You may not think of writing journal articles or your Ph.D. thesis as a creative endeavour, since the scientific style of writing is so dry, but actually, in the act of trying to express your thoughts as an author you are being inherently creative. Listicles about writing that you might find on the internet will try to convince you that you should only write when you’re feeling “creative”. This is fine advice (I guess) for people who want to pursue creative writing as a hobby. Philosophers may argue about whether a hobby is still a hobby if you force yourself to participate when you don’t want to.
Unfortunately for us, writing long documents is part of our job, which means we don’t have the luxury of being able to only write when we feel like it. Let’s be honest, if you already don’t like writing, how often are you really going to feel like it? There’s always something more interesting to do when we’re not in the mood, like actual research. Or…well, almost anything else, really. I hope to convince you that there are ways to flip the switch in your brain that will get you started with your writing, even if you’re “not in the mood”.
Dealing with distraction and procrastination
stock image: Ryutaro Tsukata/Pexels
Every listicle on the internet will tell you to clean your desk before you start. There is something to be said for that, since it can be hard to focus in the middle of chaos, but many people don’t have that luxury, and cleaning can often be an excuse to delay a writing session. I know, because I’ve used it many times myself. If you’re a naturally tidy person who gets distracted by mess, then by all means keep your workspace spotless. If you’re not usually bothered by your pens being misaligned or your stapler being on the wrong shelf, then just reserve some time in your schedule for cleaning once a week (like on a Sunday, so the next week can start well). If your frantic cleaning tends to magically coincide with the time when you’re meant to start writing, be honest with yourself about whether you’re really just trying to procrastinate.
The most common form of procrastination comes to us via social media. Even when it bores us as much as the idea of writing does, scrolling through an endless feed of fake-positivity, negative news stories, and constant adverts somehow holds our attention. Sometimes for hours. Disabling your account may not even be an option, especially if your family want to keep closer tabs on you than a Silicon Valley CEO. If you mainly access social media through your desktop browser, you can install plugins that will block you from those websites after you hit your allowed browsing time for the day. If you mainly use your phone, try turning off notifications and then shutting it in a drawer, or in your bag – somewhere that is not easily accessible. You can still check your notifications and messages when you take a break, but if it isn’t right next to you, you won’t be tempted to pick it up and look every time it buzzes.
Getting into routines
In the sciences it’s almost impossible to put in a regular 9–5 schedule, thanks to lab timetables, teaching commitments, ad hoc meetings, and discussions with colleagues (among other things). For that reason, the usual writing advice of “go into an office from 9–5 and put the hours in” is often impractical. Even if you can set aside a little time to just write, two hours here or a morning per week there, it can be hard to switch over to writing mode from whatever you were just doing before that. Our brains are too frequently stretched in different directions.
Luckily humans are creatures of habit, so one thing you can do is to build up rituals around your writing. For instance, if your writing time is usually snatched from between other tasks and is not at set times every week, precede every writing session with a break, and actually make yourself a drink. Vending machine drinks don’t count! This will give you a chance to think about what you want to write about in that session while you perform the physical actions of making the tea (or, if your beverage of choice isn’t tea, to think about your life choices). By setting aside this five or ten minutes where your brain is allowed to have a breather, you make it easier for yourself when you actually get to your desk. You won’t have to sit there desperately staring at your screen as you try and figure out what you want to write about, because you’ll already have done that part without the pressure of having a document open in front of you.
Another thing that can help is to have a particular soundtrack or playlist you use when you’re writing, that you only use for writing. After a while, your brain will start to associate that soundtrack with writing, and make it much easier for you to slip into writing mode when you start listening to it.
Honestly though, the best advice that I can give you about getting into routines is to start early in your Ph.D., whether or not you’re working on a paper. If you keep a lab book, set aside some time each week to type up the contents. If you don’t work in a lab, write up what you’ve been doing that week. Otherwise, by the time you come to write up three or four years later, you may not be able to remember what you did (or why you did it). If you can create a habit around writing, even small amounts at a time, you’ll already have a decent chunk of content that you can use as a basis, and crucially, you’ll be so accustomed to the process of writing that it won’t feel like such an uphill struggle to get into the groove.
