4 Dissertating Roadblocks

As far as I can tell, I run, rather than walk, to the nearest exit when I find myself in one of these 4 situations while dissertating:

1. Is there a "big picture"?: I know there is one but I have no clue how to put the individual pieces together so that the picture looks like I actually connected all the dots.

2. Data-mining: I know what I want to say. I know that I have "data" that helps me say it. But (you knew there was one right?) the sheer thought of going through it all to get it back in pristine form such that all the dots connect (see #1 above) seems like more than I can handle. And no, the thought of doing it bit by bit doesn't help. Why? See #3 below.

3. Me, myself and who?: When I sit down I feel like I must accomplish it all. I'm not sure why that is but I suspect that the fear of not being able to come back. For me sitting down to start is definitely the harder task because I need for there to be pin drop silence and complete peace and quiet when I write or else I lose my thoughts. What's the problem here you ask? Well I actually enjoy being around people and the solitude that I require to write well is clearly depressing. One-off situations are fine but dissertating requires regular and extended periods of these.

4. The Balancing Act: there are some ideas that I can only express in long-winded fashion. I fear I don't know how to zip them. Others I don't know how to unzip; I can only express them in compact form. I suspect this has something to do with the fact that I live in my own brain. I know how I got there and I'm usually rushing to make the point without realizing that sometimes people have to be walked through the idea. [Relevant aside: I think I have this problem while presenting at conferences and in teaching as well. Primarily because I find the pace of academia too rushed at times...well not academia in general but the academic configurations I often happen to occupy. Most folks are able to speak in convincing soundbytes. Here my British training comes into play. I'd like to dwell for a while. I need percolation. I can't always figure it out "in the moment". I need time to process. Unfortunately, things don't always work this way.] Either way, the packing and unpacking is tedious. It would be nice to strike the right balance in the first try some of the time at least.

I suspect some or all of these strike a chord non-dissertators as well. Anyone in the blogosphere want to commiserate or, better yet, perhaps offer suggestions?