If you are reading this, you are probably about to embark on an ambitious journey to write your undergraduate thesis. Congrats on getting this far! This is a very daunting undertaking, but I promise that finishing the work brings with it some really great rewards. Along the way, however, you’re definitely going to hit a few roadblocks. One of the challenges I found to be the most salient was time management. A thesis feels like a lot more than three credits, and especially if you’re taking a full semester of classes alongside your research, you are probably going to feel like you’re in over your head. Here are some strategies I found to be useful when balancing my time and my energy while writing my thesis.
- Plan ahead. This might seems like a “duh” piece of advice, but I cannot stress it enough. I don’t mean plan ahead just in terms of making sure you’re not procrastinating (but also don’t do that). I also mean planning ahead in a big picture way. At the beginning of the semester, read through your syllabi and find out when the deadlines for other big projects/papers/exams are. If you have the option to choose dates and times for projects, make sure they don’t coincide with your big deadlines for the thesis. This will help you pace yourself instead of accidentally having a ton of work pile up in one week.
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- Tip: Have one location with all of your assignments for every class for the entire semester in one place. I use a Google Sheet to organize this.
- Understand your limits. The thesis is a big deal. It’s a culmination of all of you’ve learned during your undergraduate career channeled into a project that is entirely yours. As someone who I’m willing to bet highly values their education, you deserve to put time and effort into your thesis. I know it’s probably your senior year and you want to spend a lot of quality time with your friends, but you can’t do it all. Knowing that sentiment at the beginning is a much easier pill to swallow than realizing it during Little 5 week. Keep your friends updated on your progress and stress levels so that they understand why you might not be around as much, but also so that they can support you.
- Tip: Having your friends read sections of your thesis under the guise of critiquing will help them understand the huge project you’re undertaking so that they will want to help give you time and space.
- Drink water and get sleep. This might also seem like an obvious piece of advice, and not one that seems entirely related to writing a thesis. But, seriously, mental and physical wellbeing are crucial parts of being a successful student. You might be in the depths of your data analysis and be eating fast food instead of cooking yourself a meal, or staying up until 3 am writing your front end draft instead of pacing the work out so you get rest. Sleep debt is a real problem, as is unhealthy eating, and these will impede your ability to do the best work that you can. Prioritize your mental and physical wellbeing by scheduling breaks in your work or even full rest days where you don’t touch your thesis so that you can reset and recharge your brain and body.
- Tip: Start meal prepping!
If you couldn’t tell, I had the craziest semester of my life while writing my thesis. I was taking a full semester of classes, working an internship and a serving job, and juggling the social life of a senior at IU. I was stressed! But, hopefully after reading this advice, you will take it in hand and be able to better manage your time. With planning and intention, you can absolutely do it all.
Maisie Westerfield is a senior at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
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