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I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

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Re: I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

#241

Post by ajkjk »

I think that if you can't get yourself to do something for a long time, it's because you truly don't want to do it but haven't admitted it to yourself. Probably you have a strong vision of who you are -- a PhD student, an eventual academic -- and it turns out it's in conflict with some other part of your identity, what you actually want to do.

You'll find instant peace if you admit that you don't want to do it and stop feeling like you should. It is fine, actually, to do a thing until you realize you don't want to and then change your mind, but it's tied up in a bunch of other stuff so it's hard to see that clearly.

Re: I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

#242

Post by Brentward »

spetryk wrote: post #239
KVFinn wrote: post #2

If you're not just making slow progress but literally unable to make a single bit of progress, my goto strategy is similar to what writers call a vomit draft. For writing it conventionally means means writing words without stopping to plan or edit, no corrections allowed, the rule is you just have to keep typing, no matter what. It's about something being better than nothing, creating momentum, and also avoids being…

I'd like to try this, but it's tougher when you're collaborating on a shared document. For example, I collaborate on papers that always start out as a shared Overleaf doc. When I'm starting a new section, I just want to toss some ideas down on the page, knowing that the prose is terrible. I can really enjoy this phase if I know it's free of judgment. However, it's so much harder when I know that someone might open th…

So write it locally in an unshared document and paste it into overleaf when you want someone else to see it? I don't like overleaf to begin with, but to feel this tied to it is a bit wild.

Re: I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

#243

Post by Scubabear68 »

This is not procrastination. This is what I would call a common phenomena of lack of consequences. With no feedback loop, the author has little impetus to complete the work.

An in-law lost their house 20 years ago, their mom took them in and they haven’t worked a day in their life. They have learned that doing nothing is a winning strategy.

My son had severe school problems during Covid because everyone was socially promoted. He got a B while not learning anything, because there was no negative consequence to not studying (and we tried to stay on top of this but grades and assignments were not tracked anywhere). We had to get him to private school and six months of difficult times catching up to his grade level.

Most of us need feedback to improve ourselves. There are a precious few who can complete things through sheer force of will. But most of us, I posit, need real world feedback (both good and bad) to live by.

In the case of the author, trying to put this the nicest possible way, they seem to have spent 12 months in advanced studies not doing the work. The blame should not be entirely on them for this, the school and advisor should have escalating consequences for failing to push forward.

Re: I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

#244

Post by psychomugs »

iamflimflam1 wrote: post #236
psychomugs wrote: post #226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just finished last year in the US and your first paragraph sums up my experience.

If it’s any consolation, I do believe being in that situation has made me a better manager/mentor.

Definitely. Marathon metaphors aside (I ran an actual marathon during grad school, which would be a closer metaphor if there were no cheering crowds and your coach threw banana peels at you most of the way), I've come to realize that there are very few experiences like it and I'm glad to know they exist.

Re: I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

#245

Post by speculator14 »

The trick I developed in my previous job writing investment memos (which are just essays) is to create an increasingly detailed outline until the complete report has suddenly materialized before your eyes, with only the final step of tying together your notes in complete sentences required.

Re: I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

#246

Post by dendrite9 »

annie_muss wrote: post #12

Here's my thesis procrastination story: I remember sitting in the explanation lecture, 18 months before the deadline for my undergrad thesis. Even then, I was nervous about handing it in on time. So I did the usual things, made week by week plans, asked my supervisor to check in with me etc. Of course, as a serial procrastinator I didn't come close to sticking to the plan. I fiddled around with a few things but didn'…

You might like this very short article in the New Yorker about a cafe for procrastinators with varying levels of supervision. I immediately thought of it when reading your post. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/02/coffee-with-a-...

Re: I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

#247

Post by ghaff »

jdminhbg wrote: post #233
klenwell wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is legendary Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder's technique, too: Since writing is very hard and rewriting is comparatively easy and rather fun, I always write my scripts all the way through as fast as I can, the first day, if possible, putting in crap jokes and pattern dialogue—“Homer, I don’t want you to do that.” “Then I won’t do it.” Then the next day, when I get up, the script’s been written. It’s lousy, but…

I think this a role tools like ChatGPT will fill: spit out a crappy version of something that humans can edit later. It gets you over the hump of looking at a blank page, but isn't itself a deliverable.

Last week I was experimenting with ChatGPT for some of the sorts of trade pub columns I sometimes write. I wouldn't have given anything it created straight to an editor--though I've seen worse. But it gave me some bulleted paragraphs that I mostly agreed with and could certainly serve as a starting point for revising and fleshing out with more detail, maybe some numbers, quotes, links, etc.

While it can head you off down dead-ends, having some structure and words to start with tends to be easier than a blank sheet of paper.

Re: I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

#248

Post by lioeters »

Schroedingers2c wrote: post #36
shikshake wrote: post #27

Hey, I'm the author of this blog post. I didn't think anyone would even read it, let alone post it on HN. To be honest it's a little scary how many people are seeing this post since it's basically my 2am anxiety-fueled cry for help. But it's also motivating reading all these comments from people who've had similar experiences and are offering encouragement. I'm reading every one of your replies and they're giving me…

Hi mate, just mentioning that I'm having similar experiences with dreading supervisor meetings, not making progress for long periods of time, getting frustrated, questioning myself and my career choices, feeling my research is not good enough etc. I also haven't figured it out yet.

I hope you get through the tough times to reach a calmer, more peaceful place in life one day. I imagine it's about persistence and patience, especially being patient with yourself. Good luck my friend!

Re: I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

#249

Post by dhimes »

KVFinn wrote: post #2

If you're not just making slow progress but literally unable to make a single bit of progress, my goto strategy is similar to what writers call a vomit draft. For writing it conventionally means means writing words without stopping to plan or edit, no corrections allowed, the rule is you just have to keep typing, no matter what. It's about something being better than nothing, creating momentum, and also avoids being…

You don't even have to type. Text to speech is fine for this and the barrier to getting started is nil. Make a rough outline of what you want to cover and have at it.

Re: I've procrastinated working on my thesis for more than a year

#250

Post by microtherion »

KVFinn wrote: post #2

If you're not just making slow progress but literally unable to make a single bit of progress, my goto strategy is similar to what writers call a vomit draft. For writing it conventionally means means writing words without stopping to plan or edit, no corrections allowed, the rule is you just have to keep typing, no matter what. It's about something being better than nothing, creating momentum, and also avoids being…

I used a somewhat similar technique after I got stuck in my PhD for more than a year: I sat down and wrote a chapter explaining why my research was doomed, because XY could not be properly measured and quantified etc. It turned out that once I had my concerns spelled out on paper instead of tossing them around in my head, proceeding to the actual measuring and quantifying was anything but impossible.
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