Perhaps it would be wise to interrupt regular blogging, while my thesis is coming together. Upon reflection, however, I find that the issue is more that I am not using time efficiently, and less that important tasks are absorbing too much of it. As ‘a’ (and probably ‘the’) major conduit between myself and most of those who are important to me, internet based communication does not seem unimportant. The task, then, is to pare away activities that do not contribute to the completion of this task (itself unlikely to be relevant in five or ten years) and focus upon those that advance towards the goal.
I have a suggestion that may or may not apply to your situation: you could make a rule where you blog all you like, but not about your thesis. I have found that doing that creates a stronger divide between academic work and other writing, which can be useful when you’re managing your time and trying to create balance.
In other words, make the most of your procrastinating ;)
Just a suggestion, it’s worked for me in the past.
Kerrie,
I think of thesis related blogging as being work, rather than procrastination. Most of the feedback I get on ideas that will be in the thesis is through here.
itself unlikely to be relevant in five or ten years
To you personally, or to the area of scholarship it addresses?
I have passed the 4000 word mark on chapter two. That said, I still haven’t written much about the origins of the IPCC.
The footnote from hell:
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Principles Governing Ipcc Work, 2007, Available: http://www.ipcc.ch/about/princ.pdf, 25 February 2007 2007.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Working Group I, John Theodore Houghton, G. J. Jenkins, J. J. Ephraums, World Meteorological Organization. and United Nations Environment Programme., Climate Change : The Ipcc Scientific Assessment (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990).
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Working Group I, John Theodore Houghton, B. A. Callander, S. K. Varney, World Meteorological Organization. and United Nations Environment Programme., Climate Change 1992 : The Supplementary Report to the Ipcc Scientific Assessment (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992).
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Ipcc Second Assessment Report: Climate Change 1995 (Cambridge: Published for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change by Cambridge University Press, 1995).
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 2001 : Synthesis Report (Cambridge: Published for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change by Cambridge University Press, 2001).
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Working Group I, Climate Change 2007 : The Physical Science Basis : Summary for Policymakers (Paris: IPCC Secretariat, 2007).
That’s some footnote. Schadenfreude* means that I now feel better about my footnotes, which reference assorted UK and US government reports of prison statistics.
* Refer to song of the same name in Avenue Q (which might help cheer you up).
Though, you would have to be a mad person to actually read the entirety of all four IPCC reports (the bulk of the fourth to be released later this year). Of course, there are some oddities about the preparation of the summary sections, but nobody can read that much about mathematical modeling without having their brain turn inside out, or perhaps turning into a climatologist themself.