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PhD journey

academic  ·  motivation  ·  research
Get Comfortable with not knowing

The assumption is that a PhD candidate is very knowledgeable. Probably knows everything about everything. As a matter of fact, to qualify for a PhD placement in any institution in the world, you need to present proof of excellence by exhibiting your previous degrees.

Here is the shocker! When you start this journey, it’s like an unveiling occurs, presenting things you do not know. The more you read and research, the more you realise that you do not know many things. And for some, this is where their imposter syndrome starts. You begin to question whether you deserved all the previous degrees you ever received. You begin to ask yourself how you even came this far with all the things you don’t know.

I know this because I have been there, and I am not completely over it if I am honest. Like you, I was not told that PhD involves stepping into the unknown, and for you to succeed in this journey, you need to be comfortable with not knowing. PhD is a synonym for unchartered territory. I mean unchartered by you like they say there is no new research. You need to be comfortable with the realisation that there is a lot you don’t know. 

For some of us, it is strange to respond to a question with ‘I don’t know’. Let me tell you this, you gonna be making lots of such statements in your journey. That’s why you need to get comfortable with not knowing for you to channel your energy to know what you don’t know.

The beauty in this is that not knowing is the gateway to learning. I always tell my undergraduate students that if they knew what I had to teach them, they wouldn’t be in my class. Therefore, they should be comfortable with getting a few answers wrong in class. 

For us PhD candidates, it’s not easy to get comfortable with getting answers wrong because our bachelors and masters degrees is a testament to how knowledgeable we are. Well, guess what, we don’t know it all. There is still so much more to learn, and that’s why there is something called a PhD. 

If we can overcome the fear of not knowing, then we can progress in the journey whilst being conscious of the fact that a PhD research opens different doors that present new knowledge to be gained. So be comfortable to step in the door and know something new.

March 13, 2021

motivation  ·  research  ·  Writing
Say it to yourself; What I do matters

I don’t know about you, but this pandemic has stayed longer than I anticipated. I was so convinced that the term lockdown would have gone with 2020; apparently, I was wrong.

While lockdown has been lifted in my country since last year, it is inhuman to disregard the fact that some countries are still experiencing restrictions and rising covid cases. My prayers are with you all.

You might ask what the point of doing a PhD is when we don’t know when we will come out of this? I have thought about this question myself many times. Thinking of how no one might care about my research because the world is in a pandemic or what will be the purpose of a PhD in the world that is left after the pandemic.

Then it hits me that PhD is not all about the degree but the person you become after this phase of research. Don’t get me wrong, the degree is important. I have come to see the process of getting this degree as a formation stage. Dealing with known unknowns, unknowns, unknown knowns, and unknown unknowns that come with this process forges your character in ways you didn’t anticipate. It is a whole transformational process, whether you are prepared for the transformation or not. Therefore, even in the midst of chaos, your work still matters.

I am here to remind you that you matter, your PhD matters, the work you are doing matters. If not for anything, the PhD matters to you and hence, your research matters.

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March 10, 2021

Letter  ·  motivation  ·  survival guide
It’s Ok

It’s ok that the year began and you didn’t know how to put your plans together. That shouldn’t stop you from putting together your research plan for the year. Planning is a compass; give us direction of where to and how to channel our resources to achieve something. Writing the plans down, makes it more real hence, bringing about an increased desire to see it come to pass.

Yes, 2021 has started and it is not slowing down for anyone, not even you and it’s okay to have that knowledge no matter how frightening the realisation is to you. 

It’s ok that your plans are so elaborate and you don’t know how you want to go about achieving them. The beauty of such plans is that every effort counts. Small achievements go a long way in the fulfilment of the elaborate plan.

It’s ok that you haven’t been able to attack 2021 head-on with your research taking off in full force like everyone else. People move at a different pace. Find yours, be consistent with it and you will see results. Don’t forget productive is relative.

It’s ok to just ease into the year. Gradual progress is still progress. Be consistent in progressing gradually. 

And it’s ok to feel like the year has started running so fast again while your research is yet to pick up pace. Keep at it! Take time today to build on yesterday’s effort and you will be awed by the results. 

It’s ok to feel how you feel just don’t dwell on the feeling.

Dear PhD Self, I just want to remind you that you are not alone in this journey.

Love,

Vicky

February 17, 2021

academic  ·  survival guide
Planning is a Compass

Planning is half the job done.

Planning your PhD is half your PhD done and if might I add that you are going to spend half your PhD time planning your PhD. It might feel like the time you invest planning is a waste but its not. Note that I used the word invest because, return is expected on an investment. You get the dividend from time by being more productive.

Yeah, you get the message! Planning requires time. It takes time to plan. This was a reason I didn’t embrace it early in life. I felt instead of spending so much time planning what I want to do why don’t I just go ahead and do it. Big mistake. And I will tell you why.

