Tiffany started you off on this Bullet journal journey with some gorgeous example templates for dissertation planning. For those not interested in the hobby of lettering, or those who want their entries to be quick and convenient, there is a whole sub-set of folks bullet journaling in a minimalist format. I tend to end up somewhere in the middle. Sometimes I spend time making my pages look cute, but I also use my bullet journal as somewhat of a workhorse. If I need to scribble down notes or ideas quickly, so be it.
There are plenty of places online to look for bullet journaling layout ideas (my favorites are Pinterest and Instagram), but I wanted to talk more specifically about how you can use your journal as a motivational tool. Writing a dissertation or thesis is a long process that requires sustained attention and effort, and a bullet journal can function as a helpful tracker of your progress.
Writing a dissertation or thesis is all about setting a series of goals. Due dates for your chapters, due dates for your research or literature review, due dates for sections of chapters, and finally goals for everyday writing. The latter is what I’d like to focus on here.
Most of the texts on dissertation writing agree that we should be working on our projects daily, whether that’s a 6-hour block of time or the 20 minutes you have on the train. It’s not always easy to see how those small daily efforts add up to you reaching your larger goal. Here’s a few things I’ve tried.
You could set up a word count goal for the day. I have experimented with making a sticker chart for myself like the ones we had in elementary school and giving myself a sticker per 100 words I write (thanks to Katy Peplin for this idea). It’s amazing how this little motivational tool still works. Our teachers were on to something. I got these stickers at the dollar store. You could use stars, hearts, or any other sticker shape you like.
Another method of tracking progress is setting time-based goals. I’m a huge fan of the Pomodoro Method, and I set up a pomodoro goal at the beginning of each month. I record these daily and count them up at the end of the month, but you could also use a sticker chart or adapt the idea of a mood tracker (i.e. fill in one space per pomodoro).
One of the great advantages to the bullet journal is having a physical space to organize your thoughts and track your progress. I’ve been bullet journaling for about three years now, and one of the things I love best about it is having a record of all the work I’ve done. Because results are slow in coming, it can be easy to forget the amount of work you are putting in. After I passed my comprehensive exams I looked back on my bullet journals and was able to see how many small goals I met before I met the larger goal of passing the exam. One day I read half a book, the next I transcribed my notes, and the next day I met with my study buddy. It’s like putting a bucket under a leaky faucet. Each drip makes the bucket fuller, and all these drops of water will eventually fill the bucket.
- Amanda
Amanda Roberts is a guest bloggerPhD candidate in the English Department at NIU. She is currently researching Tori Amos to complete her dissertation.
