Avoiding Project Pitfalls

Watch out for a number of common project pitfalls. Any of the following could increase your workload, stress, or time to completion:
  1. Adopting a topic or question that is far too broad or poorly defined.
  2. Getting distracted by other interesting issues or problems along the way.
  3. Not taking time to get organized at the beginning of your process.
  4. Adopting a work plan that doesn’t include time for unanticipated delays or setbacks.
  5. Failing to reset your timeline with your advisor when you miss a key due date.
  6. Not setting concrete progress goals or milestones.
  7. Writing without an audience in mind.
  8. Writing without a clear outline - you can use questions about what you need to know or include to guide you.
  9. Writing about existing literature like it is a laundry list rather than a critical foundation to guide your work.
  10. Focusing too much on project results and not enough on the process.
  11. Working without a weekly schedule.