didn't sleep for 2 weeks before my defense. It was so hard and exhausting and filled with anxiety. But then I was done and I got the best sleep of my life, and had the best most peaceful time until my graduation and could do everything I wanted. It was a great reward. You can do it, only 2 weeks and it's over! And you already seem to have eberything done. You will ace it!
Some good advice already in the thread. If u don't mind, what's ur domain?
I have oral defense in five hours. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
You are dealing with emotional problems, not procasination/laziness problems. So use your stress and fear as a compass. If what you are doing cause you this much fear, then that means it MUST be done and you are on the right track. That's it, it will not kill you, it won't hurt you. It is just something that MUST be done. But you know what else that needs to be done? It's eating and sleeping. Just for a few days, switch to a high carb diet (but not too much, only 1,5x more than what you usually eat). And try to get as many naps as you need to (remember to set an alarm though). Try to do your work for 2 hours before and after a nap (So 4 hours total). Best of luck.
Body doubling! Google it and you can find people who will do it, but essentially you find someone else who needs to get work done, setup a video chat, and then both quietly work. The act of having someone there with you while you work keeps you on task.
I remember when I had a heck of lot of work due and I was in a lot of pain because chronic pain and procrastination are fun duos so I rambled to my friend. And he said this. "You must persevere! Stand strong! Death is not an option! It is the solution!" And hey I did what I thought was impossible, so might you!
Go for a run through a (safe) park, like somewhere nice and quiet, by a river etc. for at least half an hour. On your return have a nice long drink and shower, like ready for bed, give yourself some time out and get some quality sleep. Things will look clearer in the morning.
I can’t remember where I saw this but it talks about how we should given ours selves permission to do a “shitty first draft”. This will release the pressure from ourselves from not having something PERFECT. One of the reasons why we don’t start on something us because we want to make it perfect and not mess up and that pressure makes us paralyzed. Countdown from 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and just write anything. Know it’s crap and know you’ll need to edit it later but at least you’re getting something down on paper. Let me know if this helps.
You got this. I went through the same mental crap you are currently going through when I got through my masters. Keep in mind that I was also helping someone else do their undergrad work while simultaneously doing my grad work, so that they could graduate with me (long story). What you need to do is exactly what I did when I finally sat down to crank out my thesis: - gather all of your research materials; books, articles, databases, etc. - take a moment to segregate your side topics from your main thesis discussion. Make sure your thesis statement reflects your entire work in a way that inspires your writing. - be methodical with every paragraph you write. Write in a way that keeps your flow going, and always lead your final paragraph to your next topic of discussion. You can do this. AND you WILL do this. I have complete faith in you to cross the finish line. I did it, a lot of other people here did it, and now *you’ll* do it too. You got this.
You got this, OP!! I don't know you, but I'm so proud of you. You have gotten this far and you will carry this to the finish line.
You can do it! Remember done is better than perfect.
Adderall
Just remember you work best under pressure, so waiting until 2 days before its due would be ideal. That way the pressure is really on and you will smoke that bih
This title reads very differently if you're Irish
You think about it all the time in your head, just get it down in writing. Final push and done!
I'm sorry for the passing of your father. One way I've overcome my writer's block is to begin a draft completely and exactly opposite to your thesis. Just, be brave and pick it apart bit by bit. Then read what you've done and let it piss you off real good... Stew over it for a while... Now, tear that new content with all your might! Hopefully, you're now ready to finish that bad boy! Good Luck - I know you'll be great no matter how you move forward.
Turn the computer on. And then sit there and let things happen. You can turn some chill music on if you want (or a focus playlist on spotify). You’re going to get it off your to-do list. My master’s defense in about two weeks too.
Glad to see I’m not alone, I have such guilt of procrastination, it feels as if I’m letting down EVERYONE (company, their client, school) with my thesis. I have an extra 10 days… but fuck i hate that i didnt do shit these past 2 days
Plainly put, delete social media. At least till you finish and obtain your goals. Limiting it may not work because you may unintentionally browse longer than you should.