Most PhD students will quickly discover new depths of the human tendency towards procrastination. We develop an irrational compulsion to immediately complete any given task that pops into our heads, as long as it’s of the order of check emails/make enquiry/arrange meeting; for some baffling reason, the same urgent desire is rarely directed towards the meat of the (humanities) doctorate: writing.

Don’t get me wrong: checking emails is important, and making enquiries or arranging meetings can have significant and energising results. But they’re not The Main Thing. With the third year of my doctoral research looming, I need to make sure The Main Thing gets the lion’s share of my day. So in an attempt to wrest back some control over my skittish thought-train, I’m going to be trying out a few time management techniques.

The first to have privileged access to my precious work-life balance is The Pomodoro Technique®. Developed by Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s, and named after a tomato-shaped timer, it’s designed to quite simply get things done. Even better, it’s extremely straight-forward. Each pomodoro is a unit of time: 25 minutes. First, you decide on your task. Then set a timer to alert you when your pomodoro is completed (dedicated downloads for Mac and PC here). You work for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break: repeat as required. At every fourth break you take longer off – at least 10 minutes, maybe half an hour for lunch.

I convinced a friend and fellow PhD-er to partake of a day’s tomatoes with me. No doubt her presence gave me added incentive to behave (read: turn off the wifi and stay at my desk), but the value of the little red fruits (three cheers for botanical pedantry) was marked. My task for the day was re-reading and editing a chapter I’m writing for a book, for which the technique worked well. I imagine it would also work for writing from scratch – although perhaps not so effectively for reading and note-taking, where interruptions might do more harm than good.

Firstly, the concentrated time spent working really adds up, so at the end of the day you know you’ve worked solidly for X number of hours. Compared with a day of slightly more diluted focus, even if that was over a longer period of time, that meant I got the feeling of having achieved something. Which makes me feel confident re achieving more things the next day. Which is good.

Secondly, the fixed bursts of activity slowed down the way I work – but in a good way. Rather than wanting to do every aspect of the task all at once, it made me more systematic, and so more attentive to details.

Thirdly, repeating the pomodoros made me aware of the pattern of my concentration, as it ebbs and flows. Often, I’d spend the first ten minutes getting my head calmed down, then have a flash of insight or inspiration, then toil away on it for the remaining time and arrive at the end before I knew it. Whilst it can be disheartening to realise how long it takes to settle into a task, the Pomodoro Technique® meant I had many more such flashes than I would have done had I tried to focus for an extended time.

Fourthly, the regulated timing helped me begin to realise what’s realistic and possible to achieve, and what’s just wishful thinking. No longer will I start each day planning to ‘finish [insert whatever it is I've been working on for three weeks]‘ – and inevitably end it feeling disappointed. Learning to manage your time over a long period, and make accurate projections about what you can do in a month/six months/a year is an extremely valuable transferable skill. This little tomato will bring your ambitious schedule into line with reality.

So I’d definitely recommend you try it – and please comment below on your experiences! Why not also let me know of any other time management techniques you use, and I’ll give them some blog-space.

Happy pomodoro!

There’s an “elevator” (I reluctantly use the Americanism in deference to the catchy phrase) in my University library. Assuming I want a job in my home department and am not planning a sudden leap into Agriculture (the fourth floor), or meeting my prospective employer on her/his way to the mythical fifth floor (microfiche), that gives me exactly 19.6 seconds of captive audience. That’s a challenge. If I were to share this confined space with an esteemed academic, and want to sell my research wares, what would I say?

Locate your research quickly

Admittedly everything about the elevator pitch has to be done quickly. But there’s no point launching into a detailed analysis of [insert niche doctorate topic here] without expressing its value. The question is: why?

Be specific on methodology

Your listener will want to know what you actually do all day, if they are thinking of maybe, one day, possibly, paying you to do it.

