Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Editing and Procrastination

I have spent the past four weeks madly editing my thesis leaving little time for myself or for enjoying the good things in life. Not that I am complaining but I am having trouble finalising my work. My thesis subject matter is deep and meaningful and it is something that I am passionate about. The subject matter is close to my lived experiences therefore it is requiring me to put aside my personal thoughts and focus on the academic paradigm of an anthropology discourse in order for me to gain good grades.

The issue that I have had previously is that I was struggling with sifting through the information to make some sense of what it is I am really trying to say. Having said that I managed to put my thoughts in order and deliver a coherent and clear argument, however I have just realised that although my thoughts about my subject matter are coherent and clear, I am having problems finalising the task of editing. 

Is it boredom, is it lack of wanting to finish it, or is it because I have a short attention span which I gladly own up to? I am not sure what is going on, but what I do know is that I only have 5 more days to finalise my thesis and submit it. 

I feel a big sigh coming on! The interesting thing is that I do not feel stressed or that I need more time. I have written my thesis, I have read through it and it is coherent. I am clear and have remained focused on my argument. it is the editing that is driving me insane and referencing the parts that need tidying up. 

I think the issue is that once I achieve what I set out to do I have difficulty returning to it, so maybe this is why I am struggling to finalise my thesis, or maybe I am just waiting for the last minute because I love working under pressure, it keeps the adrenaline pumping and motivates me to remain focused. 

So MF some clarity here would be welcomed.

On that note I am signing off to go back to work on editing my thesis or to think about editing my thesis. There is always tomorrow night, less stress it will get done.

Life is good!

3 comments:

  1. I absolutely get your frustration. Refining what you are saying to it's essence is the key and this is difficult if you are anything like me and see all the other connections.

    I am not sure of the format so it's difficult for me to give you appropriate feedback ie is this like an abstract of about 200 words or one sentence? Is it kind of the candidacy bit? In the end it's a matter of going deeper and not broader. And the passion part is what drives it so find out where the passion is but then pull back and look at it from a slight distance, because otherwise it's too hard to be academic. And be tough about throwing out stuff that dilutes your argument. You can work out how it links to other things later. The best advice I got was 'write so your mother could understand it'. Finding ways to say really complex things clearly to people without a similar academic background on my blog has really helped me with that.

    if you want to run some stuff by me on e-mail I will see if I can help. (It will be confidential then rather than here in an open forum). It sometimes helps for others to take a look as we tend to get so close we can't see it - especially when we are invested emotionally.

    Also have a look at the 'Thesis Whisperer' blog - the link is on my blog. If you do a search you may find some tips. This lady is very good at simplifying the enormous task that a thesis is.

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  2. Hi MF thank you so much. I just read your comment and to be honest after I blogged my frustration I went back to work on my thesis and did just that. I deleted the parts that diluted my argument and I have added information deeper not broader. I love that you get that.

    I think the issue is that I have focused on my argument so re-reading it is a tad boring. But I am forcing my self to be extremely pedantic and very clear about my argument and the structure of my sentences to make sure that they flow and are easy to read as well as be academic, and how I have clarity about how I want the chapter to unfold.

    In fact this morning I woke up with complete clarity and spent half of my day at work on my thesis (bad barb).

    Amazing how blogging cleared my thoughts and removed the blockage. I can see that I will have it finished on the weekend and ready for submission on Monday.

    Thank you I value your comments and your thoughts and I will take a look at the link. I probably wont run anything by you at this stage because my thoughts are flowing and I don't want to distract myself from my focus at the moment (feeling good), but thank you for the offer, I will definitely take that up when I begin my Phd next year.

    Talk soon

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  3. Excellent Barb. Yes, it can take some time to get clear and cull the confusing language - but so satisfying when other people get it. After all, for me it's all about making myself understood, communicating with people, otherwise it's just some weird wanky thing to write a thesis.

    Onya for sticking with it, that can be hard especially when you have to work as well. Hope you have a very productive weekend! (Don't forget to get off the computer regularly and go for a long walk sometime) XX

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