Prospectus with annotated outline

¶ … drafting my prospectus, I came closest to an appreciation of the effort I will need to devote to completing my dissertation. I have been reviewing the literature on my topic and am finding that there are several relevant lines of research and that they go back for quite some time. Indeed, the more I read, the more it seems I will need to read -- both broadly and deeply. Yet, I don't feel discouraged by this situation as I am intensely interested in my topic and believe my enthusiasm for learning more about it will carry me through even the most daunting or discouraging times.

Because it looks like there will be a considerable amount of reading and analyzing in addition to the writing, I plan to do some reading each evening and spend blocks of weekend time thinking, analyzing, and writing. The research in the field will take a considerable amount of time, and I will need to schedule this time around my work schedule and family responsibilities. As much as possible, I will conduct observations and interviews or administer surveys on weekends or in the evenings. My family seems to understand well that thought I may be present, I won't be truly engaging in family affairs or events much of the time.

As I get a better feel for what it takes to maintain some balance between work, study, research, and family, I will also figure how to best integrate exercise as a way to reduce my stress and stay well during this demanding time. Below, I have listed the major milestones of the dissertation writing process, and I have stepped out a plan for meeting these milestones.

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Plan for Completing Disseration

Task or Objective

When Working

Timeframe

Chapter I - Introduction

Draft completed

2 weeks

Reading

Evenings & weekends

Writing

Weekends

Committee meeting -- preparation

Weekends

4 weeks

Reading

Evenings & weekends

Writing

Weekends

Chapter II -- Literature Review

Draft completed

6 weeks

Committee meeting -- preparation

Weekends

7 weeks