Use illustrations or examples

Abstract assertions? Sweeping generalisations? Impenetrable jargon? Your prospective employer would be forgiven for deciding to take the stairs.

End well

Make it easy for them to follow up. Contact details, publication information, conference dates: anything to help the conversation carry on.

Admittedly, I’d have to hope for some kind of mechanical fault to get all that across… You may not have the good fortune to meet your next head of department on the ground floor of a tall building. But there are plenty of great opportunities to share your research with your peers in an interdisciplinary environment, which really helps to consolidate and stretch your thinking. Next week I’ll be attending ‘Life Beyond the PhD’ (Cumberland Lodge, Surrey, 15-18 August 2011) doing just that. The recent ‘New Media and Academia’ conference (Northumbria University, 10-11 May 2011) had delegates create short YouTube clips introducing their research. There might even be something to be said for getting your elevator pitch down to that elusive 140 characters.

I hope that cures your claustro-acro-phobia. Let me know how you get on!

Now I’m a doctoral student, and I sit on the other side of the classroom door. Except it’s not just the module description I’m clutching, but a forest’s worth of archival research notes, a CV that needs to be populated with conference papers, publications and extra-curricular activities, and a diary mapping the next few months of my life in intricately scribbled detail.

Teaching as a PhD student clearly has the potential to be a stressful endeavour. For many it’s a new undertaking, demanding much planning and self-evaluation. If we’re precious about time – of which there’s inevitably never enough – answering the proliferation of emails from nervous first-years or endlessly photocopying resources can seem a real infringement on our primary task: research. But what if we can think about teaching and research as integrated elements of the PhD student’s role, rather than creating friction against each other? I offer here just a few reflections on my own experience of the great privilege of having a teaching role over the last academic year.

‘L’ plates all round

I wonder how I might have approached my undergraduate essays if I’d known that my lecturers were also labouring over their own critical projects — that we shared the perennial struggle to pluck the right word from a mass of jargon, the battle to shepherd our thoughts into a straight line, and the scramble to meet a looming deadline. It works both ways: if we really believe, as Ben Knights has suggested, that literature is a subject where students are ‘as capable of startling new insight as an experienced scholar’, why don’t we treat our students as peers? Exposing our work to a group of fresh-faced undergraduates might just jolt us into understanding or articulating things differently.

When teaching is research

After a few months of guiding seminar discussions, the stage persona of one of the performers I’m researching began to feel warmly familiar. Watching a recording of her show, I recognised her strategies of audience engagement as the same pedagogic techniques I employed each week in the classroom, techniques designed to promote emotional interaction and knowledge retention. Might thinking deeply about how students relate to one other and to the world somehow bring new insights to your own research?

Classroom culture

Heart beating faster, brain whirring, dry mouth… who is it? An academic about to give a controversial conference paper? Or could it be a student hovering on the edge of contributing to a lively discussion? There are certain academic conventions that we ask students to replicate, though we rarely enunciate the connections. The classroom can be a scary place; just like the conference panel, it’s a moment of vulnerability before peers. In my discipline, where practice can be individualistic and isolating, we need students to see each other as peer support and co-educators, not competition. If we teach ambitiously, taking risks by offering our own critical positions, and so sometimes publicly get things wrong, we give our students permission to do the same.

Having wondered how I’d juggle everything when I started teaching last autumn, I’m surprised and pleased to be missing the rewarding weekly encounters now it’s the summer season. What’s your experience? How have you dealt with balancing your teaching and research? Or, if you’re yet to start, what questions do you have?

Firstly a point to note is that the route people take to get a PhD can vary dramatically and the requirements for undertaking a PhD are not set in stone (but generally you need a first degree and then a masters degree). PhDs are awarded differently depending on the country you study in. In the UK full time PhDs take 3-4 years (you can do part time PhDs and they can take 5 years +) and involve the student writing a thesis then being examined on the thesis in a ‘viva’ exam (which is an oral exam). The examiners are usually specialists in the area of the PhD, there is usually one internal examiner (from the institution of study) and one external examiner (from another institution).

