ABSTRACT
I was working about 20 hours a week at a “paying” job while I wrote my dissertation. I decided that even though I would not get paid for the time I put into my dissertation, I was still going to treat it like a “real” job. I decided that a minimum 20 hours a week would be a reasonable amount of time for me to spend on it, and that I could work the 20 hours any way that I liked—two ten-hour days or five four-hour days, etc. I kept a calendar/log where I marked down the amount of time that I spent, and I totaled it each week to make sure that I met my minimum time. I didn’t need to write during that 20 hours: The time was legitimate as long as it related to the dissertation, such as reading, making telephone calls, committee meetings, etc. I found this to be helpful because first, it showed the progress that I made. Even if I didn’t get much written, I could look at the log and see the time that I spent. It was also helpful because I have a tendency to overwork. If I wanted to do something nondissertation related, I could do it without guilt because I had put in my minimum time. If I wanted to work more than 20 hours, fine, but I had at least put in my minimum time.
