Weeds and Dissertations

June 13th is National Weed Your Garden Day! Can I stop you on your way out to the garden to talk a minute about how to most effectively weed your dissertation?…

So, how do you weed a dissertation? In a word… Editing.

First, what is a weed, exactly?

Oxford’s definition of a weed is “a wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants.”

So, it’s basically just a plant you don’t want.

For your dissertation weeds could be: 1) stray thoughts that distract from the main idea, 2) errors that distract from the main idea, or 3) anything your committee doesn’t like.

Now we know what to dig up when you’re weeding your dissertation. But, don’t get carried away!

Just like a gardener doesn’t need to weed an area that they just planted that very day, editing a section you just wrote is unnecessary, even counter-productive.

Editing can get distracting and prevent you from making forward progress. Let it rest. Plan a time for editing and only edit during that time.

As an example, maybe you decide that Monday-Friday you’ll just write…no editing. Saturday, you take a day off from your dissertation, and Sunday you edit, make revisions, and plan your writing for the following week.

This way you end up spending more time writing (planting), and less time editing and rewriting (weeding).

Are you getting so distracted that you can’t see the garden for the weeds? Click here to schedule a quick, 15-minute chat with me to see if you’re a good candidate for our Fast Track Your Dissertation Coaching Program. If you are, then I’ll invite you to join the fastest group of dissertation students out there and help you to reach graduation a good year or two faster than you would on your own.