It can be difficult to actually meet your deadline if you don’t have one. Div III is likely larger than any project you have ever done before. It requires many smaller deadlines that build to a final product.

By now, you might know fairly well what you want to produce by May (or by December). You can do a backwards plan for the whole of your Div III or just for this semester. Since a Div III is big and it really gets done in pieces, I am going to suggest starting with a backwards plan for the fall.

First, talk to your Div III chair/committee about your goals for the semester – what do you want to complete? (You might have already done this – so you are ready for step two).

Second, create a calendar working backwards from, say, December 11^th (the last day of classes for the fall semester and the due date for faculty progress reports). Write the dates for submission to your committee of completed works, drafts or pilot pieces. Having deadlines for each piece holds you accountable to yourself and to your committee.

Third, check with your committee about whether your calendar is reasonable, doable, and see whether they suggest any alterations. Your calendar might have dates not only for your work, but for when your committee will give feedback on your pieces.

You will come to a revolving door kind of period, where they are reading and giving feedback while you are drafting, composing, creating the next part.