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Three Days in the Life of a Full-Time Working, Studying Mum (or How To Avoid Your PhD): Reflections

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Brown, Karen Jane (2012) Three Days in the Life of a Full-Time Working, Studying Mum (or How To Avoid Your PhD): Reflections. Metronome, 2. pp. 53-55. ISSN 2046-1941

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Abstract

In preparation for putting pen to paper (or fingers to typewriter), there have been three guiding principles that I have considered since starting my PhD. Firstly, you are more likely to achieve your goals if you sit down and write for one hour each day, five days consecutively, than if you attempt to sit down and write for five hours the same day. Secondly, your PhD studies will have ebbs and flows so don’t expect to achieve at a high rate all the time, and don’t get depressed when you don’t. And thirdly, keeping a diary of your student activities will help you become a better researcher.

A year later, I can fully endorse the first two principles, but I cannot agree with the third. Having had a chance to reflect upon some of my diary entries for November, I am inclined to disagree. In fact, what all this journaling has really shown me is that I have some extremely well-developed PhD avoidance strategies. So, for those of you who are feeling somewhat lost and lonely, daunted by the ever-ticking PhD clock and suffering from inertia –you are not alone!

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