PhD Progress

The Delphi Method works for any group decision where thoughtful input matters more than speed. Instead of the traditional bun fight, members respond to questions silently and asynchronously. This approach can be effective for any kind of collaboration, such as a journal article, research project, or team narrative CV. Here’s a simple process you can adapt for your situation: Step 1: Appoint a facilitator Before you begin, designate one person to coordinate the process. This person: ...

We’ve all attended meetings where there’s been a lot of noise, but very little to show for it at the end. The discussion is dominated by a member with one terrible idea that they’re determined to force upon everyone. The quieter colleagues who actually have something valuable to say slump in defeat and start wondering what they’re going to have for dinner. The only outcome is agreement on the date for the next exhausting meeting. ...

It’s important to remember that all academic writing is storytelling. Yes, even for scientists. The data don’t speak for themselves - you need to create a narrative that explains how you pursued your research, what happened, who was involved, and why it matters. Humans are wired to respond to stories, so it’s the perfect vehicle for communicating complex ideas. If storytelling feels alien to you, there’s good news: successful stories follow a common structure. There are many different structures you could use, but OCAR is especially helpful for academic writing. ...

Many UK funders are adopting a new approach to academic CVs. In the business world, CVs typically occupy just a few pages, but academic CVs can stretch to more than a hundred pages, especially if you’re a prolific researcher. These monster documents are boring to write and also difficult for the recipient to digest. Also, traditional CVs focus on publications, awards, and successful grants. These are your most visible activities, but might represent only a small proportion of your effort. Under the surface, you’re spending a lot of your time on peer review, committees, building collaborations, public engagement, and mentorship. This vital work doesn’t always count. ...

We’re all familiar with the importance of budgeting our money - tracking what we spend, saving for big occasions, and avoiding that expensive overdraft. Our energy deserves the same careful consideration. Just like financial overspending, regularly exceeding our energy capacity leads to serious consequences: burnout, anxiety, and poor decision-making. This is crucial for neurodivergent people and those managing chronic health conditions. Activities that seem straightforward to others can leave us exhausted. It’s hard both to recognise our own limits and to communicate them clearly to others - especially when we’re already tired. ...

Here are the resources for my workshop on Planning the Final Year of Your PhD. 🎤 You can also hear me talking about avoiding burnout on the PhD Life Raft podcast. Books 📚 The Literature Review by Diana Ridley The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research by Gordon Rugg & Marian Petre How to Write a Thesis by Rowena Murray Websites 🕸️ The PhD Life Raft - Useful resources for doctoral researchers, including an excellent podcast The Thesis Whisperer - Hundreds of thoughtful posts on every aspect of being a doctoral researcher. Thinkwell - Planners and templates for managing your PhD. Resources 🧭 How to Map Your Thesis or Book Creating a Minimum Viable Thesis Preparing for an Online Viva How to Write a Thesis Abstract Who Do You Include in Your Thesis Acknowledgements? Worksheets 📝 Completion Checklist - A systematic approach to deciding whether you're ready to submit your thesis (PDF). Editing Audit - Template for tracking the editing stage. Writing Audit - Template for tracking the writing stage.

Here are the resources for my workshop on Streamlining Your Writing with AI. AI Books 📚 Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans by Melanie Mitchell The Alignment Problem: How Can Artificial Intelligence Learn Human Values? by Brian Christian Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman Apps 💻 AudioPen Claude NotebookLM Resources 🧭 How to Automatically Sync AudioPen Notes with Obsidian Websites 🕸️ The Algorithmic Bridge - Alberto Romero's thought pieces on the wider implications of AI. Emily Bender - Linguist and AI sceptic One Useful Thing - Ethan Mollicks's pragmatic but enthusiastic views of AI, with an emphasis on Higher Education. Margaret Mitchell - AI research scientist and ethicist. Courses 👩🏽‍🏫 AI for Everyone Generative AI for Everyone Writing Books 📚 Detox Your Writing: Strategies for Doctoral Researchers by Pat Thomson & Barbara Kamler Writing for Social Scientists by Howard S. Becker Stylish Academic Writing by Helen Sword Writing Science by Joshua Schimel Resources 🧭 Using the OCAR Structure for Academic Writing How to Use Zotero with Scrivener Time Tracking for Researchers: Improve Your Project Management with Data-Driven Planning Improve Your Flow with Reverse Outlining Websites 🕸️ Academic Phrasebank - This extensive resource includes examples to help you understand the mechanics of academic writing. Explorations of Style - Rachael Cayley's thoughtful blog about all aspects of academic writing.

When I run project management workshops, there’s always one problem that everyone struggles with: how on earth do you estimate the time needed for each task? Most of us either overlook the complexities of an apparently straightforward activity, or simply forget that it always takes much longer than we imagine. As researchers, we vow to devise a better data-driven solution, but that’ll be for the next project. Time Tracking One of the best solutions I’ve discovered is time tracking. Working on freelance projects, I sometimes need to track billable hours for clients. With time tracking tools like Toggl, you record the start and end time for activities so you can generate reports on exactly how long you spent on that project. Within the project, you use tags or labels to track specific activities, such as emails, meetings, or researching. I use Toggl1 because it’s easy record everything with the desktop timer, which also supports the Pomodoro Technique. Alternatives include Clockify and RescueTime. ...

Here are the resources for my workshop on Project Managing Your Research. Books 📚 How to Lead Smart People by Arun Singh & Mike Mister Making Work Visible by Dominica DeGrandis Slow Productivity by Cal Newport Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just 5 Days by Jake Knapp The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington Words that Change Minds by Shelle Rose Charvet Apps 💻 Toggl Focus Toggl Track Trello Resources 🧭 Managing Your Energy Budget A Catastrophist's Guide to Backing Up a Mac Time Tracking for Researchers: Improve Your Project Management with Data-Driven Planning Risk Assessment Matrix The Eisenhower Matrix The Human Function Curve

The Risk Assessment Matrix is a fundamental (but scary) tool for evaluating and prioritising project risks based on two dimensions: Vertical Axis - Probability: How likely is this event to occur? Horizontal Axis - Impact: If this event does occur, how severe would the consequences be? Or, how much disruption would it cause? The Risk Assessment Matrix As project manager, part of your job is to consider the potential risks and in which quadrant they belong. It’s helpful to already have a breakdown of your project deliverables and tasks before you start. ...