1. Back up
Before you even start writing, work out how you will save your work. Saving, version control and backups will then be easy and second nature. The quicker and easier it is, the more likely you will be to stick to it.
Personally, I use my University of Sheffield Google Drive account and my company folders. I use a series of folders including: Conferences, Expenses, Data, External Projects, Literature, Other, Progress Reports, Reports, Thesis and Training Courses. I then additionally periodically back up m entire Google Drive "Natalie Lamb PhD" folder to my hard drive.
2. Know what needs doing
Now for the real work. Start by making a plan of the headings of your chapters/sections. It might help to look up past theses to see how they were structured. Just because they passed, though, doesn't mean what they did is best for what you intend to do.
When you've got your rough headings, think about what the purpose of each heading is. If it isn't helping to narrow the focus of the research or to build the story, maybe it shouldn't be included. For example, the purpose of my literature review sections are:
- Section 1 Why the research is important
- Section 2 Why the research focus is on the network
- Section 3 An overview of networks and how they impact water quality
- Section 4 An overview of the microbiology within the network
- Section 5 Chemicals used in the network and their impact on the network and its microbiology
Then when you are happy that you have your chapters laid out and that they all add something crucial to your thesis, colour code that list. So, one thing that I've found difficult during my thesis writing is feeling like I've made progress. To overcome this, I colour code my thesis structure so I can quickly and easily see the work I've done and what I've got left to do. This, for me, is a vital tool so that I know what needs doing.
3. Set yourself targets
A lot of people need pressure to be able to work. In a PhD or similar research you likely don't have the time pressure of a looming deadline so, instead, you have to make your own.
One thing I in particular have struggled with is prioritising writing with other research tasks (such as running rigs, sampling, lab or field work) because the other research tasks seem more pressing than the writing. The reality is, I will need both to achieve my qualification. Setting targets also helps me with this.
I used to set targets using a to do list everyday that I would update in my diary. But, especially as I was frequently in different locations, it was increasingly difficult to find the time to get it out. Also, there was always the dreaded diary changeover period at the start of a new year.
Now, I use Trello as an online to do list. I have the following headings (known as lists): Shorter Term, Thesis, Longer Term, Pending, Top Priorities, Print and Progression Requirements. You can set time limits to the to dos (known as cards), descriptions, checklists and I also use colour coding (known as labels, with red=urgent, yellow=needs doing, green=would be nice) to prioritise the things I need to do. I really like it and it works very well for me to set targets to write certain sections of my thesis.
4. Make yourself accountable to someone
Sometimes it's not enough to just set yourself targets. Maybe you miss them, make excuses and just generally don't stick to them. You may just need someone external to you to keep you in check.
One person I used to use is my supervisor. I would send an email letting them know that they would receive a certain section within a certain date. In the end, I found this didn't work for me all that much because I would say it but there was no-one to chase me. This may be something that works for you, however.
Instead, I signup up to the University of Sheffield Thesis Mentoring programme. Me and my thesis mentor email once at the beginning of the month. I send her my colour coded thesis structure (above), let her know how it has gone in the last month and let her know what I intend to complete in the next month. The repeated discomfort of letting my thesis mentor know I still haven't added to that pesky section in a whole month really gives me the boost I need to get it sorted. This programme may not be something ran by your institution however if you could find someone in your research group or even a family member or friend, this is something you could do too.
5. Write!
The key to writing a lot is to schedule the time to do it. You need to sit down and do it. Try not to be a perfectionist about it. Just go!
