Focus Is Everything

It’s been eight years since I submitted my dissertation. The final lap started in early July on a train back to Zurich from a fun conference in steamy Graz. I was biting my nails as I knew that the last chunk of my dissertation was awaiting me.

During the following three weeks, I worked every morning on my dissertation while my two preschool girls were allowed to watch “Tinkerbell” a gazillion times. In the afternoons, we went swimming in the lake or stayed at home painting. In the evenings, I went back to my dissertation. I efficiently divided my time between inspired writing in the mornings and text revision in the evenings.

On July 27, I took the train to Mannheim to present a conference paper with my friend Lena. But the train had technical problems and stopped right after the German border. Luckily, my brother was working in Basel at the time, so he picked me up and gave me a ride back to Zurich.

The next morning at dawn, I headed to Mannheim by car. Just before I crossed the border, Lena called me saying she was sick. She was unable to give the presentation. But I couldn’t do it without her. So I decided to skip the conference and pulled over. Fatigue made me tremble, and I don’t know how I made it home.

After a few hours of sleep, I got up, determined to make that day count. I finished my dissertation and sent it off. I passed with flying colors. “Publishable as is.”

What did I learn from this? That focus is everything. When you’re focused on your content and write it down within a short period of time, your text will be succinct and to-the-point.

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