8 Top Tips for Surviving Your PhD (with your sanity intact!)

Emma completed her Wellcome Trust funded PhD in December 2017. She is currently an Associate Lecturer in the School of History at University of Kent. Follow her on twitter at: @emmajaneketley 

I can’t believe that it is coming up to a year since I defended my thesis and passed my PhD; it’s been a whirlwind year of mountain-top moments, to Monday mornings. The year has been full of highs – completing my minor corrections, submitting the final thesis, and graduating in Canterbury Cathedral (as well as getting married in between!). And lows – tackling the job market and trying to figure out the next step which is right for me! In many ways, this year has been much harder than the three that preceded it; I was lucky to have a supportive supervisor and a team of great friends throughout my PhD, which made the whole experience an overwhelmingly positive one. I thought I’d share my top tips for surviving (or maybe even thriving) through your PhD.

1.       Don’t Compare Your Journey to Someone Else’s.

It is so easy to compare your PhD to someone else’s research but, honestly, there is just no point. Everyone works differently – I personally work early in the day and have fun in the afternoon when I am not as alert. I know people that take the 9-5 Monday to Friday approach and I know people who sleep all morning and work late into the night. There is no perfect way to complete your PhD, only a good way to suit your own needs and best working practices.

2.       Say “Yes” To Challenging Things.

Doing a PhD is all about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone; for me, this involves public speaking. It isn’t my favourite thing to do, and to be honest, it makes me feel a little bit vulnerable. (Standing up in front of a room full of academics, presenting my research, and fielding questions feels so anxiety inducing!). However, I can say that every single time I’ve presented my research, I have valued the experience and feedback, coming away from the paper feeling motivated, supported, and inspired. The most challenging things have been the most worth-while.

3.       Find Things to Do Outside Academia.

This is one time in your life when you have time to do other things; I personally took a College Course in Counselling Skills which for me was about Professional Development. I wanted to learn how to support my students to the best of my ability and I found something that I am passionate about. It allowed me to get away from university for a day a week, I met amazing new people, and I got to use a completely different part of my brain. I am hoping to finish my Counselling Training in the next few years, with the hope of working with Young People and Students.

I know other people who have done different adult education courses too – creative writing, craft, floristry. There are so many to choose from! It made me feel like I had something to get out of bed for on a Wednesday morning, it forced me to socialise with people, and it’s added to my C.V.

4.       Do a Little Bit Every Day.

(But not on the weekend!) Little and often is how I approached my PhD. I did not work 9-5 researching and writing, because I don’t have an attention span that allows that. I did an hour here and an hour there and it really helped. If you haven’t read the book ‘Writing your Dissertation in 15 minutes a day’ then I highly suggest it. It promotes writing for a set period each day and it is something that shaped my experience so positively. Of course, there will be times when you are more focused and work long days, particularly towards the end, but I took the approach that it was a ‘marathon not a sprint’ and it really helped me to not burn out, feel like I was progressing, and keep on top of my work.

5.       Take a Break.

Do Yoga. Have a Coffee. See your friends. Get some fresh air. Go to the cinema. Whatever you enjoy!  Connecting with people and doing things you love are just as important as actually doing work. Typically, doing something I enjoyed and allowing myself a break made me feel more motivated and inspired.

6.       Speak Out and Get Help.

There will always be times on your PhD journey when things get too much. I don’t know a student who hasn’t had sleepless nights, stressful periods, or just felt a bit lost in their research. The best thing that you can do is reach out when things are tough, either to your supervisor, family, or someone completely external. It helps to have people tell you that it’s ok to feel whatever you feel and encourage you to take a break. Getting help, whatever way that looks for you, is brave but necessary. I guess what I’m saying is – don’t be afraid to speak out when things are tough.

7.       Don’t Read Viva Horror Stories.

By far, the worst part of my personal journey was the lead up to my viva. The submission went smoothly, and I completed my writing within the three-year timeframe. However, about three weeks before my viva, I started to feel twinges of nerves kick in, so I did some research on the viva process. The thing is, people only seem to post online when they’ve had a ‘stand out’ experience. The more research I did, the more I was convinced that I was going to fail – that my research was not worthy (moreover, it was flawed in every way), that it didn’t contribute anything to existing knowledge, and that I was going to be interrogated for hours about why I had produced such unworthy work. I got myself into such a panicked state – I couldn’t eat, I didn’t sleep more than an hour or two a night, I was literally taking my thesis into the bath and reading it through to check the “inaccuracies” I felt I had made,  and the week before my viva I walked into my supervisors office, sobbing that I couldn’t do it. I booked a doctor’s appointment for that morning, got some support, and the staff in my department were incredible. They encouraged me so much, told me I didn’t need to take my thesis with me when having a bath (who knew?!), talked through my options, and did a mock viva with me.

Surprisingly (to everyone, including me) the day of the viva rolled around and I was absolutely fine – calm, happy, and as confident as I could be. The viva lasted an hour; it included all of the questions I thought would be asked, some that I had thought through because of the mock, and some that I could really get my teeth into.

So – my advice – don’t read viva horror stories. Trust your supervisors. If you want helpful information, check out Viva Survivors, a useful resource when you are finishing up.

8.       Enjoy the Process.

Finally, try to enjoy the process. You will never get the opportunity to work so flexibly again. It is a real privilege to spend a few years researching something you love without lots of external pressure. It should be an enjoyable experience and it will teach you so much about your subject and yourself.