Why You’re Not Making Progress on Your Thesis (And What to Do Instead)

By Dr Sandra Steyn | Academic Coach & Research Mentor
Research4You – Helping postgraduate students move from stuck to submitted with clarity, courage, and care

It’s one of the most frustrating, disheartening feelings:

That sense that you're trying, really trying, and yet, you're still not making progress on your thesis.

Maybe you’ve been staring at the same paragraph for a week.
Maybe you’re juggling a full-time job, family responsibilities, and late-night writing sessions.
Maybe your supervisor’s feedback feels more overwhelming than helpful.

You’re not lazy. You’re not incapable. And you’re definitely not alone.

This post is for the hardworking, heart-heavy postgrad who feels like they’re falling behind — even when they’re giving it their all.

The Slow Slide Into Stuckness

When I meet new students in my coaching practice, they often arrive with a quiet sense of shame. “I should be further,” they say. “I keep procrastinating. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Here’s the truth: Nothing is wrong with you.
Most postgraduate students were never taught how to write a dissertation and manage work, home life, stress, or exhaustion. Add in high expectations, limited time, and vague institutional support — of course you feel stuck.

Progress doesn’t stall because you’re not working hard enough. It stalls because your system is overloaded, and your current strategies are no longer working.

What to Do When You Feel Behind

The real work is not about hustling harder — it’s about finding your way back to yourself, and rebuilding progress from a place of clarity and strength.

Here’s how we do that at Research4You:

1. Reset the Story You're Telling Yourself

If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “I’m just not disciplined enough,” pause.

Your brain is not the problem. The problem is the unsustainable pressure you’ve been carrying alone. Instead of blame, offer yourself the same compassion you’d give a friend.

Ask:
- What is actually making this hard right now?
- What do I need that I’ve been denying myself?
- Where might my strengths help me work with myself, not against myself?

So often, just this kind of reflective reset is enough to soften the inner critic and clear a mental path forward.

2. Get Clear on What Progress Actually Means

Progress isn’t only the big breakthroughs. It’s:
- Deciding on your next small writing goal
- Rewriting two sentences with confidence
- Emailing your supervisor even though you were nervous

I often ask my coaching clients to define progress in their own terms — and it always changes the game. You can’t measure your momentum if you’re using someone else’s ruler.

3. Work in Real-Life Rhythms, Not Unrealistic Sprints

You do not need to write for 5 hours a day. In fact, many students make more meaningful progress in two focused 25-minute blocks than in an entire distracted afternoon.

Try this:
- Choose one small goal for your next writing session
- Set a timer for 25 minutes and block everything else out
- Celebrate — yes, celebrate! — completing that goal

Build from there. Progress is built through small, repeated acts of showing up — not dramatic marathons.

4. Create a Support System That Actually Works

If you’ve been trying to do this alone, I want to gently say: you don’t have to.

So many students tell me they felt like they had to "prove" they could do it themselves — but once they experienced safe, structured support, they realised how much easier it could be.

At Research4You, we offer:
- Personalised academic coaching
- Strengths-based sessions
- Retreats and writing intensives

Writing your thesis can be less isolating. You deserve that.

Real Progress, Real Stories

I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of students — many of whom came to me on the edge of giving up. Not because they lacked ability, but because they lacked the right kind of support.

One student told me:
“I thought I had no hope of finishing. I was completely overwhelmed. But Sandra helped me see what I could do. She broke it down, gave me structure, and helped me believe in myself again. I submitted my PhD two months later.”

Stories like these aren’t rare. They’re possible — for you, too.

What Courage Really Looks Like

Courage isn’t always big or bold.
Sometimes, as Mary Anne Radmacher so beautifully wrote:
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

If that’s where you are — quietly whispering that you’ll try again — I see you.
And I’d be honoured to walk that road with you.

Ready to Get Unstuck?

Here are three ways we can start working together:

👉 Book a Discovery Call
👉 Join an Academic Writing Retreat
👉 Explore Strengths-Based Coaching

You are not behind. You are in process.
And from here, it is still possible to move forward — with courage, clarity, and support.

Dr Sandra Steyn
Postgraduate Coach & Research Mentor
Helping working students write, finish, and thrive through research