Instead of sitting down to write “the thing”, her suggestion was: chunk sections with word counts. Every chapter of the diss was split into an introduction, historical context, case studies, etc. Then inside those were 500 words on relevant theoretical concepts, 350 on arguments, 250 on overview

I just shared this with a student who is tackling a bigger piece of writing. It's so helpful to make things smaller and more specific.

They aren’t hard limits but were helpful in knowing when to move on and when to delve more deeply. Also, an amazing sense of satisfaction to think I covered an idea or key aspect of my project rather than an abstract countdown of words.