I defended my prospectus at the end of March 2020, just before the pandemic started. The beginning of the pandemic was doubly stressful for me because of this; it felt like I should not only take care of my health and everything else by myself but that I should also write the whole dissertation. To reduce some of this stress, I decided to get help from every available resource.

When I received an email from the Center of Ideas and Society inviting graduate students to form writing groups, I decided to participate. In the beginning, it felt weird for me to sit in front of my laptop, mute myself but leave the camera on, and write with four other unfamiliar people from different departments, working subjects, and interests. Soon, however, these weekly meetings turned out to be more than just eight eyes watching me through a single lens forcing me to write. This writing group helped me to create daily writing habits that lead me to progress. At the beginning of each session, we very briefly shared what we were working on and what our goal was for the day. This developed a habit in me to be able to set a goal for each writing session whether I am alone or in a group. Eventually, we started sharing some useful information about writing and how to stay accountable. One great accountability tip was to sign up for the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD).

 

[Image Description: A cat wearing a bowtie and round glasses sits in front of a laptop computer. The cat seems to be looking fixedly at the computer screen, deep in conversation.]

Pictured: You in a zoom writing sessions--gotta stay focused

 

NCFDD is an independent professional development resource that is free for students through our UCR institutional login. NCFDD provides different events, workshops, and webinars throughout the year (you've probably seen them advertised in the R'Grad Weekly emails!). I attended one of their core curriculum webinar called “SKILL #1: Summer needs a plan.” This workshop helped me be more realistic about planning and avoid underestimating the amount of time I need to complete a task. My favorite event from the NCFDD community is the “14-Day writing challenge”. After you sign up, you will be grouped with a few other people. Everyone checks in daily and writes for 30 minutes. Members usually read each other's writings and leave some comments.

There are different ways to structure a writing group. For instance, one of my friends and colleagues wanted to do some quality writing for a few months. So, she sent out an email invitation to some of the people in our department and shared a google doc to set up a time with those who were interested. A couple of small groups came out of this. In fact, I am currently participating in two of these groups!

 

[Image Description: The cast of Parks and Recreation in a group web call. They are all waving and blowing kissed to one another before logging off the call.]

Pictured: Your writing group, excited for you to join them

 

From my very first writing group hosted by Center for Ideas and Society I learned about Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis by Joan Bolker. One of the members recommended the book to the group as an additional resource. She mentioned how reading the book changed her experience with the process of writing. I decided to give it a try. After reading the book, I still do not believe that I can write my dissertation in 15 minutes a day! However, I found it very helpful in terms of suggesting various types of writings and allowing for “making a mess” as you work. Bolker mainly deals with identifying internal and external distractions that are barriers to writing. So, instead of avoiding writing altogether or blaming ourselves for not being productive, he gives tips to identify those barriers and overcome them by establishing writing habits.

 

[Image Description: A person in a uniform seated on a chair has an orange, red, and yellow knit blanket over their head. They flail back and forth on the chair, clutching the blanket.] 

Pictured: A visual representation of what it feels like to deal with your writing barriers 

 

Lastly, I decided to revise the tool I am using for writing my dissertation. Sometimes we keep using certain programs or approaches not because they are the most efficient ones but because we get used to them and changes are challenging. I am a long time Scrivener user, where I manage my documents and take notes. I have heard about Notion a couple of times here and there. I started using it for a part of my project and in a matter of three weeks, I switched to Notion for most of my work. I particularly like the visual arrangement of the program. I also switched my reference management from Paperpile to Zotero and I noticed that it is working better for me.

So, remember to welcome change! You never know, change might just help you find what works best for you.