Due Dates

I’ve come to realize that due dates are necessary. In the two courses I’ve taken so far, the due dates are imposed by the syllabus and the timeline set by the instructor. With the next course, a self-directed study, the timeline and task due dates have been negotiated to fit into my schedule as well as that of my supervisor. While there’s flexibility, there are definite expectations for certain tasks to be completed by certain dates. Knowing this, I will need to consider this for each of the major steps toward dissertation. As a PhD student, I know there are due dates and timelines that hold me accountable for the work I accomplish. When I become a PhD candidate, I will to impose my own due dates, in conjunction with that of my supervisor and committee, in order to meet the timelines that need to be set for completion of the research. This past week has emphasized the monumental task ahead, and how important due dates will be.

I wrote an essay for 6411 – Cognition and Learning. I wrote an essay for 6020 – Doctoral Seminar one. Both of these essays were twenty pages in length. Both of these essays took over two weeks of active and dedicated time for writing, with lots of work done prior to the two weeks of writing in terms of reading, annotations, notes, thinking and reflections. For those two weeks, a full day of writing – tediously slow word crafting, verifying, rethinking, building new connections, then rewriting and rewording every sentence, every paragraph. At the end, once all the words are written, it was sent off to my daughter, who’s my go-to editor. This resulted in revisions and re-writing where things didn’t make sense to her, where the word-smithing didn’t say things clearly enough. Even then, it was not finished. Then I printed out a copy, to read out loud to myself, resulting in extensive revisions again. This takes another full day. Still not done – verifying and checking all the in-text citations and bibliographic information comes next. Checking and double checking the APA requirements, not only in the document itself but in every capital, comma, colon, period, and parenthesis. Removing them, adding them, checking the accuracy of them, and rechecking yet again, are all time consuming – requiring another half day of work.

So if this is the time required for twenty pages of text, I have come to realize that 150+ pages of text in my dissertation will require an extensive time commitment. Since it won’t be part of a set course of study, it will be important for me to impose the structure and timelines in order to complete the tasks required, or I just won’t get them done. It took the hard and fast due date for the course assignments to prompt enough tension to push me into action. It’s hard work, and having that due date pushed me into taking the time needed to complete the task. In order to achieve the dissertation and defense, I’ll need to have self-imposed and committee imposed deadlines. I’ll need to break the task down into manageable portions. I’ll need to schedule micro due dates to ensure I keep working toward the end. Due dates should become a trusted friend to help me accomplish this daunting task. Knowing the dates well in advance, will help me work around life imposed due dates and unexpected events that will impact my progress toward completion. So, in order to get this PhD done, due dates are my friend.

Read more about my thinking “in consideration of due dates” on my blog “Five Flames for Learning’.