Stay focused and be realistic. Your thesis should be your primary concern. Avoid taking on too many additional responsibilities. Many doctoral programs, including those at Harvard, help thesis writers focus by forbidding them to fill teaching assistantships while they are working on their dissertations. Focus extends to the subject matter of your thesis as well. While theses are often extensive, you will not finish quickly if you try to cover too much. Keep it as specific as possible.
Find the right adviser and program. Finishing your thesis is not something you can do without the support of your adviser and your school. With some theses taking potentially as long as 10 years to complete, some schools are beginning to tighten the reigns for advisers who are too lenient about doctoral candidate's deadlines. If you know you want to finish quickly, find an adviser and a program that will keep you on track.
Stay organized. Writing a PhD thesis is a complicated process. You must know how to organize your thoughts and your research. Develop a rigid way of organizing your research. Folders for each chapter, folders for each topic or develop your own specific strategy. Joe Wolfe, thesis adviser at the University of Wales suggests doctoral students "open a word-processor file for each chapter and one for the references," to make moving back and forth through chapters and arguments simpler. Remember to backup all your work on an external drive daily.
Set deadlines for completing your thesis. Set a hard-deadline for yourself that is within a time you can reach. If your adviser sets a deadline for you and you would like to finish sooner, develop a timeline that can help you reach your ideal deadline. Wolfe recommends sitting down with your adviser and making "a list of dates for when you will give the first and second drafts of each chapter." Finishing a chapter is not an easy task, however. Set additional deadlines for finishing each chapter into other intervals based on page or word counts.
Take care of yourself. The stress of writing a thesis can certainly take a toll on even the smartest and hardest-working scholar. Stress can extend your thesis writing time by hindering your thought process and potentially causing illness and anxiety-related procrastination. Being busy with writing your thesis is not an excuse to let your health go by the wayside. In fact, it could really hurt your chances of finishing quickly. Wolfe notes that taking time out to for a 20-30 minute daily walk may help you clear you mind and work more effectively. Exercise and eat well to boost energy and concentration throughout your writing process.
Reward yourself. Writing a thesis can be a solitary, excruciating process. As you struggle to push through your thesis, you may find more luck with finishing if you reward yourself for meeting your goals and pushing through the hardest of days. Many thesis writers have some kind of reward system. Whether it is wine, chocolate or movies, have something to reward yourself after you hit one of your goals. Rewarding yourself can keep you motivated to reach your goals and finish your PhD quickly.