  1. Planning helps you keep track: It helps you know what you have accomplished and what you have left to do. You need to spend time planning, so you don’t have to waste time doing nothing. More so, it helps you avoid doing the same thing twice.
  2. It clears up space in your head: When you plan, you have a direction of what you want to do. It is like a compass that leads you therefore, you go about your day with a purpose and a sense of direction.
  3. Planning helps you organize your priorities: With planning, you can organize your priorities according to urgency and importance. This will ensure that you do not spend a lot of your time on less important things. Note, that some things are important but not urgent while some other things can be urgent but not important. What I am saying in a nutshell is that not all important activities are urgent. Planning ensures that you channel your resources to the right activity per time.

Not all planning are effective. To effectively, one has to determine where they are presently and where they intend to go. I will dive further into planning effectively in my next post. You can join my email list below so you don’t miss it. I look forward to seeing your contributions/ suggestions to this post in the comments.

Photo credit: Daniel Foster on flickr

PS: Pictures below are from my planner.

My typical planner
Me striking off completed tasks. Some days are more productive than the others but that is ok.

November 23, 2020

academic  ·  survival guide
Mistakes I have made since PhD journey

Like everyone else, I am not perfect. I have made mistakes since starting this journey and I know I will still make more later on. Mistakes are not a testament of how irresponsible I am but it also goes to show that I am human as every other person. Let one who is without mistakes be the first to cast stones.

I don’t consider mistakes as a bad thing, its not taking responsibility  and owning up to it that can be bad. Here is me owning up to mine and sharing it with you with the hope that you can avoid making the same if you haven’t yet. But if you have made the same mistakes then let’s toast to makes made on the journey to PhD (Cheers!!).

  1. Not Preparing: It is high time I admitted that I wasn’t prepared for this PhD. I can’t differentiate between not preparing for what to expect and not preparing for the journey at all. I think it is both. I didn’t know what to expect. I just went right from Master to PhD thinking it will be the same process but guess what it is not the same. Imagine my surprise.
  2. Not enough research:  I did not do enough research on what it means to do a PhD. The only thing I researched about was the schools I would like to go for the program but not the program itself. I really set myself up in this case. I only searched after being on the program and realized there were resources out there that could help me out if only I had searched.
  3. Not Planning: is it any surprise that I did not plan? I mean how do I plan for something I was not prepared for. I was not prepared so I couldn’t plan. If I had made plans based on the insufficient information I had, the plan would have flopped right from the onset.
  4. Listening to People: Don’t get the wrong idea listening to people is good especially people who have achieved the same thing you are aiming to achieve. I am talking of other PhD graduates, your mentors etc. However, listen for the complete information. I cannot stress that enough. Make sure you are not listening to only the things you want to hear. This is a big mistake, I know that because I made it already. I listened to people tell me why getting a PhD is important, how it can enhance my career, but I didn’t listen for what it will entail to be a successful PhD graduate. The extra endurance, perseverance I needed to develop or the imposter syndrome I would have to deal with.
  5. Thinking PhD was like other degrees I have done: I should have known that it was the highest academic degree for a reason but somehow I missed that point. I thought it had the same requirement as other degrees. When I say requirement. I don’t mean academic requirement. I mean what PhD requires of you as a person. You have to know what it means to  be committed and consistent before you start this journey. I found out about this on the journey.
  6. Thinking PhD was a Sprint: I knew it would be a journey but I though it was a Sprint. PhD is NOT a Sprint its a marathon. I started the race like it was a sprint but is not. Marathon is about perseverance, endurance and patience. And the combination that is bad for a sprint race. That’s to tell you I was a good athlete running the wrong race which makes me a terrible athlete.
  7. Not Knowing what I would have to give: I entered the PhD program as a full time lecturer and full time student. I didn’t know PhD would require my physical health and mental health. No sooner had I started the program, I broke down terribly. I spent two weeks in the hospital. I couldn’t believe it. Please don’t make the same mistake. You need to take care of your health both mentally and physically.

Although there is a saying that ‘you learn from experience‘. However, it doesn’t have to be your experience. There are some things you can learn from others’ experience which saves you time to make new experiences.

The question you might be asking having read this is ‘What next after making these mistakes?’ I will answer this in my next blog post. Stay tuned.

Feel free to share the post. I look forward reading your contributions in the comments.

Photo credit: withbeautiful on flickr

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November 5, 2020

not today
academic  ·  motivation  ·  survival guide
Some days are just not for PhD Writing

Last week I went to the library to get some work done in a less distracting environment. However, I couldn’t get any job done. You should suspect that my going to the library meant it was serious business for me.

One of my new semester goals is to visit the library more often. Even though I recognise that there are lots of online resources in terms of up-to-date journal access, I acknowledge that the library has a lot of resources that help one with understanding the theoretical and fundamental issues one intends to address in the cause of a PhD journey.

So I went to the library to use the resources and get a chunk of work done but guess what? I couldn’t do anything! The words were not flowing coherently. It was taking me a longer time to understand the article I was trying to read. Mind you, this was the early hours of the day (well not so early), between 10 am to 12 pm. The point is that this was the first intellectual work I was doing for the day, but I was not making any headway.

