For me, it was the moment in which I went from writing in numberless ways the introduction to my second paper, to developing the main ideas and braving the gods by calling it a partial draft. For others it has been realizing that they don’t need to develop all their outline headings into full chapters. A particular aspect may be fascinating but at some point it is crucial to let it go and focus on what can get done within a reasonable period of time.

A friend once told me that “the best thesis is a finished thesis”. It may be as simple as that, but it is still a titanic effort.

Sometimes I wonder what writing a PhD thesis is really about. Formally, the final document will be there for posterity to show that the student became an “expert” on something and was able to add something new, no matter how tiny, to the academic literature. That in itself is a monumental task.

Yet, I have a growing conviction that the process in itself aims to achieve much more than that. It is a test of strength, obstinacy and perseverance. It ultimately provides grit. That at least has been my experience and I have a feeling that it is not only because I work full time and have a family.

Not everybody goes through the same painstaking learning process, of course. For some, writing is relatively easy and confidence issues are not overbearing. For others, writing a dissertation is a matter of methodical application of the tools associated with their discipline.

For the rest of us, there is always grit.