Anonymous
Post 01/21/2018 10:51     Subject: Peaceful, warm location to write thesis
Anonymous wrote:My partner got a reader's card at the Library of Congress and booked a carrell there. Bonus -- if you need actual books, they'll pull them from the shelves and put them in your carrell.

Warm. Quiet. And beautiful.


The LOC would be as distracting as the FL Keys to me. OP needs the surroundings to be less interesting than the work.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2018 10:47     Subject: Peaceful, warm location to write thesis
My partner got a reader's card at the Library of Congress and booked a carrell there. Bonus -- if you need actual books, they'll pull them from the shelves and put them in your carrell.

Warm. Quiet. And beautiful.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2018 10:23     Subject: Re:Peaceful, warm location to write thesis
Anonymous wrote:Another Ph.D. here and I agree. The idea that you will write when you have whatever special conditions is actually a procrastination technique. You don't need anything special, you just need to write. If you find that difficult you could look into some books about the process, such as How to Write Your Dissertation in 10 Minutes a Day. The top floor of the library at my school was always peaceful and warm (overheated). If you decide you want to finish you can, it's not dependent on irrelevant outside conditions. Your money would be much better spent on a well-deserved vacation after you defend when you can sightsee and lounge on the beach guilt-free.


Yet another Ph.D. and I also agree. If you are too distracted by your home go get a room at a hotel nearby that caters to business travelers.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2018 10:18     Subject: Peaceful, warm location to write thesis
Anonymous wrote:My kid spent a lot of time in Starbucks.


Generally peaceful AND warm.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2018 10:15     Subject: Peaceful, warm location to write thesis
FWIW I finished the last draft of my novel by hotwiring a cheap but nice hotel room in an exurb and spending a long weekend in the room writing. It worked for me. I took breaks in the exercise room and by driving out once or twice a day to pick up takeout/food for later. At night I watched a movie as a reward. There was really nothing tempting around (including my family) but it was enough of a change of scene to keep me going.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2018 09:25     Subject: Re:Peaceful, warm location to write thesis
Another Ph.D. here and I agree. The idea that you will write when you have whatever special conditions is actually a procrastination technique. You don't need anything special, you just need to write. If you find that difficult you could look into some books about the process, such as How to Write Your Dissertation in 10 Minutes a Day. The top floor of the library at my school was always peaceful and warm (overheated). If you decide you want to finish you can, it's not dependent on irrelevant outside conditions. Your money would be much better spent on a well-deserved vacation after you defend when you can sightsee and lounge on the beach guilt-free.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2018 09:22     Subject: Peaceful, warm location to write thesis
Anonymous wrote:As someone who wrote a dissertation, I am going to caution against this approach. You are going to use up days of your time on travel, setting up your work space, orienting yourself, and settling in. And it's going to be very difficult to resist the allure of relaxing in a relaxing setting. I also predict that something you need will be left behind, even if you've done this entire thing on your laptop.

Take ten days at the library and be very rigorous. As soon as you finish the chapter, treat yourself to a real vacation for the past few days of your leave. My guess is that if you do that, you'll finish the chapter in a few days, and have so.much.time to relax.

You're going to need time off for revisions, too, once you turn the thing in.

Congrats, btw! You're almost done!


+1. Grind it out' then go have fun!