Here’s the only motivational quotes you’ll need to get through your dissertation

Dreaded dissertation season is here, and an unfriendly 10,000 words are looming at the end of your university career. As pressure rises and the submission date crawls closer, completing the marathon of all essays feels impossible. The journey has been tough: lecturer strikes followed by the outbreak of COVID-19 have undoubtedly disrupted the planning process. All the usual resources are unavailable, including the library and face-to-face meetings with your advisor, but we’re all stuck in the same boat.

But don’t fear – all-nighters, rambling up the word count, and dissertation tutors ghosting your emails will all be over soon. With quarantine keeping you inside and away from distractions, you have no excuse but to finish university off with a bang. You’ve made it this far, so here are some words of wisdom to keep you feeling positive.

tasty academic snack

“They say ‘life is like a box of chocolates’, so make your diss a Celebrations’ malteaser”, and make sure that you don’t hand in a half-arsed bounty…

“Win or lose, you’re on the booze”. After all, you wouldn’t be a student if your alcohol tolerance didn’t skyrocket over the past three years.

“Just don’t get diss-tracted” by the temptation of Youtube, only to be sucked into a deep hole of cat videos three hours later.

Don’t let Netflix win

Writing a dissertation has its ups and downs, its good days and bad days, but like good old English weather, “you need rainy days to realise how good the sunny days are”. During low points, remember that these feelings are temporary, and “it will all be ok in the end, if it’s not ok, it’s not the end”.

“It’s okay if ‘progress’ looks different this season”, instead of fitness gains, diss is the only progress you’ll be focusing on.

“Don’t stop until you’re proud”, or until your mum is proud at least.

A mug of tea a day keeps 2:2s away

Take pleasure in writing your diss, set daily goals and appreciate the process, because “your life is a journey, not a checklist, and it is necessary to pace yourself”.

“When we dwell on regrets and lose ourself in ‘if only’ we must endeavour to broaden our perspective. After all, ‘what could have been’ isn’t always a good thing”.

“Some days are good, some days are shit, I don’t know the answer, just please don’t quit”. Quarantine is lit, don’t get diss-tracted one bit, or your dissertation will take a hit.

Practice some book juggling

You’ve probably be asking yourself the same questions over and over, will I reach the deadline? Will my advisor understand my argument? Or, does my waffle make sense? The first step of writing a dissertation is to cut the self-doubt, and to “believe you can and you’re half way there”.

“Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we needed to know”

You may have read articles about the crazy students who manage to write their dissertation in 24 hours and still achieve a 2:1, but in all honesty “will it be easy? Nope. Worth it? Absolutely”.

Sing these words to yourself in the shower or in front of the mirror and you’ll start to believe them. The tedious referencing, all-nighters, and zoom meetings with your advisor will all be over soon, so stay motivated as we approach the home stretch. Keep up the good work; now get back to it.