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INSIDE THIS ISSUE - August 26, 2008
1. A Note from the Editor
What is big, yellow, mobile, and currently signifying change? This issue brings
the answer to this easy question, as well as 10 ideas for ABD changes.
August 26, 2008
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
Choosing Change
It's that time of year again. The big yellow buses are a sure sign of it. You can't miss them, even if you try (and drivers do), especially if you happen to get caught behind one as it stops at every corner.
I'm
talking about school buses, of course, and that special time of year is one
we can all recall with varying degrees of nostalgia: Back-to-School time!
You remember how it was (does anyone forget?): buying the new notebooks, planning what to wear, and nurturing a frisson of excitement for the possibilities of a new school year. It was an annual event, an opportunity to begin again, socially and academically, every late August or September.
But now you're grad students working on a dissertation, and the excitement of a conveniently scheduled, annual prospect for renewal is behind you. No more back-to-school; you're forever (so it seems) ensconced in a self-imposed academic regimen without the annual breaks or restarts. It can seem like one long trip in which the scenery never changes.
Well, it doesn't have to be that way! True, the trip is a long one, but you can change the scenery. And no longer do you need the traditional autumnal changing of the grade in order to adjust your circumstances. You are in full control and quite capable of making changes that are specific to your own situation, changes both internal and external.
INTERNAL CHANGES
• Check your attitude. The difficulties you encounter as ABDs are also challenges, and you can view them as opportunities to prove yourself. Way to go! On the other hand, you can easily take a negative view when problems arise. The choice is always yours.
Whether you happen to be by nature an optimist or a pessimist, I strongly encourage you to view your inevitable difficulties as opportunities. Attitude makes a powerful difference in how you feel about yourself and your work.
• Don't try to escape. Excessive anxiety about the dissertation process can sometimes lead you, consciously or unconsciously, to search for an escape. Although you know better, the easy and always available choice for escaping work is procrastination. If you have used this escape route too often, you may want to read "Where Did the Time Go?" in the ABDSG archives for background on the subject and hints on how to become a recovering procrastinator.
• Protect your psyche. The rigors of academe, in addition to life's general wear and tear, are providing sufficient stress in your life; you don't need any more right now. This isn't the time for movies that depress you or news analysis that makes you angry. Try to keep it light and positive when you are on a break from your work. You want to maintain focus, and that is difficult if you are angry or sad or otherwise emotionally fractured in some way by other events.
• Be your own champion. What are the internal characteristics of a champion? Olympian Bruce Jenner (decathlon, gold) says that the commitment level must be at the point of no return. Tennis champ Billie Jean King says champions keep playing until they get it right. Muhammad Ali says champions must have more will than skill. (These can also be the attributes of ABD champions!)
• Rekindle the dream. Try to avoid the I'm-so-tired-of-this-thing lament. The dissertation process is long and sometimes arduous, but that's part of the bargain. In exchange for the demanding work, you get a Ph.D.!
In the meantime, keep the zest in your work by maintaining a focus on the goal. Whenever that ever popular lament begins to stir within you, recall your dream. Planning for the future adds excitement to the present.
EXTERNAL CHANGES
• Keep it neat and organized. When you lose your work because you can't recall where you put it (or you weren't organized enough to file it properly), you lose valuable time (not to mention your own intellectual property). Enough said.
•
Lighten up a bit. Since it is September, the back-to-school month, why
not indulge yourself with any back-to-school paraphernalia that gives you
pleasure. You like magic markers and Snoopy notebooks? Have them. If something
simple makes you smile in this otherwise sober pursuit, do it!
• Alter your work area. If you haven't been productive at home, try working at a café, bookstore, or library. (Pack your headphones!) Alternatively, you might experiment with a change of home scenery. If your desk is facing a wall, move it in front of the window (if computer cords permit). Your dissertation should be a full time job, so make sure your work area reflects that priority. I have known ABDs who were literally trying to work in a closet! Just because your desk fits into a corner or nook does not mean that it should remain there!
If you are looking for workspace inspiration, check out the Workspace of the Week at Unclutterer.com. Unclutterer.com is a great blog about staying organized--While you are there, check out this article on creating a zen workspace.
• Break up work periods. If you have been reading this newsletter for a while, you know that you should take a 10-minute (no longer!) break every hour or so while working, but are you doing it? If not, implement this change for greater work efficiency, not to mention less wear and tear on your good humor.
• Vary work times. If you are certain that you are writing during your peak periods, don't change a thing. We all have certain times when we are most productive, and those are the times when we should be at work.
If you are uncertain of whether you are using your peak time, try varying your work schedule until you find the time that is optimal for you. For example, if you have been doing most of your writing in the afternoon, try getting up early in the morning and going straight to the computer with your a.m. cup of coffee/tea.
Once you determine your peak time, don't let anything interfere with that time slot!
There you have it: 5 external changes and 5 internal changes that you may
want to consider.
And why effect change at all? Well, we touched on the reason in our nostalgic recollection of the excitement of a new academic year. There is potential in change, and renewal. And there's even a bit of mystery, as in--will it or won't it make a difference? There's only one way to find out!
Inspirational Quotes
Winston Churchill
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
Andrew Carnegie
If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates
your energy and inspires your hopes.
John Amatt
Adventure isn't hanging on a rope off the side of a mountain. Adventure is
an attitude that we must apply to the day to day obstacles of life - facing
new challenges, seizing new opportunities, testing our resources against the
unknown, and in the process, discovering our own unique potential.
Judith M. Knowlton
I discovered I always have choices, and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude.
Maya Angelou
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your
attitude.
Jack Dempsey
A champion is someone who gets up when he can't.