Chapter 12: The Dissertation Writing Process

All of us have had the experience of starting out to do a particular task and, hours later, realized that we have been sidetracked and are no longer focusing on that task. Something else has attracted our attention and, sometimes without even realizing it, we have shifted our focus. This happens often when it comes to dissertation work. One of the peculiar characteristics of the dissertation process is how compelling some things become that were frequently ignored before the dissertation became so important. Housework, such as cleaning the bathroom, arranging the bookshelves, or putting up curtains that have been in the closet for more than a year, can become so critical that the task commands a doctoral student’s attention when plans called for hours of work on some aspect of the dissertation. If you find yourself concerned about the waxy buildup on your kitchen floor, or the disorganization apparent in the way you have run cables from your computer to you peripherals, this may be a sign of disserŧaŧus avoidus—a psychosocial malady that is surprisingly prevalent among dissertation students, even those who proclaim loudly and often that their dissertation has their highest priority. There are lots of reasons for this problem and they vary from student to student. Doing a dissertation calls for a significant shift in working patterns, especially if you have just spent 2 years taking courses with other students and having the schedule of the classes, the tasks to be completed, and the timeline for completion, set by someone else. Now, along comes the dissertation and it can be a solitary activity that also requires you to make, on your own, many decisions about time allocation, what to work on now, and when to contact your advisor or committee. Other possible causes of dissertatus avoidus include worries about the ability to complete the dissertation successfully, the huge amount of work that has to be done to finish, and competing demands for available time. Sometimes doing something like cleaning the apartment, which has never been a priority, is a way of avoiding harder choices such as spending the weekend on a family outing versus sending the family on a picnic while you stay at home or go to the library and work on your dissertation.