I officially have 35 days (5 weeks) left of research here in Rio and....I'm bored. For any other grad student researcher on fellowship, that- what I said just now- it's a mortal sin. But, so help me god, I am. I'm bored. Maybe I'm overly-confident, right? Missing something. I thought so but, after telling my advisors all the work I've already done and asking for leads, they had very little to suggest. So, am I a dynamo-researcher? A genius? Unfortunately, no.
I've learned a few things during my time researching abroad. Strangely enough, very few of those few things have actually been research-related. (Again, MAJOR sin just committed there.) Mostly, I've finally figured out what kind of worker I am. This might sound like no big deal but, let me tell you, that's a make it or break it piece of information in the academic world. Once I return to the US, I'll be entering the, "You-should-know-how-to-do-this-by-now-so-just-do-it" phase. No guidance, no deadlines, no one telling you what to do or how it should be done. Just me....and about 300 blank pages waiting to be filled with magic.
Naturally, the thought of that kind of self-motivating, long-term project often scares the bejeezus out of most people-- including me. In fact, more students drop out at the writing phase than at any other point, according to a study at Amherst College. The author states that students fail to recognize PhD programs as having two separate phases: coursework and writing. Students also fail to realize that stellar performance in the first does not guarantee success in the second. They test your abilities and stamina on two very different levels.
So, this brings me back to my original question: am I a genius for being "done" early? No. Not at all. I've discovered, to my surprise, that I'm a slow and steady worker. I do a few hours a day (generally 4-5) but I do every day, almost without fail. At first, I felt bad about my type. I have grad student friends here in Rio and also in the US that are power-through people; the kind that will work 8, 10, 12 hours a day on something, seemingly without exhaustion, until it's done. I was that person in college. As an undergrad, as long as I kept up with readings, homework,etc., I could write a term paper in one night; I could cram for a final in one day. I thought I was just "good" at school. So, what did I do? I went to graduate school, like an idiot.
***Graduate school is not for people who are "good" at undergrad. Did you hear me potential grad school applicants who want to delay the "real world" because the economy and the job market are bad????? DO NOT DO IT. You will waste your time, your advisor's time and lots of department money that could be much better spent. ***
Now that I've discovered my graduate school working "type", what does that mean? Well, apparently, it means work less. Yes, I said it-- another BIG sin. Well, actually, not a sin. Just a phrase that's easily misinterpreted. According to The Thesis Whisperer, if you set aside a small window per day (every day) that you will be 100% devoted and focused on writing your dissertation, you can get huge chunks done in a shorter period of time. So--eliminate the other innumerable hours of email checking, Facebook updating, Pinterest pinning, and blog writing-- and what are you left with? Work. She even suggests as little as 2 hours a day! Amazing, right? It's so counter-intuitive but basically boils down to quality over quantity. She also says to write fast and only re-write slow. Just like ripping off a band-aid.
These theories appear to be proven to work and are widely supported. Psychologist Paul Silvia's book How to Write a Lot, warns against the power-through, "binge writing" methods of some academics. He suggests being an obsessive scheduler; set aside a few hours, 2-3, per day that are strictly for writing. It's also important to know at what time of day you are at your "peak performance". Apparently, I've stumbled into the self-awareness necessary to complete both my research and my dissertation writing. Now that the first part is coming to a conclusion, I just have to draw up a battle plan for writing when I get back to the US. Willy Wonka was actually completely correct when he said, "So much time, so little to do!" Go figure.
Until next time...
