Write a paragraph on "Lockdown".
Answers
In March, mid-lockdown, I needed to write the introduction to my PhD thesis. I went at it with all guns blazing. I downloaded Mendeley, a reference-management program, to arrange my papers in a more aesthetically pleasing way, and the note-taking app Evernote to consolidate summaries of these papers, and I captured key formatting features of studies that I wanted to incorporate into my dissertation.
Next, I read a load of articles about productivity, and learnt about the importance of creating the right space for writing. I dusted my room, tidied my desk, lit a scented candle, placed succulents on the windowsill and started to read the relevant sections of my predecessor’s dissertation. My supervisor, Ursula Fearon, wrote in an e-mail that most of my introduction had already been written by the previous PhD student. All I had to do was include updated data and references, and there was “no need to reinvent the wheel”.
I sat down. It took me about eight hours to write two paragraphs. I was surprised: I had felt enthusiastic about the assignment. I wrote it off as ‘teething troubles’ and decided that tomorrow would be better.
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