Learning From Professionals: 5 Simple Ways To Write Your Dissertation Successfully


Plan early to be one of the students who actually finish their dissertation. Even if you are nearing your deadline, begin now to implement the following steps to get you closer to completion with each and every day that passes. Remember that this task does take time, and it’s challenging. There’s no avoiding that. But also remember that it’s doable. Many people have proven that, and you can do it too!

  1. The best professional advice from students who have successfully completed their own dissertations is to write, write, and write. It doesn’t mean spending hours and hours every day writing just to end up with burnout. The fail-safe method to finishing your paper is to write something daily. It doesn’t matter if it’s only 15 minutes worth. Just write daily. There are no magical shortcuts. Many days you may be writing for 4 or 5 hours but the point is, write every day.
  2. Choose a quiet place to do your work. The less distractions the better. It needs to be a place where you can spread out your books and materials and have ample room to think and work and write. High-traffic areas are not conducive to being able to focus, so avoid them. Don’t have a TV nearby, and use the computer only for work. Don’t allow yourself to watch videos or check social websites in your work area. Keep a large drink of water close by to refresh yourself.
  3. Don’t let the difficult stages of the writing process get you down. Yes, there will be some obstacles to overcome. Plow through them and keep your commitment to yourself to write every day. Professionals advise students to ride out the bad days and be okay with feeling uncomfortable. Accept your rough drafts. At least you got it done. No first draft is ever perfect, so accept the fact and move on. You can do the polishing later.
  4. Schedule some down time. Papers don’t get finished on burnout. They also don’t get finished on procrastination. The key to avoiding these two pitfalls is to ensure you are getting some free time to relax. So schedule some in each week.
  5. Great papers always have a good editing and proofreading stage. It’s a common assumption that this step can be skimped on; don’t fall into that trap. Make sure you leave time at the end of writing for a good editing and proofreading job.