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Keep your light shining

It is almost nine weeks since the South African national lockdown was announced on the 26th of March 2020. When the announcement was made that day, none of us were fully prepared for it, nor anticipated what was to come. Personally, I was in the middle of my lab work and had planned to get a good deal of work done before June. I remember cryo-freezing my cell cultures and packing away my reagents with the hope that soon, the ‘normal’ will resume. My last face-to-face conversation with my supervisor was filled with positive plans on what we will do as soon as the lockdown lifts. I was certain that it would only be for 21 days. But as I watched the statistics, the infection rate rising, and the leadership of the country put their heads together for solutions, I soon realised that we are truly living in unpreceded times and nothing is certain. Little scientific data is available on COVID-19, so we develop knowledge on it day by day. As I slowly tried to adjust to my new normal of writing from home, just like many of you, in a short space of time I had to learn how to adapt to virtual meetings, exercising self-discipline, and managing back-to-back deadlines. I am still learning and exploring new techniques that work for my daily tasks. 

Here, I share five techniques that have worked for me in my thesis writing process during this time:

  1. Make a brief plan of action the day before: I’ve found that I am more productive when I sketch out the next day’s itinerary in my dairy beforehand and physically gather the resources that I will need for my tasks. I do this by first deciding on the themes that I will focus on for my literature review and then gather main articles that I will start off with; my literature review matrix has come in very handy for this. I also aim to start my days early by going to bed early and setting my alarm. I’ve realised that when I go to bed late, I wake up tired and do not have enough concentration energy for the day.

  2. Having an accountability partner: I don’t know about you, but I’m the queen of spoiling myself with in-between short breaks - all in the name of self-care - but I then end up not reaching my daily goals, and the workload piles up. What has worked during this lockdown is having a friend who knows me, and is also in the writing process, as an accountability partner. We check in on each other’s daily itineraries and honestly communicate on our progress. You can also do this with a friend or alternatively join a platform that will encourage you to be a part of a community and hold you accountable on your progress. If you are unable to, e-mail us (fhs.writinglab@gmail.com) and we will do our best assist you.

  3. Communicating with my supervisor: I’ve found that regular meetings with my supervisor give me early feedback on what I’ve already written; and therefore, guide as well as fuel me to stay the course. I encourage you to also communicate with your supervisor as often as you can and get feedback as early as possible. If you are an undergraduate and perhaps writing an essay, I encourage you to engage in your Vula site for online assistance from lecturers, facilitators, or tutors.

  4. Humour: Laugh with your friends and share non-offensive jokes. It works.

  5. Gratitude: The last, but certainly not the least, of my techniques is practicing gratitude. In the words of Alice Morse Earle “Everyday may not be good… but there is something good in everyday”. I’ve found that I am more optimistic, joyful and willing to try again when I take some time to reflect on my day and be thankful for what I was able to do and look for the good that came out of that day. You can try this as well; it will fuel you to achieve more of your little daily goals.

Despite living in times of uncertainty, compounded by the global social issues, I encourage you to keep your light shining - in your writing journey and your personal lives.  This shining light is within you and it is your source of hope for the end goal. Think of it as a Lighthouse that emits light at night to guide maritime pilots to their destinations.

Take care,

Silindile


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