After trying and trying to get into my flow, you know what I did? I stopped trying. I closed everything that had to do with PhD and do something else unrelated to academics. This is not my first time experiencing a day like this, but this is the first time I am writing about it

I bet you have experienced some days like this. If you have, you should know that it’s not just you and the fault is not with you. Some days are just not for writing. Some days, you get into the flow effortlessly, other days it is just a struggle. Don’t think too hard about it, get away from the system for a little bit. Probably have a chat with a friend, read a book not related to academics or talk a walk or even journal.

It could be that your mind just needs a day to cool off and sometimes it could require more than a day but don’t take too many days off as it becomes harder to get back into the flow.

Just remember that some days are not just for academic writing so that you can be less hard on yourself for not getting it right. It is not you. Today is just not the day. Sometimes it’s just that simple.

Photo credit: mayankbhogal on flickr
October 5, 2020

celebrate
academic  ·  lifestyle  ·  survival guide
PAUSE. Give yourself a pat on the back

So you have deadlines to meet. You have to work all through the weekend. Probably that’s how you define your productivity (you should read my previous post on how productivity is relative to help you define productivity right).

I am not against you being productive and meeting your deadlines. But come to think of it feels like these deadlines don’t come to an end. As a full-time lecturer and full-time PhD student, finishing a deadline does not mean much because there are other deadlines piled up for me. Meeting a deadline is just one down among others. Does this sound familiar?

So what am I saying?

I am saying PAUSE. Before you go rushing into meeting the next deadline, take a break and celebrate the fact that you just accomplished something no matter how small it seems. It is worth celebrating because you completed it against all the odds. You were able to manage your time, put in the necessary resources to meet the deadline against the bountiful distractions and other things struggling for your time.

You my friend, met a deadline and for that reason, it is worth celebrating.

Celebrating little wins does not make you vain instead, it makes you mindful, accountable and attentive because not everyone can recognise a win even when it is staring them in the face. Learn to recognise and celebrate the little accomplishments in the cause of your journey.

Don’t be a victim of the pitfall that thinks about other tasks yet to complete. Not only does this ruin your current celebration, but it also deprives you of the gift of being present.

Whether you are a PhD student or not, don’t forget to PAUSE and give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it.

Photo credit: siddharthav on flickr
September 20, 2020

productivity
academic  ·  motivation  ·  survival guide
Productivity is relative

What does productivity mean to you? I am of the opinion that you define your productivity. It is one thing to know what being productive means, it another to know how you define it. In that sense, Productivity is relative.

I could say I was productive today because I have completed over 50 percent of the tasks I set out to do today but for someone else, productivity can mean writing 1000 words of a literature review or responding to all work-related emails.

Why am I stressing that you define your productivity? I am writing this so that you stop measuring your productivity with another person’s definition. This doesn’t always end well. It brings about more stress for you.

You may see someone’s post about writing 1500 words today on their PhD thesis and you barely wrote 500 words in yours then you start feeling inadequate. Before you go 150 km/hr down on the highway called Guilt, ask yourself if you and the person you are looking at have the same goals set this day.

You are productive in your own right as long as you define productivity correctly. Don’t go measuring your productivity by other people’s yardstick. You don’t need that additional pressure point PhD is enough of that already.

So as you start this new week define what productivity means to you and work with that. You just might realise that you are more productive than you give yourself credit for.

Photo credit: emilychang on flickr
September 13, 2020

academic  ·  survival guide  ·  Writing
Shutting out the noise in your head (Part 2)

In the previous post I was able to bring your attention to the noise in the head that needs to be shut off. Now that we are aware of it and acknowledge its existence, what do we do about it? Like I have a said before, I don’t claim to have all the answers as a matter of fact it, is my search or answers that led brought about this PhD journey. However, I can tell what I do to shut off my inside noise hoping that the technique will work for you as well. Here goes;

  1. Look inward: Settle down and try to put a name to what you are feeling. Are you being anxious, nervous, sad or worried? Putting a name to it is the first step to tackling what is causing the noise in your head and making your mind drift.
  2. Take a break:  Don’t blame all your lack of concentration on distraction, sometimes, you can’t concentrate because your body is trying to communicate with you to get a much needed rest. Take a break, in no time the noise will reduce.
  3. Do something else: For some of us that can’t sit still without doing anything, do something else that does not involve your thesis. Do something that helps you relax like taking a walk, look out the window notice the green around you (if you are surrounded by vegetation like I am) or lay down. Rest your head on the pillow or on your desk but step away from the activity you can’t seem to focus on doing and come back to much later.
  4. Pray: As a Christian, I recognize the place of prayer. From my bible study in the life of King David, I realized that David prayed his thoughts. He didn’t just confront God about his problems, he spoke to God about his thoughts. This helps me a lot. When the noise is too much and my head seems in disarray, I just start talking to God and He is the giver of peace. And handing everything over to him, peace and serenity saturates me. You should try it.

This is all the methods I use, if this post was helpful, don’t forget to like and share it. And if I missed anything don’t forget to reach out.

September 6, 2020