For the last six weeks I have been avoiding a task that is critical to writing a dissertation. This task is not complicated but for some reason I really detest it. The task that I am referring to is compiling a spreadsheet that summarizes key information from research studies. The spreadsheet contains several fields that need to be populated such as author, title, methodology. and findings. I devised the spreadsheet when I was writing a working paper last year and it was extremely useful in many ways. It served as a valuable reference document when I wrote my literature review and also helped me to refine my research question. Additionally, it is a useful learning tool because it provokes a deeper understanding of research due to the detail that is required to populate the spreadsheet. Despite the numerous benefits I have studiously avoided updating the spreadsheet with the latest research that I have reviewed.
The good news is that today was the day that I stopped my nonsense and input some data for 90 minutes. I have decided that I need to devote at least 2 hours every Saturday to do this task because it is critical for my success and I clearly will not do it without some degree of structure. Adding structure in the form of a “To Do” checklist for each week has also enabled an increase in my productivity during the work week. This week I managed to complete 4 statistics videos, read a research paper, and scheduled some meetings with other researchers. I am especially excited about a meeting scheduled for Wednesday with a Henley DBA who recently successfully defended her thesis. I am looking forward to learning about her experience at the VIVA and receiving some advice for my thesis journey.
Overall it has been a good week of academic, work and life. We are in the midst of a merger at work which is progressing well but is fraught with change so there is a lot of “bobbing and weaving”. I also managed to play tennis three times and watched a good deal of Wimbledon on TV. Today I arrived at the library early and worked diligently for 4 hours. In the afternoon I went to a very interesting “Afternoon Tea” fundraiser. Tonight my partner and I are supposed to go to a BBQ, but I am feeling pretty fatigued. In fact, as I re-read this post I understand why I feel tired. Pizza, beer, and chillaxing on the couch sounds like a MUCH better plan!