Totally scheduled fun
Make sure you include plenty of breaks in your schedule, and actually use them. Get up, go away from your desk. Most students’ desks are not set up ergonomically, and you can easily end up with hand, wrist, shoulder, or back pain as a result. You might get headaches from staring too long at the screen or from the tension in your neck. The thing is, we acknowledge that if we want a car to run at its best, we have to perform regular maintenance. So why are we so willing to overlook basic maintenance on ourselves to keep our brains working at their peak?
stock image: Max Vakhbovych/Pexels
Apart from anything else, grinding through an eight-hour (or longer) writing marathon will make you feel like writing is the worst thing in the world at that point. Academia is full of stressed, anxious workaholics, so it’s easy to get used to the idea that this is a normal state of being and that you have to just “power through”. However, if you were working in any industry outside of that setting, you would be legally mandated to take breaks (at least in the UK) every couple of hours. You’re already working long hours for very little money, so take your breaks, and don’t feel guilty about doing it. Make some more tea, take a little fresh air outside, stretch your body back to its human shape, have a chat with a colleague, and check your notifications. It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as you get up and go away from your desk – even if it’s only for ten minutes. Your brain will thank you for the chance to switch off and reboot, and will usually reward you by helping you write better when you get back.
Also, make time to hang out with your peers. Go out and socialise with them after work. Take your breaks and lunchtimes together. You’re all suffering through the same brutal process, and you can learn from each others’ successes and failures. If you’re all writing at the same time, you can always set up a “shut up and write” group (which also works over video chat if you can’t use a physical space due to COVID-19). Peer pressure can be a powerful motivator. I used to love going to the silent floor of the University library when I was writing up my thesis – the idea that someone might glower with disapproval at me if I procrastinated on social media was usually enough to kick-start my writing session, and there was something quite hypnotic about the steady pattering noise as people around me typed that kept me in “the zone”.
Work with yourself
Just because you may be expected to work in the lab or in undergraduate classes from 9–5 doesn’t mean you are at your best in those times. My fellow astronomers especially know what I’m talking about. Everyone’s body clock is different, so figure out when your peak productivity is and structure your writing time to coincide with it. Writing is a mentally intensive activity so trying to do it while you’re tired is going to result in way more time spent editing (or sitting with writer’s block for 8 hours).
For example, my productivity peak is between 3pm and 7pm. I just cannot write outside of those hours (especially in the morning), because my brain is too busy kicking and screaming about not wanting to do it. During my peak hours, I can write almost non-stop, breaking only for tea (and biscuit dunking). I used to feel terrible about writing because I tried to force myself to do it in the mornings, simply because I thought I ought to. Once I realised I was a much more effective writer in the late afternoons, I rearranged my schedule and suddenly was producing the same amount of writing but with way more time on my hands for other activities (even if that was just reading journal articles).
If you’re the sort of person who can be motivated by reaching goals and milestones, break down your writing into small chunks and reward yourself for each one you meet. This might be as simple as letting yourself watch an episode of your favourite show if you write a certain number of pages. Or, if you’re the kind of person who works best under pressure, set yourself tight deadlines (or get your thesis advisor to do it). Find what works for you, because trying to fight against your own nature will just give you one extra thing to struggle with on top of everything else.
Separate your work space from your home space (if you can)
This one is super important for your mental health and well-being, but it’s also incredibly difficult in our current moment where many students are being forced to lockdown in their rooms. If you’re not allowed to use your regular office or university library, and don’t have a communal space in your flat or shared house where you can work, you may have no choice but to study in the same room in which you sleep. This can make it extremely difficult to mentally “switch off” and relax. You may end up having trouble sleeping, and find your moods and motivation overall being negatively affected. If you do have a separate space where you can work, use it as much as you can. If you aren’t allowed to use your usual spaces, make sure you keep your student Union rep informed about the affect this is having on you. Even if your university or union can’t do anything about government lockdown rules, they may be able to offer other services to help ameliorate the effects if enough people are unhappy. Remember: “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”. Doing a Ph.D. was an isolating and stressful experience even before COVID-19 came along, and it’s OK to not be OK. If you’re struggling, talk to your thesis advisor – or anyone, really, whether it’s someone you know or a professional – just don’t suffer in silence.
In the meantime, if you’re not able to physically separate your work and “home” spaces, try your best to create distance between your work and home times. After you finish your work, find reasons to physically go outside your room, whether for exercise, shopping for groceries, cooking, or laundry. If you’re not able to go outside, try and engage with some exercise videos (on Youtube, for example) – you could even set up exercise classes with your friends, family or colleagues via video conferencing, or other social activities. Keep in touch with people, and look after yourself.
Next article
Getting started: Organising a document or go back to Guides