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INSIDE THIS ISSUE - July 4, 2008
3. Five Strategies for Extreme Situations
By Nancy Whichard, Ph.D.
July 4, 2008
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
Happy Independence Day!
On the 4th of July, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia and democracy was born. Let the fireworks begin! Whether you choose to celebrate this holiday in a traditional way (pass the hot dogs/veggie dogs, please), or whether you maintain a more low key acknowledgment or don't celebrate it at all, the freedoms born on that day are yours to enjoy.
Freedom gives us choices and that's a wonderful thing, for it means our futures can be determined by choice, not chance. But our choices, including very good choices, can make life difficult, as you doubtless know from experience, for your choices have led to writing. Even the professionals can flounder when it comes to putting words together on paper.
Writing, rewriting, more writing….It really should be no trouble, according to the late Canadian novelist Stephen Leacock: "You just jot down ideas as they occur to you. The jotting is simplicity itself--it is the occurring which is difficult." Well, who could argue with that?
American satirist Peter De Vries claimed to be troubled by a different aspect of writing: "I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork!" This lighthearted remark is amusing only to the extent that one isn't actually bogged down in real paperwork.
If you feel caught up in a vicious rewriting cycle (a sure way to generate that aforementioned paperwork), or if your writing could simply use a jumpstart, Dr. Nancy Whichard offers some very practical suggestions in this issue. Be sure to read "Five Strategies for Extreme Situations." No one will ever call dissertation writing a simple task, but Dr. Whichard can help you do it "smarter" and that makes it easier.
Another thing that makes writing (or any other dissertation task) easier is simply remembering that it is part of the plan you have set for yourself in order to reach your ultimate goal. It isn't an onerous task imposed upon you; it is your choice to be doing it. As noted earlier, having choice is one of the gifts of freedom, and to a large extent your life will be the sum of the choices you make.
Of course, there will always be some things beyond your control--the vicissitudes of life, interferences by others, and those darn flies in the ointment--yet for the most part, you get to be in charge of you.
So take charge. On this 4th of July and every day, enjoy and employ your freedom. Choose wisely and bravely. Keep working your plan and advancing toward your goal.
And one other thing--when you become the one with the Ph.D., remember what it was like to be where you are now, and treat those grads and undergrads beneath you with kindness!
Inspirational Quotes
Every choice you make has an end result. (Zig Ziglar)
Freedom is not merely the opportunity to do as one pleases….Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them -- and then, the opportunity to choose. (C. Wright Mills)
My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man's doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choices, my responsibility, win or lose; only I hold the key to my destiny. (Elaine Maxwell)
There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet. (William Frederick Halsey, Jr.)
We have confused the free with the free and easy. (Adlai E. Stevenson)
One ship sails East,
And another West,
By the self-same winds that blow;
Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales,
That tells the way we go.
(Ella Wheeler Wilcox)
Five Strategies for Extreme Situations
Nancy Whichard, Ph.D., PCC
I'm in awe of runners, particularly serious runners,
those who run half marathons or full marathons.
In a conversation with a young woman who has
done quite a bit of running, I was fascinated by
how she anticipates what seems to me to be one
drastic situation after another.
She said that well into a half-marathon race,
she finds herself saying, "I want to walk. Why
am I doing this?" But she's ready for those
moments.
Here are 5 strategies that she uses to keep
motivated and to keep going. We writers face
our own extreme situations. Her strategies
can work for us, too.
=============================
1. Tell friends and co-workers that you are
running a race
=============================
It's hard to drop out or slow down when
you know that all of your friends and co-
workers will ask you how you did or, worse
yet, will see the results posted on the internet.
Big motivator--others will know if you don't
carry on!
Smart tip for writers: Be bold and go public!
Tell people about the course you're running
and when you plan to cross your finish line.
============================
2. Flow can be yours if you plan, throw
yourself into the work, and keep at it
============================
She plans in incredible detail.
At least two months or longer before a race,
she plans how many miles she will run each day
of the 7 weeks leading up to the race.
The week before the race, she is running 13
miles on a treadmill.
She does this so that during the week of the
race, she can taper off, feeling strong, confident,
and prepared.
Smart tip for writers: Planning is key and
keeping to the plan is crucial! Surrender to
the task, accept the challenge, and look
forward to being in flow.
=============================
3. Chunk tasks and steps into something
you won't choke on
=============================
She says that when she runs the half marathon
(13.1 miles), she helps herself stay focused
by putting the remaining miles in manageable
terms. At Mile 9, she really wants to stop,
and she has to talk herself into sticking it
out. She tells herself that it's just 2 more
miles and then 2 miles after that.
Smart tip for writers: Put work in chunks
or small steps that are do-able. Then
completion seems possible. It's also
important to keep telling yourself to
stick it out.
===========================
4. When you feel like you can't re-start
your writing or persevere, lead yourself
forward with the promise of a reward
===========================
When she is exhausted but there's a
hill to climb, she reminds herself that
once she's at the top of the hill, she can
then go downhill.
She also tells herself that at the end of the
race, she can lie down on the ground. And
then she can have a bagel.
Smart tip for writers: Make the work/reward
connection clear and concrete. Connect
reaching a goal to the reward that you crave--
make the reward satisfy a yearning.
===========================
5. Use the competition to your advantage
===========================
She draws on the other runners in 3 ways:
a. She starts toward the front where the
other runners all look as if they could be
in the Olympics. She tells herself, "Don't
be intimidated--this is exactly where
you should be."
b. She chooses a "rabbit," another runner
with whom to pace herself. And she never
lets herself fall behind her chosen rabbit.
c. Keeping up with other runners gives her
energy and power to beat her own record.
When she is in a race, she runs faster than
she did during training, even if the terrain of
the race is more challenging.
Smart tip for writers: Running, like
writing, works better when you don't feel
isolated--choose a rabbit! And competition,
like companionship, is healthy.
=========================
Smart Take-Aways for Writers:
=========================
Know that perseverance is often about pain
and struggle and be ready for that.
To motivate yourself to persevere through the
tough spots:
1. Go public.
2. Leave nothing to chance--plan in detail and
carry through.
3. Put work into manageable steps or chunks.
4. Plan specific rewards to dangle in front
of yourself.
5. Work with a buddy, group, or coach.
In a nutshell:
I bet you noticed that she leaves little to chance and
has at the ready ways to motivate herself, even
when she is exhausted and struggling.
Many writing projects can appear as daunting
as a half-marathon. To help you move ever closer
to a finished dissertation, apply these smart tips from
an experienced, long-distance runner to your writing process.
Nancy Whichard, Ph.D., PCC, is a dissertation and career coach. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Maryland and for two decades was on the English and Literature faculties at George Washington University and American University. A recovering academic, Nancy knows the importance of politics and diplomacy in negotiating the dissertation experience. Read Nancy's blog at www.successfulwritingtips.com. To sign up for her newsletter, go to her website at www.nancywhichard.com. To contact Nancy about coaching, email her at nancy@nancywhichard.com.