It is hereby resolved that...

I will work on my paper everyday for at least 15 minutes. My resolution has held for three days now! Even last night when I got home from work, dead tired. A fellow student and I have made an agreement with each other to spend at least 15 minutes everyday on our papers, based on the book Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day by Joan Bolker. Although we're not quite at the dissertation stage yet, the principles still apply. (Not that a person can write only for 15 minutes a day and get much done, but the point is to keep the dissertation/paper front of mind.) I like the author's emphasis on positive rewards for acheiving goals, rather than negative consequences for missing a deadline. (Another book I have suggests sending money to an organization whose mission you disagree with if you don't do what you said you would.) I may amend the resolution slightly to omit Sundays.

Part of my re-motivation to get going, again, is that I attended the dissertation defense of a student who is/was a year ahead of me. It was fascinating to listen in on his interrogation (and even ask a couple questions), although his dissertation was so brilliant that the defense was a mere formality.