I am a neurotic perfectionist, and these days I am writing my MA THesis. I spent more than 9 months writing only 20 pages. I seek perfection all the time. I might spend more than two days just thinking of the best phrasing for a single sentence. I still have 3 months left to submit the thesis. How can I defeat my neurotic perfectionism. I beseech you to give me some recommendations or anything that might help eradicate my mania for perfectionism.
137653
Ok, here it is. If you follow these guidelines, I guarantee you'll finish in no time, and learn a skill you'll need if you are even contemplating applying to Ph.D. programs. Trust me - I walk my Master's students through this every year.\n\nIt sounds like you already have a thesis statement, so we won't worry about that.  Your problem is you have a GIANT editor sitting on your shoulder, and this editor is keeping your writer from actually doing anything.  You need to lock this editor in a closet or something, and give your writer some freedom.  In order to get this editor off your back for a while, make him go on vacation, but promise him he can come back later and edit absolutely everything.  After he's been banished, you can actually start.\n\nFirst, outline each chapter.  Then make the outline more detailed by adding subheadings, and sub-subheadings. Then make the outline even more detailed, including notes TO YOURSELF noting where appropriate citations will be included. (An example might be: "Cite from Williams chapter 4 here." -or- "Chakravorty has a sweet illustration of this point.") And then once more.  Remember, This Outline Is Only For You.  No One Will Ever See It.\n\nThen, under each heading and subheading and sub-subheading, write a paragraph or two.  If you catch yourself editing any of the sentences in these paragraphs, STOP.  If you're writing on a computer, ditch the computer and handwrite each paragraph (or vice versa).  Scribble each sentence out quickly, but fully.  You're NOT allowed to edit.  Just keep writing.\n\nThis process will take a few days.  Let yourself look up quotations if you need to, but don't let any one search take more than 10 minutes.  Let me emphasize that: Books need to LEAVE YOUR HAND after 10 minutes. \n\nDon't let yourself go through this process completely in order.  Every day, find a section in your outline that you FEEL like working on.  Proceeding in a linear fashion will crush creative thought.  Don't let it happen.\n\nAfter you've finished this process, let yourself go back and elaborate on each section.  DON'T CUT ANYTHING, just add.\n\nAfter you've gone through this process, you should have your chapters just about finished, in terms of length.  NOW you can invite your editor back home, and let him go to work.\n\nBut there are two things left to do. Write your introduction and conclusion.  How?  In the same way.  Why did you save these for last?  Because your introduction and conclusion must encompass everything you just wrote, and you had no way of knowing what that would include until the chapters were finished.\n\nLet this process take two or two and a half months.  Then, call your giant editor back from vacation, and FINALLY, let him do his thing.\n\nI guarantee this will do it.  Best wishes to you!
623550
Um, just go with it, trust me, if you don't, the perfectionist will slowly start to become the beast within. So hey, it's the fucking hardest way to live for the first quarter century or so, but if you can replace feelings of lazziness with those of accomplishments, then maybe we are on to something. Cheers.\nBB
599918
I really don't know, and have no desire to count, but that's the type of thing people graduate college on. Go down to your local University's Library, and I guarantee some English Major did a last minute thesis. Just check through the abstracts, and you should be able to find that pretty quickly.
231161
go for walk, get some fresh air, think about what you wanna write....\n\nyou might wanna skim your research and that'll help you in writing it.\n\nyou just sound like you need motivation....you must be passtionate about your thesis...that should be motivating in itself.\n\nbreak up your entire thesis in smaller segments, you'll get things accomplished then.
1512
You have difficulty to make choices because you cannot put sentences together correctly.  Maybe you should stop being so fickle and just deal with it. Shut up, you're done, end.
480850
sometimes we don't feel motivated but later we regret it. forget about motivation. read the text and underline only the important things. then read it again but just the underlined bits. don't underline 2 much. then close the book and do something else for 10-15 min. read the underlined again. try to review in your head the whole thing. reconstruct the whole matter in your head. you can also speak it out loud if you wish. look for more information on the same subject or on parts of it which are not completely clear on the net or elsewhere. read the underlined again.
46288
Write about something that interests you.  It's a lot easier to do research on something that you like.  Especially for a thesis that takes so much time to complete.
