Is It Okay to Procrastinate While Working on a Dissertation?

Procrastination and I are best friends. No, you did not read it wrong. I am a procrastinator.

When students are assigned a dissertation, I have seen them focusing on the deadline from the first day.

“Okay, so my dissertation topic is selected today, now I have 9 months to work on it.” You see, the focus is on the time, not the process.

This mindset often kills the creativity of a person. And considering that it is a dissertation, you need to contribute something valuable in your respective field.

Have you ever come across a spectacular finding in any field and thought for a minute about it? If you are a critical thinker, you might have thought about “how did the researcher think of it this way?” “What certain components made the researcher think that this is important?”

You might have. But have you ever thought, “Okay, everything is good, but did the researcher meet the deadline?”

None of us thinks this when the quality of content speaks for itself.

This is it.

So the race is not to meet the deadline - yes, you must complete the work within the timeline - content quality matters the most.

What I Did With My Dissertation:

While pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration, the day came. Yes, it was time to work on the dissertation.

I saw everyone lose their calm, freaking out that ohh, this is it. How are we going to do it? There are other academic tasks as well, and the deadline (oh my god) we need to meet it too.

But hey, guys, let us first think about the topic, no?

This chaos was all around, while I was critically thinking about my topic - the psychological impact on the gig economy.

And guess what? My topic was approved within a week, while everyone else was panicking. In the meantime, I nearly forgot about my dissertation.

I then began working on it a month later. Procrastination, obviously, hehe.

How You Can Procrastinate While Working on a Dissertation:

If you are a student, then you must have probably heard this phrase a million times: “Procrastination is a student’s biggest enemy.” To some extent, I agree. But not entirely.

So you need to understand this first. When I say you can procrastinate, this does not mean that you begin working just a day before the deadline. No.

Remember, quality matters.

That quality comes when you think straight. You are focused. And you are sure about yourself that you can manage this ABC section within this time frame (despite procrastinating). Also, procrastination often occurs while writing a personal statement. And this is crucial because it is the only way to impress admission officers. So most students get personal statement help from experts to help them.

Just like I did, I procrastinated when I finished the first step (topic selection and approval). I knew this was sorted. Now I will begin the literature review after this certain time and will complete this by the xyz date.

So plan, then procrastinate.

How Procrastination Can Be Beneficial:

Adam Grant, a professor of management and psychology at the Wharton School, has found that procrastination leads to better ideas. Yes, it chips away at productivity, but it is amazing for creative thinkers.

In an op-ed column in the New York Times, titled Why I Taught Myself to Procrastinate, he gave a solid example of an experiment.

He said that one of his former students conducted an experiment where he asked students to generate and submit new business ideas.

He divided the number of students into equal halves. Then asked one group to start right away, while the other half was given 5 minutes to first play Solitaire or Minesweeper.

The results? The procrastinators’ ideas were 28% more creative and original.

For Precrastinators:

Okay, so students. Listen to me. If you are someone who is assigned a task and, without thinking or planning, you simply dive into the project. Stop.

I know you must be producing exceptional academic tasks. But what if you are not applying your full potential? What if you could produce something more appealing and make an unexpected leap? Have you ever thought this way?

So next time, when you work on your academic task. Make a timeline. Begin by writing the first draft, and write it in sections.

Think, think, think. Gather everything you need and critically analyse. Then write a few sentences. Then take a short break.

When you are in a zone - even during break - your brain thinks of more ideas. So you will get back to work with more creative and unique ideas.

For Last-Minute Procrastinators:

Guys, I will be honest with you. If you are one of those “I will start working on the task from next week,” and eventually that next week arrives right before the deadline, you are doing it all wrong.

In such a situation, you only produce content to submit. There is no creativity or critical thinking. And professors know when the assignment is executed in a rush. They could sense it with the quality. And this leads to poor grades.

In any situation, if you get stuck with your academic task and the procrastination level is at its peak. Then students often get dissertation help Dubai from professionals. They can help you offer guidance or give you a clear direction to think. Sounds good, no?

Final Words:

And this was it from my side. I am a procrastinator. And I think this is the best approach that helps me with creative ideas and ensures content quality.

But remember, do not be entirely inconsiderate about the deadline. You just need to make a timeline and follow it thoroughly. Give yourself sufficient time to think critically and evaluate the task.

You can also get help from professionals if stuck at any point. They will help you with guidance and ensure high-quality work.