Learning to enjoy the PhD

Emily Winter is a final year ESRC funded PhD student in Sociology and Religious Studies at Lancaster University. In her guest post today, she reflects on her time as a doctoral student and provides insight into her positive experiences, as well as the tips and tricks she has learnt along the way to make the PhD experience both more enjoyable and less unfavourable. Follow Emily on Twitter at: @EmilyRWinter

I’m not going to lie: doing a PhD is not easy.  I’ve just submitted my first draft and, along the way, I have sometimes felt isolated, frustrated and full of existential angst.  However, amidst all of this, I have tried to hold on to what the PhD has offered me and what I have valued and appreciated about this opportunity:

1.    Being surrounded by like-minded people.  More than at any other stage in my life, the PhD has enabled me to meet like-minded people. From enjoying feminist discussions with my office mates to chats with people at conferences who share my conviction that understanding religion matters, the PhD has enabled me to connect deeply with others around shared values. 

2.    Being in an intellectually stimulating environment.  Re-entering academia after a stint in the policy world made me particularly appreciative of its values of intellectual curiosity and critical thinking.  It’s wonderful also to meet people with so many different interests, from the esoteric to cutting edge research into today’s most pressing societal problems.  It’s a nice reminder that the world is full of diversity and richness and that something that you might find incredibly dull is someone else’s passion! 

3.    Flexibility.  This is not something that every PhD student will be able to enjoy, whether that’s due to combining the PhD with paid employment, or juggling it with caring responsibilities.  If, however, you are not in this kind of situation, the PhD can be a blissfully flexible time.  I initially found this daunting, as I missed having structure and it took me a while to appreciate the privilege of being able to go for a coffee with a friend during the working day, or leaving early in order to make the most of the light and go rock climbing.  This stage in life won’t last forever, so enjoy it while you can! 

Perhaps unlike a lot of people, I’ve actually enjoyed the PhD more as it has gone on.  Partly this is the result of having discovered things that help make the PhD feel both more doable and more enjoyable.  These are some things I wish I had done earlier and that would have helped make the initial stages of the PhD less rocky:

1.    Find a mentor.  A mentor is someone who helps you through the process of doing a PhD, but is not your supervisor.  They will most likely be someone that doesn’t discuss the specifics of your PhD with you, but might talk to you about life-work balance, any anxieties you might be experiencing, and about building your CV and thinking about ‘what next?’.  I have ended up having two mentors; one through an established mentoring programme, and one through personal connection.  I would really recommend thinking about this early on, and trying to find someone who is willing to take on this role. 

2.    Go on a writing retreat and join a writing group.  If your department organises a writing retreat, go on it!  You will not regret it.  Attending a writing retreat was a fantastic experience for me.  It took away some of the mystique that can surround the writing process, and proved just how much I could actually achieve in a short space of time.  It was energising to have such a productive couple of days.  I’ve also been a part of two writing groups- one where we try and replicate the feeling of being on a writing retreat by writing together in the same room, and one where we read each other’s work and provide feedback.  Not only have these groups benefitted my work, they have helped me to feel less isolated and to feel instead part of a community.  No writing groups in your department?  Start one!  There’s lots of resources available online that can provide guidance as to how to do this, and highlight different kind of models you might want to adopt.

3.    Take intentional breaks.  I’m still rubbish at this, procrastinating online rather than nipping out for a walk, but when I am disciplined enough to do this, I reap the benefits of it.  It is far better to spend less, but more efficient, time in the office than spend hours doing very little and sitting on Facebook.

4.    Mix up your work spaces.  Find what works for you.  Don’t feel you have to stick to your office.  I did for a whole year, and it didn’t go well for me.  By the end of the PhD, I was working alternately in my office, with my writing group, at home, in the library and in cafes; and learning to trust my instinct as to which kind of space was going to work best at different stages in the process.

And finally, I’d like to share a couple of things that I realised quite early on were important, but can be far too easy to forget:  

1.    Enjoy other activities/start a new hobby.  The PhD demands activities that enable you to switch off, and enter into a different mental space.  For me, this has mainly been through being absorbed in some form of physical activity, whether swing dancing, running or climbing.  Find what works for you, and that won’t necessarily be something similar to the above. It could be leisure reading, crafts, watching films, baking- anything that allows your mind to flow in a different direction. 

2.    Have non-PhD-student friends!  I absolutely love my PhD friends, but I could not have retained my sanity without friends that were not part of this world.  Being able to escape the academic bubble is so important.   Keep in touch with old friends, and join a club or group that enables you to meet other people living in your local community.