Beginning to think how the heck am I gonna get all this done (and that is without the writing up)!
Any tips from those who came to this spot before me and made it through?
Identify where you waste time. (For me that was procrastinating on Facebook and Mumsnet!) Stop doing it! (I still have these sites blocked on my computer - I have no willpower).
I don't really waste time on activities I'm not supposed to as such... (apart from this forum - but this is helpful and allowed!)... I'm just slow at everything I think!
Hi Tudor Queen,
Being stressed over thinking of all the things that you have to do burns out a lot of energy. So how I usually get around this is having a monthly plan,weekly plan and a daily plan. To design a monthly plan I down load a monthly calendar with a reasonable space to write down my objectives. you should be realistic in setting your goals. Following achieving a goal I cross this out and it really gave me a feeling of satisfaction. Also when planing your work prioritise your work and I also I made sure that all the necessary areas are included. e.g.: Time for the experiments, reading papers, updating lab book, other admin work etc. Having a plan increased the efficiency and also remember to be kind to your self at times when you did not achieve some goals due to valid reasons. Hope this helps.
Hi Pixiecup
Thanks for sharing. Actually this ties in well with a book I'm reading called "Organize yourself" (a general personal development kinda book not a PhD skills one). So it is good to hear it coming from another source as well.
I am submitting in a few weeks- the thesis is written and I am applying final amendments whilst working multiple teaching/research roles.
My advice echos others' here; I use a notebook to write down my monthly 'goals', then each week I make a 'to do' list (crossing a completed task out has always felt satisfying for me) and I also make a 'done' list where I note everything I have done on a daily basis. I found that this works well when feeling a bit demotivated as you can reflect on your accomplishments.
More recently, I deactivated my Facebook which has worked wonders. Instead of checking Facebook I now check and deal with emails (work based). I text/call friends to stay in touch. I am also quite amazed at how less 'cluttered' my head feels having Facebook deactivated. I realised in retrospect that, in addition to the many hours wasted mindlessly scrolling through, that dealing with notifications, messages etc. made me feel quite stressed...it felt like a 'chore'.
Hope this helps :)
This does help - thanks for sharing. I did once have a "done" list too, and it so helped. But something seems to have happened lately where all my great habits have gone to pot and I am just scrabbling about trying to get things down. I need to sort myself out again.
Re Facebook - thankfully I'm not on it. One distraction is checking the news. But I use it as a sort of treat (lol) and at least it doesn't require any replying.
Thanks for sharing. I will start writing up the theory very soon. I keep putting it off but am going to dedicate a day for writing so will be begin to tackle it then.
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