
The introduction to ‘How to Write When you Don’t Feel Like it’ will help you discover what makes this course the craziest academic writing course on Udemy. Most courses on academic writing approach the topic in a serious way, but this time, I am here to help you say goodbye to procrastinating once and for all, and you are in the driving seat.
In this lesson, we will talk over the process of acknowledging you don’t want to write. We will reflect on the role of pride, blaming yourself, perfectionism, and stubbornness. Through this lesson, you will start on your journey of increasing your belief in yourself.
This lesson will introduce writing sprints using the SMART goal principle. We will go over how to use writing sprints to get yourself back and feel the comfort of a keyboard against your fingertips again.
Lesson 3 is all about purposeful editing. Learn how to purposefully edit your essay, dissertation, thesis or any other assignment in 4 different ways. This trick is perfect for helping you think about something new you could add to your work even without you intentionally putting the effort in.
In this lesson, we will cover the process of skim reading and how it can be just the right thing to get you to write again. We will learn how to scan – in other words, read a document with a specific goal in mind.
This lesson is about bribing yourself through achieving different writing goals. Be it meeting a certain word count, % of completion towards your assignment target, or completing a chapter or sub-section, I am here to help you plan to work towards it.
Lesson 6 will tell you all about using active rewards to give yourself a happy push when you accomplish a writing goal related to your dissertation, thesis, or assignment. Learn how to escape that way of thinking that every time other than write, you’re wasting your time.
In this lesson, you will learn all about the basic principles behind why bribing yourself to write works.
This lesson will focus on the anti-bribe. You will learn how to take control of your monster – that certain something that stops you from writing.
Lesson 9 will teach you how to write non-linearly as a technique to keep you writing and working on your assignment, essay, dissertation, or thesis for longer.
In this lesson, you will get a full demonstration of how to draw a mind map for university. You will find out how to use traditional and contemporary mindmaps to motivate yourself to get working again.
This lesson will introduce you to digital filling systems. Digital filing systems can be exciting especially if you’re a visual learner because of all the colours and speech bubbles you can add to text.
Lesson 12 will help you devise a colour coding framework to link information and signpost where it belongs much faster.
In this lesson, you will find out about creative ways to set up an index card system. Index cards can help you identify areas where you have not linked a particular argument to research or use them to get started on future assignments and make your writing process quicker for the rest of your time at university.
This lesson will show you how to use your mood to work on different areas of your essay, dissertation, thesis, or general assignment at university. Learn how to dig into memories of examples of when you were in the emotional state that got you ticking last time.
Lesson 15 is all about writing partners. Learn how working towards the same goal and motivating each other can get you back to writing again using a helpful pro and cons list discussion.
In this lesson, you will work at reaching your eureka aka light at the end of the procrastination tunnel moment through researching new literature related to your assignment. A demonstration of how to use Google Scholar for your literature is also included.
This lesson discusses how writing can feel very different depending on where you are. The where itself can relieve that feeling of being unable to get ahead with writing. Discover how lighting conditions and your environmental ambience are relevant to academic writing.
Lesson 18 completes the course with an introduction to vision boards. Learn how to use vision boards to make your own to keep with you in digital format or next to you as you write.
How to Write When you Don’t Feel Like it
Join me on this trip full of encouragement and creative ideas to help you start writing again!
Yes, this course is about academic writing.
No, it doesn’t have to be boring and we can actually be happy about it.
This will be like a self- set-up where you hope to give yourself no way out and drive yourself into writing.
An assignment is not always just another assignment. You breathe something of yourself into it.
Now, let’s get down to business and work at getting you thrilled to get down to writing again.
We have all been in a place where a deadline is looming, and you cannot muster the will to write no matter what. I have used many techniques to get away from it.
Is there something you always find yourself doing instead of writing? In other words, what do you think stops you from writing?
Now, what about going over ideas of what you could do to get back to writing again, instead?
Find out what I call an anti-bride is and get excited about other unique content – all directly applicable to academic writing, whether you are writing a report, an essay, a dissertation, a literature review, or any other type of assignment.
Like crows, we all have that special smile that comes out when we see something that we would really like to have.
As we all know, writing on your own might make you want to explode.
From bribes to inspiration and back again, we will be covering the tricks that could get you ticking again.
You will learn all about:
- Digital and traditional tools for organising your essays or dissertations;
- Indexing systems that make your writing process quicker;
- Colour coding for academic writing;
- Using skim reading to quickly and easily complete your literature search process;
- Goal setting for academic writing;
- Traditional and contemporary mind maps that fit around your essay or dissertation;
- Writing partners and environmental shifts that will ignite your well-oiled academic writing engine, and much more!
I have struggled with procrastination and not knowing how to start writing again for many years. These are some of the things that worked for me and my students, and I am so glad to have shared them with you.
Complete this course to experience that kapow moment that is just about right and gets you back in action!
You are encouraged to join a vibrant student community and share either of the below ideas:
- Bullet journal spreads, sheets, supplies, or trackers that you made as a result of the course
- Playlists you made that help you study and write generally, or playlists you made for specific assignments, essays, or dissertations
- Mind maps for your entire assignment or specific sub-sections of it, be they hand-drawn or digital, and contemporary or traditional;
- Digital filing system screenshots or pictures of index card systems in paper format.
- Colour coding maps fit for your writing style or specific assignments using the course resource;
- Pictures of the different places that inspired you to write so that others can get inspired by you as well;
- Cork or digital pictures of your mood maps.
I would be delighted to see how you approach different essays and/or techniques around academic writing!