Any written assignment can feel like a small feat, but a BA thesis often feels like a mountain that you need to conquer, with poor equipment and preparation. How do people do it? Is it possible to stay sane through the process? While we’re all different and different things work for us, I’ve compiled a list of tips that resonate with me. Hopefully they can be of use to you, dear readers, too!
1. Get enough sleep
Let’s start with the basics, because they tend to be surprisingly hard to get right. There are countless studies showing the importance of sleep for your health in general, and there’s no denying that you work better if you’ve had a good night’s sleep. If you struggle to turn in early, start changing your routine slowly and going to bed fifteen minutes earlier every night. This way your body adjusts to the change and you can find the time that works for you more easily.
2. Make realistic plans
The mistake I keep making year after year is thinking that I can read five hundred pages of text, or write a well thought out essay, in a single day. Last time I checked, I had acquired no superhuman capabilities, making the aforementioned goals impossible from the start. I resort to this strategy largely to justify procrastination, and suffer the consequences when I actually try to get too much done in a short amount of time. Not only can I not stick to my plan, I feel guilty and terrible for failing to do it. Making realistic plans is the key to both acknowledging time constraints and being able to feel like you’ve gotten something done at the end of the day. As a BA thesis is a large assignment, it’s worth cutting the job into small goals and working on them separately. This way, the challenge won’t feel quite as daunting. Don’t do as I do, do as I say…
3. Relax and reward yourself
This could be a weekend-getaway once you’ve handed in your thesis, or a small treat at the end of every day. Or, preferably, both! By treat I mean anything that makes you happy, from watching an episode of Friends in the evening, to going for a walk, to buying a chocolate bar. Whatever floats your boat. I would also suggest, if at all possible, taking a day off from your thesis and other school work every week, and just relaxing and taking it easy. People who work do this, so why wouldn’t we? Your brain and body need – and deserve – a break. This way, writing your thesis also won’t feel like a marathon, but instead a series of small runs.
4. Do the best you can, but leave excessive perfectionism at the door
Let’s face it, if you had infinite time on your hands you could spend the rest of your life trying to make your BA thesis even better. But you don’t, so at some point you’ll just have to hand it in and be done with it. Besides, I doubt that any written assignment is ever perfect, meaning that there’s no point in trying to reach perfection. Even the best works have flaws, and better yet, in order to get the best mark – if that’s what motivates you – your thesis doesn’t have to be one hundred percent fault-free.
5. Keep things in perspective
It’s just a thesis. This is the piece of advice I struggle with the most, as taking school lightly has never been my strong suit. If you’re like me, and are used to stressing out and trying to reach perfection, it can be hard to keep things in perspective and realize that at the end of the day, this isn’t the most important thing in the world. It’s important, and you should strive to do the best you can. However, in the grand scheme of things, it’s still quite small. I bet you it isn’t the thing on your mind when lying on your deathbed.
6. Don’t let your BA thesis define you as a person
Whether you fail or not, you’re still the same person. In a society where people’s worth seems to boil down to what they achieve or how much money they make for themselves or how much their input enriches the GDP, it can be hard to deal with ‘failure’. But you are not your greatest achievements nor your worst failures. Your life is a combination of both, and that’s what makes it priceless. How you deal with the ups and downs is what really matters. If you fail, then you fail. You can be angry and hard on yourself for a while, but you need to let go and move on before long. And sooner, rather than later.
7. Remember that you’ve come this far
You probably wouldn’t have survived twelve years of schooling, passed a competitive entrance exam to get into university and made it through the first years of your university degree, if you didn’t have what it takes to make it as a student. So, there’s really no reason to think that you cannot do the next assignment on your list. Everything you’ve learned so far has been a stepping stone, preparing you for the next challenge. Others have done it, so why couldn’t you?
Good luck!