528369
I don't feel that you should forget about journaling your feelings.  It's good to write down your feelings-but i feel one can do so much journaling that you can become so obsessed with writing writing writing that i don't think we give ourselfs time to process what we are writing down-i almost think that spending MUCH time writing your feelings that it may become even more depression.  I found it to become an obsession when i was spending so much time writting and it kind of causes you depression to grow.  This is what i found was helpful.  take one or two short period of time to dot down how you feel.  Give yourself a time period for each time you write,  say you usually spend two hours writing--try to cut that time in half and only once or twice a day.  try to shorting what you are trying to write-but still be sure to write what is bothering you.  Then when you get a better handle on the length of time you write--find a special time maybe 30 minuites once or twice a day.  It will give you time to proccess whats bothering you.  I don't mean to make a strict 30 min. at a time to write-if you need to write down a little more- thats great.  My concern is that if you spend alot of time journaling it may add to your depression- you need to stick some good feelings in you day too.  find some things that you enjoy to do even if you only enjoy it a little.  Try to make it your mission to put nice things into your days.  Even if you don't feel like feeling good -"that's not as crazy as it sounds!!" but sometimes we have to step back zero in on something even what you feel is very little possitive, to give yourself time to check it out- if its not fun or happy after you tried it- nothing is really lost-atleast your looking for some possitive to put in your life!\nI'LL BE THINKING OF YOU-HUNT FOR HAPPINESS TILL YOU FIND IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
76473
have you seen something buddy?the first time you learned to write and spell, the wole thing was new and frightening. gradually you succeeded in mastering the technic of making yourslf understood by the art of speaking and writing.and now you sit before the computer and the whole world is open to you .so it is not the perfection but the the struggle to accheive the perfection which matters. that makes you try more and more to go towards the goal of perfection.so what does it matter if you are not perfect? you are becoming more and more perfect day by day.and you will go on striving in the belief that practice makes perfect.so who cares nobody is perfect.
141401
take a piece of paper and a pen. BRAINSTORM! write down whatever comes out of your mind breifly.it has to take at least one full hour. then collect and start writing ur essay: 3-4 paragraphs;1 for Introduction/ main idea/ thesis statement, 1-2 for body paragraphs, and 1 for conclusion.\nGood luck.
572651
If you love to write, there will always be a yearning within you to do it; it will drive you to write, so little hangups like these will not endure for long. I'm quite positive that even the best of writers go through this, so be patient. You could read things or visit people or places that inspire you, so give yourself food for creativity, but don't push so hard that you miss the creative ideas that you do get. Be open to inspiration at all times -- it will come when it wants to, so be ready to seize it.
147729
About eight hours if I'm short on time.  Four hours if I've already been thinking about what I'm going to say.  I like to give myself at least three days to a week to write any paper.  It's best if you can work on it, let it set for a while, and then come back to it.  If it's due tomorrow, the best thing to do is work on it all night.  Coffee does wonders.  If you get restless, go outside and take a five min run, come back and keep her diggin!  Good luck!  I'm cramming for exams right now, so if you're writing under pressure right now, I know how you feel!  Hang in there!
497236
Dude... two weeks late? I don't think that will get accepted. But umm try the library or something for the printer. Yea Im a procrastinator, too. I have a 5 page essay do tomorrow. I have written 16 words. mmhmm...
58800
How about procrastination?  Because you shouldn't have waited until the last minute to write your paper.  And you could use you as an example for your key points on the subject.  Explain the procrastination can cause stress and irresponsibility.  You should get an A!
489833
I used to have the same problem when I was studying.  I found it quite useful to write down the main points in each paragraph I'd read, what you agreed with and what you didn't and why.  Writing things down as you go along reinforces the ideas in your head.  Try it, it might just help you too.
485658
You should write your own. Be creative and let your words and thoughts flow onto the paper instead of being lazy.
43662
I know exactly how you feel. Try to keep in mind that you are thisclose to getting your degree and think back to all of the hard work you've done to get to this point and you are not going to let this paper stand between you and your degree. The paper is not bigger than your will, desire and determination to succeed. I hope this helps and best of luck to you in this and all of your future endeavors!! :)