How I Finished My Thesis a Week Early (And You Can Too!)

By learning to submit early, you give yourself more than just extra time — you gain confidence and freedom as a writer.

Something happened to me that I’ve never experienced in my 10 years of academia and writing: I submitted my MA thesis a whole week early!

I had planned out my week with no meetings, minimal family obligations, and no business tasks because I was working toward a September 30th deadline.

In the past, I would spend that final week frantically making changes, proofreading (even though I couldn’t spot mistakes anymore), and stressing.

But last Saturday (Sept 22), something different happened.

I realised my thesis draft was good enough.

I didn’t see any major issues. So, as a test, I uploaded it to the submission system.

Then, a thought hit me — what if I just left it there? What if I didn’t touch it again? What if this submission was the final one?

And what if, instead of editing for a whole week, I could take time to rest?

So, I decided to try it. I promised myself I wouldn’t make any more changes.

After a moment of happiness, what followed was resistance.

What if it’s not perfect? What if I missed something important? But instead of giving in, I used the extra time to read a book, care for my kids who had a cold, and simply enjoy the luxury of having a week of free time.

And I realised:

By learning to submit early, you give yourself more than just extra time — you gain confidence and freedom as a writer. You learn to overcome resistance and worry thoughts.

I re-traced my steps to give you an action plan to try the same.

Here are 3 steps to start submitting your projects before the deadline

Step 1: Set an earlier personal deadline

Choose a deadline that’s a few days before the official one. Treat it like the real thing.

• Block out your calendar and act as if that’s your final deadline.
• Give yourself permission to rest or enjoy the time once you’ve submitted early.
• If this sounds daunting, start with a small task — do something the night before instead of next morning.

I accidentally stumbled on my earlier deadline (Sept 22 instead of 30), but you can be much more proactive about it.

Step 2: Break the editing cycle

Once you’ve done a final read-through and addressed any major issues, stop making changes.

• Upload your project and resist the temptation to re-open or re-edit it.
• Resist the urge to keep editing, and shift your focus to something else — whether it’s starting a new project or taking a well-deserved break.

Several times a day my mind wandered towards the thesis. Should I read it just once? Perhaps print it and check for layout issues — now that I had a week off? I resisted and didn’t open the submission, even though I still had access to it. 

Because: What was I really to gain, other than entering that world of stress again?

Step 3: Embrace “good enough”

Your project doesn’t need to be perfect. Trust that it’s in a solid place and submit it.

• Remember, the pursuit of perfection often leads to more stress and minimal improvements.
• Value your time and your work by accepting when it’s ready.
• Train yourself to consciously submit something imperfect (and enjoy a growing confidence).

During my week of “freedom” I noticed I had forgotten someone from the acknowledgements, and there was a typo in the references.

To train my brain to let go, I decided each single time that my overall mark of the thesis would not change due to that one tiny error. It was good enough. And I accepted the discomfort of not changing it. Soon, I felt quite pleased that I was in control, rather than letting the imposter in me run the show.

Over to you

What tiny thing might you submit an hour, a day, a week earlier?

Where can you leave a small error be, knowing that we all make mistakes and it’s OK?

If you want to develop a system that helps you write more in less time, my 7-Day Write Habit Booster is a quick and easy way to start. With 7 trainings, you learn a my step-by-step system that has helped 100s of writers publish their projects. And as a special bonus, you get to join our live round in November 2024 for free.