Why are you not doing your dissertation?
**Calling All Cars**Calling All Cars**Calling All Cars**
Potter's Mother is Procrastinating From Writing Her Dissertation!! Emergency!! Deadline Approaching September 21st!! Goals Not Achieved!! Encouragement, Harrassment, Words Of Wisdom, Prodding With Sticks Urgently Needed!!
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for [my mother] to [write her] dis[sertation, so that she can get her dream job, and live happily ever after...]
Everyone else: I know what you're thinking--"Oh good grief. Potter is blogging this again?" That's right. It's encourage Potter's Momma day here at the blog. Even if you don't know her (or me), leave a word of encouragement, a humorous higher ed incident, a knock-knock joke, constructive harrassment...This thing WILL BE DONE by next May. We have all this time to get used to calling her "Dr. Lastname", but she's gotta rush to finish. (I say its time to start using all those saved up sick days...)
Here, I've made it easy! There's the comments button below! Try clicking it and see what happens!
dissertation
**Calling All Cars**Calling All Cars**Calling All Cars**
Potter's Mother is Procrastinating From Writing Her Dissertation!! Emergency!! Deadline Approaching September 21st!! Goals Not Achieved!! Encouragement, Harrassment, Words Of Wisdom, Prodding With Sticks Urgently Needed!!
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for [my mother] to [write her] dis[sertation, so that she can get her dream job, and live happily ever after...]
Everyone else: I know what you're thinking--"Oh good grief. Potter is blogging this again?" That's right. It's encourage Potter's Momma day here at the blog. Even if you don't know her (or me), leave a word of encouragement, a humorous higher ed incident, a knock-knock joke, constructive harrassment...This thing WILL BE DONE by next May. We have all this time to get used to calling her "Dr. Lastname", but she's gotta rush to finish. (I say its time to start using all those saved up sick days...)
Here, I've made it easy! There's the comments button below! Try clicking it and see what happens!
dissertation
posted by Potter at 8:13 PM
17 Comments:
For you mother:
A Taoist story tells of an old man who accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive. "I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived."
I, too, am an incorrigible procrastinator. When I'm depressed, I wind up falling into inaction. Then, as undone work piles up, I can feel justified. I deserve to feel bad--just look at everything I should have done!
The way out starts with just one small, easy effort. I know it sounds trite, but success builds on success. People care about you, your feelings, and your achievements. Give them something to show that you are making an effort, however small, and they will be there for you as you go forward with help and encouragement.
Don't let apathy and entropy win. Live! Act! Be excited again! I want you to reach your goal and know that you have access to the strength you need. Reach out. It's all around you. Our energy is shared and reflected throughout humanity.
Best advice ever got was after having a total change of lifestyle after developing a neuo-muscular disorder.
Not only did I not know what I was or was not capable of physically, but memory was shot due to medication.
The advice was; to do immediately what came into my mind; if not possible to do at once, write it down and do them when it was possible.
A pad of paper and pocket notebook became my memory; after a while the lists got shorter, then disappeared entirely.
The undone things were "renting space in my head", keeping me preoccupied, and sapping energy and vitality, not to speak of my morale.
"Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult--once we truly understand and accept it--then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters."
--M. Scott Peck
Dear Momma Potter,
Often procrastination is a sign of perfectionism run amuk. So lets accept that our labor will not lead to perfection, while also remembering that inaction won't either. Can you guess which will get you closer?
Best wishes to the world's next Ph.D..
--john
If you are anything like your wonderful daughter, which you must be, then I suggest you remind yourself of that factor, and go get 'em (so to speak).
My thoughts are with you, and I am are you are more than capable of success. Time is of the essence.
Best wishes and good luck on your dissertation! You can do it! Ciao from Italy, Andrea
Potter's mother, at the request of your lovely daughter, I'm wishing you all the luck (not that you need it or anything) in getting your Ph.D. Keep up the good work and just think...soon you'll be able to tell people..."that's Dr. to you" How awesome is that? :D
nOW THERE ARE 300 DAYS TO GO, AND i am WORKING ON the diss...it's not all necessarily writing. With the assistance of a four yeear old, it has become more difficult -- but I shall perservere!!! Your encouragement (humiliation) is most greaty appreciated.
Love, Momma
Yeah MommaPotter! That's the attitude! You can do it, just keep trucking, keep putting one foot (or should I say one letter?) in front of the other!
ps: your do have a wonderful daughter!
eat
potatoes and fry!!!!!!
Hey there mom...
You are so close... obstacles can pop up just to challenge you when you're standing at the door of a new horizon. Or, you are having snags that are there to cause you to grow bigger. Sometimes procrastination is just plain ol' fear. The mind tries to tell you that you can't accomplish something
which is a totally false, limiting belief.This is just the ego mind trying to keep you safe, which is
again, false. You must retrain your mind, and get it to think the thoughts you want it to think.
You can do it! All that you need to
bring this project to completion is already inside you. It is already done! See it as perfect and complete. Now just relax and allow the dissertation to come from the deepest place in your soul.
I feel some degree of awe about this post from Potter. From my whole being I see a continuum of life in this post. If the phD is meant to be, it will be.
But you sure scored on the daughter front Momma Potter. I think you probably know that. Dream larger. Go on. You can do it.
"Let the sunshine in"
If I were Rob Schneider, I'd pop out of the middle of nowhere and exclaim, "You can do eeeeett!"
Best of luck, Momma Potter. Nothing is impossible, and the best things are achieved only after a Sisyphean struggle.
--karen
I had the very best advice as I struggled and hedged and fought and argued when 'doing' my thesis. An experienced academic said, "For gawd's sake, Susan, every one has some complaint about their thesis. It doesn't matter if it's at the undergrad level, masters, or even PhD. Just do the damn thing and complain after all you want." So, I threw all my energy I had been using to complain and procastinate into doing "the damn thing" and lo, and behold, I got it done ... and it became a benchmark in esteem I still use to this day. So, Mamma POtter, just do the damn thing and procrastinate about the other stuff for a while. *_*
I would *happily* do the wave, like fans do at a game, as a form of support for Potter's Mom, but I'm afraid that I would look like a complete and utter arse. So, I will resort to encouraging you on with my cheerleading pom-poms. Best of luck and go get 'em, Potter's Mom!
Oh, I'll be happy to bring out the pom-poms anytime you need the added incentive. :-) Just let me know.
My friend finally finished his dissertation last year & got his Ph.D. I still have a hard time calling him "Doctor"...LOL. Good Luck to your Mom!
You stopped by my blog some time ago. Did you make those scones?
I recommend breaking your project up into even smaller steps and trying to accomplish one of the steps right now...you can totally do this! Cheers from Chicago!
Karen
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