Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

How do I manage my university dissertation, stress-free?

12 Answers
Last Updated: 08/19/2024 at 12:00am
Perfect therapy for people who need help. I would like to say, I never can imagine it could be possible to heal people like that
Ta Tania
5 star rating
Moderated by

Penny Dahlen, Ed.D., LPC

Licensed Professional Counselor

I am committed to helping you find your passion, heal old wounds, and flow smoother in all aspects of your life path! I use a compassionate listening approach.

Top Rated Answers
Anonymous
January 28th, 2015 5:57am
Good luck with that! I don't think it's possible. What you can do is accept that imperfection is still acceptable. Passing is the goal you want to shoot for, not perfection. Some professors will like your work, others not so much. Either way, they have a vested interest in your success because even if they don't care about you as a person, your success makes them look good, so no worries.
bunnyofdarkness
April 14th, 2015 4:21pm
I think stress-free may be a little ambitious! But you can certainly minimise stress by planning things out in advance. It's hard, but try to do little chunks of work at a time so you don't land up doing everything at the last minute. Remember that it will all end at the end of the year!
KathyTheHealer
May 11th, 2015 2:37pm
It's impossible to manage anything without some of stress. If you recognize this impossibility, then one step closer to the stress free life. The only way to manage something stress free is the most intense way, pay all focus to that thing! Think about it, fix it , talk about it to everyone, try to solve it. The more time you spend on it, the better chance you can solve them quicker than it's supposed to be done. That's will lead you to a stress free life.
shoulderforu
May 17th, 2015 4:52pm
instead of seeing it as a whole big stuff.....cut it down to portions....if its a dissertation of say 10000 words...cut it down to each sections like for example : introduction - 250 words,literature review 2000 words,analysis 150 words......etc.Now that u can finish of each section a day.... another tip is to decrease the reading time by hearing to videos,lectures,interviews etc.. managing a dissertation lies purely of how u plan and organise the whole think...all the best !! :)
Anonymous
July 21st, 2015 2:10am
Ummm....good luck on that! I made sure to complete my dissertation on the same topic as my thesis. That took away some of the extra research as well as extra stress. Also, make a timeline and stick to it. I planned out far enough that my timeline/goals were achievable with only moderate levels of effort. Later, I didn't stick to it and got very stressed because work piled up. So, work with your chair to set some reasonable goals and try to make yourself stick to a timeline.
Bjoern
May 9th, 2016 6:19pm
Set yourself realistic targets for what you want to achieve every day and reward yourself when you achieve your targets. If you feel like you are getting stressed, talk to friends who might be going through the same process and try to support each other. Of course a dissertation writing process will usually entail some amount of stress, but with good planning and the support of friends it will hopefully not bee too much.
Greatlistener87
August 1st, 2016 3:41am
The idea is to have a work life balance. Study hard and play hard. Know when to study and when to play and have fun. Achieve the goals that you need to achieve but never forget to have a good uni life experience as well.
Anonymous
October 17th, 2016 6:40pm
Very good question: unfortunately it's also difficult to answer and you may not be able achieve a completely 100% "stress-free" dissertation. However here are some questions to hopefully help and think about when planning your dissertation: Have you thought about using/ Do you use a planner (i.e. a calendar, or notebook schedule) for deadlines? How good are you at sticking to deadlines you set or deadlines set for you by other people? Have you set realistic small goals/deadlines for yourself to slowly take steps towards finishing your dissertation? Do you use priority lists at times (i.e. making a list and categorizing each thing on the list as important/urgent, important/not urgent, unimportant/urgent, unimportant/not urgent? What environment do you know you can work on your dissertation well in (i.e. working on it in a coffee shop, or in the library vs. working on the dissertation in your living room with the tv on.)? Who do you know can help you with your dissertation? Can you schedule yourself some free-time to hang out with friends/family so you can somewhat de-stress (it's important for mental health at times)? Do you have good communication with your advisor? Does your advisor have any tips/tricks up their sleeve in terms of managing a dissertation stress free? Do you feel you can ask your advisor for an extension on a deadline if it is necessary? Is there a student wellness office on campus or other resources you can use on campus to help you de-stress? What gets you really motivated to write your dissertation? What do you like about your dissertation? I hope this helps and best of luck with it!!
Anonymous
April 24th, 2018 8:43am
Create a list of the tasks I need to fulfill and schedule each day time to work at it. In addition, to avoid feeling overwhelmed, schedule relaxing time. Make sure, to have enough sleep, eat healthy and remind that each step, is a step forward.
Zed17
May 7th, 2018 6:48pm
Work out the best way to breakdown the work you need to do, and give yourself rewards for getting it done. For example you might need to write 500 words a day, then give yourself a treat when you've done it
comfortableRainbow89
August 14th, 2018 2:20am
Every time you are stressed, drop down and do 20 push ups then go outside and take many deep breath. Come back inside and rethink about your time management.
Happysouled
August 19th, 2024 12:00am
Dissertation can be really stressful but you can try to manage it. You can make a time table or a timeframe to do things. You can also prioritize what needs to be done first and in what order you want to do the chapters of dissertation. For example, you can collect the data first as it is the most important part for any dissertation and then score them. Then you can start with the initial chapters like introduction and literature review; ending up at making tabulations and conclusion. It is really stressful when doing dissertations but you can also set a deadline for yourself different from that given by your university. You can also try to do some relaxing exercises and meditation, get proper sleep and eat healthy. Do not ignore your health while doing the dissertation. You can do it! Trust yourself. Good Luck!