Finding Time and Space to Write

This topic may seem incredibly pedantic, but you would be surprised how important it is to plan for your dissertation to work. Where do you work best? When do you work best? What is your significant other(s) going to tolerate in terms of your work? Where are you going to keep all your "stuff" while you work? I know when I was working on my dissertation I had the luxury of being alone. I got rid of my t.v. during that time and I was able to work at odd hours and have all my "stuff" out all over my apartment at the time. I know most if not all of you are not at a point in life when you can do that. So, you've got to figure out how to fit this into your life in a way that won't overwhelm you with guilt or consume your relationships - a tall order.

Here are some suggestions I've known from others - whether working on their theses, dissertations, or just writing prolifically as professors:

Marathon Saturdays

One woman who finished when I did took every Saturday - all day from very early to very late - and worked on her dissertation. She was married and had young children. She was tired of feeling guilty every time she did something with her family in the evenings or on Sundays, so she determined that one day a week would be devoted to her dissertation and the rest of the week was devoted to her family. Her husband supported her and made Saturdays "daddy days" with their girls. It took her a bit longer to get done working just one day a week, but she got done, didn't lose quality time with her family, and stayed relatively sane throughout the process.

"Class Night" Equivalents

Several of my master's students who had to write their theses in two semesters, took the same night or two nights a week they had previously been in class and stayed away from home the same number of hours to work on their theses. Since their families had become used to them being gone during that time they didn't notice the difference. That way these students didn't feel guilty not working on their theses at other times.

Early Risers

Most of my most productive writing was early in the morning. When it wasn't crunch time, I would usually allow myself an hour or two in the morning before work. That way, I didn't have to retool my brain after a day of suspending seventh graders, etc. When it was crunch time (remember - I was alone and I wouldn't recommend this if you have to be human toward others in your home), I would leave work, go to the gym, go home and eat dinner, and then go directly to bed (7:30ish). I would get up at 3:00 (or even earlier when it was that last dash to the end - typically before Starbucks closed at midnight), and write until time to leave for work. I was trying to mazimize the use of my brain not on assistant principal "stuff" like it always was at the end of the day. Plus, I knew that morning time was always my best time to write and think.

Every Day

If any of you have Googled or search engined Henry Giroux, you know the man has written more than should be humanly possible. From what I've heard, he writes something every day - even if it is just a page. It keeps it churning in his head so any "down time" he may have during the day can be used thinking about what he is writing.

Regular Writing Retreats

Another scholar who has been prolific throughout his career is Jesse Goodman. He told me that he has a country house (little more than a trailer) about an hour or so from Bloomington, IN, where he lives with his wife and two kids. He would leave home Thursday mornings, go and write at that house until Friday or Saturday evening, and then come home. The rest of the week he focused on teaching and being with his kids. Granted, this took an understanding wife, but I suppose she thought it was better to be a single parent a couple days a week and get his relatively undivided support at home the rest of the week. While this may be too much to think about - perhaps one long weekend a month - where you take a Friday off (yes, that could get expensive if you end up doing it a few times without pay but it may be money well invested) to go and write somewhere for three straight days.

Roald Dahl's Advice

While this isn't necessarily about a specific time, I once say a video of Dahl talking about writing. He had a gypsy caravan in his back yard (like in one of his books) and he would go there every day to write. His greatest advice was to never leave what you are doing unless you know exactly what you are going to write when you return. If you do, then you will be reluctant to return and will struggle getting started when you return. I always try to do this myself - and it makes an incredible difference.

What can you give up?

As I mentioned above, I put my television in the closet during the entire time I worked on my dissertation. I never watched it that much, but since I was recently divorced, I realized how often I would turn it on to fill the room with noise when I came home and how that would sometimes distract me from working on the dissertation ( I can't recall how many times I would mysteriously be drawn into a rerun of some dumb sitcom on TBS instead of writing). Plus, living in basically a one-room apartment in Buckhead, it would have been right there all the time - tempting me. Are there things that fill your days/nights - however innocently? I know I'm now "addicted" to the AJC in the mornings - spending at least 30 minutes scanning it while drinking coffee. When I'm on a tight deadline, I give that up. There may be something that you feel you can give up just while you are working on the dissertation that wouldn't affect you or your family too much. It might be a "fun" way (o.k., a stretch here) for your family to support you - to turn off the t.v. for one night a week or for a couple hours a night to create that time for you to work and for them to do something else.