Tamina
New member
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2026
- Messages
- 7
I've been telling myself for months that I can't afford to take a break. My dissertation is already late. My advisor is waiting. My funding is running out. Every hour not writing is an hour wasted. I pushed and pushed until I couldn't push anymore. Then I got sick. A cold that turned into something worse because I ignored my body. My body forced a break.
During those days of doing nothing, I realized something: I was working, but I wasn't productive. I'd sit at my desk for 8 hours, but only write for 2. The rest was scrolling, staring, avoiding. I was exhausted and inefficient.
A dissertation coach writes: “Take breaks before you're broken. The obsession with work seems embedded not only into our current civilization but also into academic pursuits. We are all focused, dedicated, committed, even driven in our scholarly work. But this drive backfires when we don't rest.”
I decided to try a real break. I took three full days off. No email. No writing. No guilt. I slept, walked, cooked, watched movies. I came back yesterday and wrote 1,000 words in four hours. That's more than I'd written in the previous two weeks combined.
The coach also recommends: “If you have a movement practice already—running, weight training, yoga—keep it up. Don't skimp on exercise when working toward a deadline.” I've started walking before my writing sessions. It clears my head.
I'm not cured of my exhaustion, but I'm learning that rest isn't a luxury. It's part of the process. For other dissertators, how do you balance the pressure to work with the need to rest? I'm still figuring it out.
During those days of doing nothing, I realized something: I was working, but I wasn't productive. I'd sit at my desk for 8 hours, but only write for 2. The rest was scrolling, staring, avoiding. I was exhausted and inefficient.
A dissertation coach writes: “Take breaks before you're broken. The obsession with work seems embedded not only into our current civilization but also into academic pursuits. We are all focused, dedicated, committed, even driven in our scholarly work. But this drive backfires when we don't rest.”
I decided to try a real break. I took three full days off. No email. No writing. No guilt. I slept, walked, cooked, watched movies. I came back yesterday and wrote 1,000 words in four hours. That's more than I'd written in the previous two weeks combined.
The coach also recommends: “If you have a movement practice already—running, weight training, yoga—keep it up. Don't skimp on exercise when working toward a deadline.” I've started walking before my writing sessions. It clears my head.
I'm not cured of my exhaustion, but I'm learning that rest isn't a luxury. It's part of the process. For other dissertators, how do you balance the pressure to work with the need to rest? I'm still figuring it out.
