If you have landed on this page, I am guessing you are someone who was once like me, stuck and lost in a writing project like a thesis, in those days when thesis journey seemed never ending.

Now looking at my thesis hard cover, I wonder how this became a reality, specially getting it done with minor corrections.

In my other blog I have explained how to beat procrastination by a very simple method. This blog is continuation of the previous blog, or you can read this blog on its own. But I would suggest to read that blog too if looking to beat writer’s block.

There are times when we keep postponing our tasks to next day. Hours change to days, days to week and then weeks upon weeks and even months…

Writing this blog while enjoying my cup of tea, I am so thrilled to share with you this easy way to overcome the dread of writing thesis or research paper or could be any piece of writing. This method worked for me when I used to get stuck during my thesis journey. I think the reason we feel overwhelmed in the first place is that we think of completing a gigantic task like Oh how am I going to get this thesis done or I need to write this paper. Suppose, if our to do list is something like below:

1. Write research paper

2. Start research paper

3. Write chapter 1

4. Start chapter 1

Days and weeks might pass but this job probably won’t get done. So that’s where the “Divide and Conquer” rule comes. When I used to feel overwhelmed by the thought of starting a chapter or research paper, this is something that helped me. Instead of adding to my to do list “write research paper”, I would write:

1. Title of chapter 2

2. headings

So what you need to do is write this type of to do list for your next day. When next day you wake up or whichever time you are supposed to start writing, you grab a hot drink, fire up your computer, and all you have to do is literally do the first job on your to do list i.e. write down the title of your chapter or research paper. In my opinion the title should be concise and straight forward. Now that’s a job done. Now you physically tick off the task on your to do list. This will give you a feeling of achievement, a job done. Secondly write the headings which may be something as follows:

Abstract

Introduction

Materials and methods

Results

Discussion

References

Once you have done that, tick off the next job on your to do list. Ta da you are done for today. Now don’t stress about anything else or writing anything further, otherwise you are likely to go back to procrastinating and overwhelming. You gave yourself two tiny easily doable tasks and that’s done. Give yourself a tap on the back and be proud of yourself. You accomplished what you had intended for that day.

I know it sounds stupid to waste a whole day on writing just title. But trust me it works, it worked very well for me. Let’s be honest, how many days and weeks have we wasted by doing nothing, zilch nada and just procrastinating? So just to break this pattern, why not try this method for once and see how it goes…

Now next step is to write another to do list for next day. You can find the details in my next blog.