finish your dissertation in 15 minutes a day

Understanding and solving intractable resource governance problems.

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Exploring models of electronic wastes governance in the United States and Mexico: Recycling, risk and environmental justice
The Collaborative Resource Governance Lab (CoReGovLab)
Water Conflicts in Mexico: A Multi-Method Approach
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Higher education and academia
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My Reading Notes of Books on How to Write a Doctoral Dissertation/How to Conduct PhD Research
Writing a Thesis (Undergraduate or Masters) or a Dissertation (PhD)
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Regional Development (Fall 2015)
State and Local Government (Fall 2015)
Public Policy Analysis (Fall 2016)
Regional Development (Fall 2016)
Public Policy Analysis (Fall 2018)
Public Policy Analysis (Fall 2019)
Public Policy Analysis (Spring 2016)
POLI 351 Environmental Policy and Politics (Summer Session 2011)
POLI 352 Comparative Politics of Public Policy (Term 2)
POLI 375A Global Environmental Politics (Term 2)
POLI 350A Public Policy (Term 2)
POLI 351 Environmental Policy and Politics (Term 1)
POLI 332 Latin American Environmental Politics (Term 2, Spring 2012)
POLI 350A Public Policy (Term 1, Sep-Dec 2011)
POLI 375A Global Environmental Politics (Term 1, Sep-Dec 2011)

Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis (my reading notes)

The first book in a series of volumes I have been interested in reading is Joan Bolker’s “ Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis “.

First on my list of books is Joan Bolker's Writing your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day. Wishing had read this during grad school. pic.twitter.com/FBh9v3tjox — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

What sold me from Bolker isn't the advice she gives to PhD students, but the fact that she included a chapter for PhD ADVISORS. Golden. pic.twitter.com/u26z9V2YDd — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

Bolker takes a very similar approach to writing to the one that Joli Jensen preaches: you should have constant contact with a writing project (Bolker suggests at least 15 minutes every single day). For me, writing IS a way to get myself out of a writer’s block. For example, I am writing this blog post precisely to get out of a rut and find the headspace again where I can make final edits to a Revise/and/Resubmit (yes, yet another one!)

Bolker, Elbow, Skinner, @explorstyle and I all agree that we write TO THINK. I believe that's how we end up producing text that's solid. pic.twitter.com/0C3oATrywo — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

Bolker is right and that’s why her book works. You MUST write text for your doctoral dissertation at least 15 minutes every single day. This, obviously, doesn’t guarantee that you will finish the dissertation in 3, 4 or 5 years, but like Joli Jensen suggests in her book “ Write No Matter What ” ( which I’ve also written about here on my blog ), gives you constant contact with a writing project, and particularly low-stakes kind of contact. Reading Jensen’s Write No Matter What changed my life and cemented the thought that constant contact with a writing project is fundamental.

I champion the "write memorandums" and "scribble notes in your Everything Notebook" because that's how you "write your way in". #PhDChat pic.twitter.com/irVFyKl9hM — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

On the topic of advisors, I strongly disagreed with Bolker, particularly because I am kind of slightly famous on the internet, and therefore I felt like this was a jab at me. I do remember a professor at UBC telling me “you don’t want to do your PhD at Harvard only to have your advisor be travelling the world and forget about you”. I DO travel the world and my schedule is tremendously busy, but my students are my priority and I make sure to give them time, regardless of whether I am at a conference, workshop or doing fieldwork. As I said on Twitter, Elinor Ostrom was SUPER famous and she was an incredibly dedicated advisor. It’s not about the fame, it’s about making yourself (as a PhD advisor) available to answer questions and help your students.

Uh oh. The "setting writing quotas" convo. Pages vs words vs hours. Oh dear. Personally I've made much more progress setting small goals. pic.twitter.com/yQPCnbZ9y9 — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

As I said on Twitter, by now I know just about everyone suggests a daily writing practice, even if it is for just a tiny bit of time. Don’t ask me, ask Dr. Joan Bolker, and Stephen King.

This is going to make some people's blood boil but yes, Virginia, Bolker suggests the first thing in the morning is you should do is write. pic.twitter.com/T31C1eNhBg — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

I do not champion the 1,500 words or 5-10 pages a day approach. On the contrary, I suggest that we find a different measure of scholarly writing success: filling up sentences , completing paragraphs one idea at a time , and writing small bits and pieces of text ( 50-100-200 words a day ).

Jesus, I wish I had Bolker or King's speed. 1,250 words doesn't take them more than 1-2 hours? Some days all I generate is 50 words pic.twitter.com/uJzHxueYNJ — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

Bolker dislikes chaos and disorganization as much as I do, apparently. She encourages students to revise their processes/setup often. pic.twitter.com/Cy4MzIFG7n — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

The idea of a Dissertation Writing Group is useful. The main shortcoming with Bolker and just about every book I’ve read on writing is that they devote the least time to the final stages of the PhD dissertation (or of writing a book, like the conclusion, and how to put the book together). Yes, the best dissertation is the DONE dissertation but there isn’t a solid roadmap (or I haven’t seen it yet) for a student in the throes of final submission.

This shortcoming and oversight reaffirms my belief: no book is perfect and nobody covers everything that is needed, so there's always room. pic.twitter.com/lBy32MzQGA — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

This sentence sums up my feelings about Bolker: A MUST READ BOOK for all doctoral candidates.

Bottom line: PhD advisors – if you can, purchase this book and if you have the means (grant funds) acquire copies for our students. — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) May 12, 2018

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Posted in academia , PhD training , research .

Tagged with dissertation , PhD , reading notes , writing .

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By Raul Pacheco-Vega – May 16, 2018