Is the thought of writing your dissertation starting to feel like you are standing at the base of Mount Everest wondering how on earth you are going to climb to the top and finish this thing? Sometimes looking at the whole project can cause overwhelm, and is then used as an excuse not to take action. Not to worry though... I’m here to share the single most important strategy that helped me gain momentum and plow forward when I was floundering while writing my own dissertation. The key to time management and preventing overwhelm is scheduling out your dissertation tasks step by step.

 

First, download a Gantt chart template, and format it to suit your needs. I found a blank template online, after three years of floundering through my dissertation, and the Gantt chart alone was instrumental in my making forward movement to finish.  

 

Start backward with your defense celebration and outline each step it will take to get there. I...