Pushing on Many Fronts

 Will I ever get used to the chaos of PhD writing, where progress seldom according to plan and plans have to be abandoned or modified at the drop of a hat because the only other option is thesis paralysis? I keep making plans and I can keep dropping or changing them. I can confidently say that nothing in my PhD-no chapter, no progress report, no short-term goal--has gone according to plan. This doesn't mean I have done nothing or that plans are useless. If nothing else, a plan is that guilt-ridden voice tugging at your conscience to work. But, a creative and intellectual of the scale of PhD doesn't lend itself to planning. Planning is fine when you can see the path and/or see the destination. When you can't do either, planning becomes a speculative activity. I have learnt that the only possible solution is to embrace the chaos. When you get stuck on a chapter, take a break or work on something else. All work is progress and contributes to the thesis in big or small ways. Moving also gives you a sense of achievement and helps keep morale high. Which is super-important during a winter pandemic.