Pretty Hard, Dammit:
A (Somewhat) Daily Account of One ABD’s Epic Struggle to Complete Her Dissertation
I started this blog to chronicle my progress as I wrote my dissertation. We dissertators tend to be secretive, paranoid, and reluctant to share what we’re going through with others. So I began blogging here to open up my writing and thinking process and to share some accountability for what I manage to do (and not do) as I Struggle Toward Ending this pretty hard thing, dammit, With Grace And Dignity. (Aha! Stewgad!)
Meanwhile, I got a job, a baby, and an occasionally grouchy husband. (Not in that order, by the way.) So I began writing about them too as they “help” me plug away at the dissertation. These days I blog about raising said baby (The Gadlet), teaching full-time, maintaining a marriage with aforementioned grouchy husband (Spousal Unit), and my somewhat feeble attempts to stay sane, rested (ha!), and happy.
So far, I think there’s been a lot of struggle, a little bit of grace, precious little dignity, and a rapidly approaching ending.
Stay tuned for further updates.
Pretty Hard, Dammit 
*VERY* envious of your rapidly approaching ending!!! I’m about to start my 3rd year in ABD Land…and I don’t even have a baby or a husband — grouchy or otherwise! And I only teach part-time.
Umm…help. In any case…best wishes as you approach the end!
Hiya,
I’m a freelance journalist and I’m writing a short article about how to avoid procrastination, especially grading procrastination. Did you know that your blog entry on the topic is one of google’s top hits for “avoiding grading procrastination”? (You answered a meme to avoid grading… 😉 )
In any case, I’d love to ask you a few questions about your experiences procrastinating and how you work to avoid it. I know you’re in the dissertation home stretch (congratulations!) but maybe this will provide a nice, short procrastination distraction? If you’d prefer to wait until after the diss, would you be able to answer by the 16th? Could be either over email or I could call you at your convenience–shouldn’t take more than about 15 minutes.
Thanks!
Naomi Seck
1) Do you think there’s a difference in procrastination for grading compared to other work, such as course prep?
2) Do you have any anecdotes or extreme examples of times you really procrastinated getting your grading done?
3) What do you do when you should be grading?
4) Have you come across any effective strategies to get over the procrastination hump?
5) Who do you think procrastinates more, teachers or students?
6) Is there anything else you’d like to add or that I haven’t touched on?
Thank you!
Hi Naomi –
I’m so sorry that I just now saw this post. I’ll try to post a comment on your blog, and send you an email address where you can get in touch with me. In February I wasn’t checking out the blog at all! I’ve also been a bit negligent of late, but I didn’t mean to blow you off! Let’s talk.
best,
Stewgad