Tips for time management in writing projects

• Determine your submission deadline and plan backwards from there.
• Create a list of tasks that need to be completed for the entire thesis.
• From this list, select upcoming tasks and break them down into smaller steps. Plan when each individual step is next and how long it will take.
• Schedule interim dates for individual work steps and writing phases and complete them consciously. These are your milestones, e.g. outline completed, draft finished.
• Plan each step specifically and realistically and reserve buffer times.
• Also consider other commitments such as exams, family, friends, leisure, work etc.
• Check your overall plan regularly and adjust it if necessary.
• Acknowledge what you have already accomplished.

Create an overall plan

Organize the individual work steps into a timeline and set milestones. Here is an example of a plan for a thesis over 12 weeks:

In life and writing, it is normal that we can’t always stick to plans. Plan anyway – and keep adapting your plan to reality.

Create a monthly plan

Make a plan for an entire month, roughly noting your weekly tasks. You can keep this list analog or digital, e.g. in Excel or a calendar of your choice.

Always plan a little extra time for safety.

Create a weekly plan

Especially for tasks that do not produce visible results straightaway, the Pomodoro Technique can help you visualize small progress and supports your:

• Time management
• Concentration
• Self-organization

Frequently asked questions

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• Divide upcoming tasks into 25-minute segments, called pomodori.
• During a pomodoro, you must do nothing but focus on this task – no getting up, making phone calls, eating, drinking, checking emails etc.
• After successfully working through 25 minutes, a pomodoro is “done”. As a reward, you get five minutes of free time. After four pomodori, you can take a longer break.

This method of tricking yourself with virtual rewards is surprisingly effective.

Especially for tasks that do not immediately yield visible results, the completed pomodori illustrate just how much work you have actually done and help keep you motivated – for example, when reading, thinking, revising etc.

The technique can also help you keep rising panic under control: simply focus on checking off one pomodoro after another.

Preparation

Here’s what you need for this technique:

• A kitchen timer, stopwatch, or your phone
• Weekly plan, to-do list, or schedule – in other words, work tasks arranged by priority and the time required
• Pen and paper

There are also freeware and apps available for the Pomodoro Technique.

Let’s get started!

1. Set the timer to 25 minutes.
2. Work with focus on the chosen task (do not get distracted; briefly note any distracting thoughts).
3. When the timer rings, mark the spot you have reached – for example, with an X or a tomato.
4. Five minutes break: relax, switch off, do some light physical exercise – then repeat the pomodoro three more times.
5. After four pomodori (= 2 hours), take a long break of 15 to 30 minutes. You can now allow thoughts that have nothing to do with your work; ideally, leave your workspace.

Literature: Cirillo, Francesco (n.d.): The Pomodoro Technique. http://pomodorotechnique.com (28.09.21)

Frequently asked questions

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Why plan a writing week?

This method has several advantages:

• You can discover what good writing means for you.
• You can improve your planning and time management, which in turn can motivate you to write.
• You can begin to see writing as an enjoyable activity.
• You can find your individual writing rhythm.

How to do it

Close your eyes and relax. In your mind, create the image of a week in which your writing has its place.

The week should be realistic, so that you also have time for other things – work, leisure, sleep etc.

Now look at this image in more detail. Zoom in on one day of your writing week – this is your ideal writing day.

Also picture your writing location with all senses: What do you hear? How is the light, what do you see when you let your gaze wander? What are you sitting on? What are you drinking? How does the air smell as it flows in through the open window?

Open your eyes again and sketch your ideal writing week and your ideal writing day.

The ideal image can change – depending on the occasion and type of text. Therefore, it is important to review changing conditions and preferences.

Literature: Scheuermann, Ulrike (2011): Die Schreibfitness-Mappe: 60 Checklisten, Beispiele und Übungen für alle, die beruflich schreiben. Vienna: Linde.

Franzi’s ideal writing week

Here is an example from a student working on their bachelor’s thesis:

Franzi’s ideal writing day

 

Frequently asked questions

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