PhD Progress

How many times do we make a note to “Work on project”? It’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed and start diligently responding to email instead. Six months later, we’ve got a gold star for responsiveness but have missed that important milestone. Answering emails won’t get you the research funding or the promotion. The answer is to breakdown that project into smaller, actionable tasks. The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) helps you define the total scope of a project by breaking it down from the highest level (the project itself) to the lowest level (individual tasks that can be assigned and tracked). ...

Here are the recommended resources for my workshop on Planning and Structuring Your Literature Review. Books 📚 Writing for Social Scientists by Howard S. Becker How to Write a Thesis by Rowena Murray The Literature Review by Diana Ridley The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research by Gordon Rugg & Marian Petre Writing Science by Joshua Schimel Stylish Academic Writing by Helen Sword Detox Your Writing: Strategies for Doctoral Researchers by Pat Thomson & Barbara Kamler Succeeding with Your Doctorate by Wellington et al Websites 🕸️ The Thesis Whisperer The Academic Phrasebank Videos 📺 James Hayton PhD ...

A few years ago, I sent a friend a book chapter I’d been working on for months. Desperate for validation, I waited anxiously for a response. As the days passed, I convinced myself he hated it. Obviously, he was putting off telling me how bad it was. Two weeks later, the email arrived … with an attachment. My friend had completely rewritten the chapter. Not only that, he’d used tracked changes in Word, so it was a sea of red. As you can imagine, my heart plunged into my boots. I’d wanted him to say, “Goodness, Catherine, you’ve worked really hard on this. Well done.” As I hadn’t explained my requirement, he’d assumed I wanted extensive editorial input. ...

At the moment, it’s easy to think there’s very little that’s within our control. Unfortunately, we’re right. However, this makes it even more important to focus on what we can control. In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey separates our lives into three concentric circles: control, concern, and influence. The Circle of Control The Circle of Control includes events we control directly. In the Circle of Influence, we find those areas where we have some control but are also partly affected by the behaviour of other people. Finally, the Circle of Concern is everything that affects us, yet we’re powerless to change it: economic uncertainty, in-laws, and spiteful weather. ...

If there’s one topic guaranteed to suck all the fun out of a writing workshop, it’s signposting. Signposts include descriptive headings, cross-references, and emphasis of argument. For the writer, these mechanisms feel clunky and dull; for the reader, though, these navigational aids make the text much more digestible — especially when it’s a long document like a thesis or a monograph. Your reader or examiner is probably reading your work alongside a whole heap of other research material. They’ll be dipping in and out over weeks — maybe even months — so need frequent reminders of what you’ve already told them and a roadmap of what’s coming next. With a clear structure and frequent signposts, they’re much less likely to miss something important. ...

It’s hard to get a sense of a big piece of writing, especially when Word keeps crashing. You’re scrolling endlessly, trying to hold thousands of words in your tired brain. You need to step away from the screen. In this blog post, I’ll explain how you can map your book or thesis. This technique helps you impose order on a baggy draft. Even better, it provides an excuse to buy stationery. ...

Even when we start out with a clear plan, it’s easy to end up with rambling draft. We know there’s an argument lurking within, but we’re darned if we can find it. While every writer is different, nearly everyone benefits from the technique of reverse outlining. I think it’s the best way to improve the flow of your argument and produce a coherent manuscript or thesis. There are many different approaches to this technique and there’s no right way of doing it. I’ll share my approach with you, which you can then adapt. ...

When Apple create a new iPhone, they don’t spent years perfecting it. They’re not busily anticipating the needs of all their customers, hoping everyone will love it immediately. Instead, they create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and get it to market as soon as possible. They know there are thousands of people who’ll queue overnight outside the Apple Store and spend a month’s salary on a slightly flawed product. Those early adopters will give them almost immediate feedback on what the developers need to do to bring it up to scratch. Apple make those improvements, then release an updated version. ...

At a recent business networking event, I met no fewer than three people who’d quit their PhD. Although they believed it was the right decision, they still felt a sense of failure or defeat. Estimates vary, but it’s likely that around 40% of PhD students leave. The figures are much higher for part-time students and stratospheric for those pursuing professional doctorates. Because universities are squeamish about sharing the true figures, people who struggle think they’re in a tiny minority. The reasons for quitting will come as no surprise: mental health problems, job insecurity, financial worries, and supervisory conflict are just a few. For valuable insights and discussion on these reasons, hop over to The Thesis Whisperer. ...

In 1861, Charles Darwin wrote in a letter: “But I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything.” Ever had a Darwin Day? Yep, me too. It’s frustrating when we’ve put aside some time for deep work, then our brain refuses to cooperate. There are a few options to consider, though: Do you need a rest? If our bodies and brains go completely floppy, perhaps they’re trying to tell us something. Taking a day off allows us to recover and then attack our thesis with renewed vigour. Obviously, it becomes problematic if we designate every day a Darwin Day. We need to stay in tune with ourselves and learn to recognise whether this is exhaustion or just procrastination. You can only tune in once you’ve slowed down. Could you work through some easier tasks? Although they’re not desperately exciting, these jobs get you closer to the finish line without requiring too much brainpower. This is precisely the stuff you don’t want to be bothered with when you’re in flow, so they’re best saved for low-powered sessions. If you’re lacking in motivation, is there a trigger that would get you back in the mood? Amitoze, a PhD student in AI, told me that he watches videos on machine learning to rekindle his enthusiasm. This gives him some context for his writing and inspires him to get going. Other students teach themselves a new skill, do some exploratory reading, or try writing more creatively. ACTIVITY Create a list of activities for Darwin Days. What could you still achieve, even when everything feels rubbish?Ideas include: ...