The support you get as a PhD student will vary depending on your PhD, the institution you are studying at and the funding body for your PhD. Most institutions offer courses that are free for PhD students to improve writing, presentation and teaching skills. Funding bodies can offer further support in the form of courses or networking opportunities. Do not underestimate the importance of these transferable skills, they will be important to you throughout your PhD and after completion of your PhD.  Make sure you check  out what is available before you commit to one institution or funding body.

There are number of routes to finding a PhD but here are a few tips that might help you out. Jobs.ac.uk advertises PhD studentships, as does http://www.findaphd.com/ . Individual institution websites also advertise studentships and awards available. If you have an idea to propose for a PhD there are several ways you could go about it. You could approach a Professor/Dr you already know that might know some sources of funding for your topic. Universities often advertise sources of funds that are available on their websites. The most important thing to do is to contact the person that will be your supervisor if that is possible, do this offline (most people’s contact details are available via university websites).  Say you are interested in the PhD, ask for any papers they would recommend for reading (make an effort to have already done some background reading) and perhaps ask them a question about the subject/PhD/research. You could also ask to come and visit them and see where you would be studying (if the PhD is lab based, it would be advantageous to meet the people you will be working with for the next few years, see my post on Starting Out!)

I will share my story; I picked my institution due to the location. I applied for a PhD that was advertised on the university website; I went for an interview and met the supervisors. One of the supervisors then offered me a PhD, I came to visit the lab, the supervisor and the PhD sponsors. I knew that I would be happy here and jumped at the chance! The PhD I originally applied to was awarded to a student that had emailed the supervisor previously and been up to visit – it’s all about making personal connections.

Please share any stories/tips you have for people who may be searching for a PhD in the comments section, I know peoples experiences vary.

I hear a lot of people moaning constantly about how their PhD is AWFUL.  Most information on the internet seems to be about how rubbish life is as a PhD student. Whether it is supervisor issues, lack of money or struggling to write a thesis – you can find any problem under the sun on the internet, written by a poor PhD student somewhere. It seems like a constant barrage of why PhD’s are rubbish. I do admit I don’t wake up every single day and immediately shout to everyone I see about how much I LOVE MY PHD.  But, when I do take time out to think about what I am doing, I realise how much I really enjoy it. I get to spend my days researching, reading and investigating a topic that I love. I think of my PhD and biology in general as a great big puzzle and I am (hopefully) putting some of the bits together with my research. Plus there are tonnes of opportunities that open up (conferences, meeting people to name just a few) whilst you are doing a PhD. Not every day is fantastic, it does have its problems, but would I rather be doing anything else? No.

I think people are too quick to say how rubbish PhD s is and how horrible life is as a PhD student. But really, if you are granted the opportunity to do a PhD in a topic you are interested in you are extremely lucky. Lots of people want to do a PhD but can’t and plenty of people are stuck in jobs which are far harder work than being a PhD student– so make the most of it. Unless there is a serious problem within your PhD I think you should try to learn to love and enjoy what you are doing as much as possible. If you are struggling trying to remember why you are doing it, take some time out and think about the good points, think about the  opportunities and remember why you are doing it. It’s your life, it’s your project and most importantly, you chose to do it, so – ENJOY IT!!!

1. Most university guidelines themselves encourage publications based on the undergoing PhD work. Certain universities make this requirement fairly explicit. In any case, a published work sounds like a decent proof of publishable work!
2. Presenting one’s work is good for confidence and can encourage one to take on more challenging research.
3. Peer review by specialists in the sub area can give detailed feedback and can greatly complement one’s supervisor’s comments. This is useful in understanding criticism, refining the ideas and improving the presentation. It may be helpful to take the suggestions on board rather than wait for the examiner to say the same thing.
4. If one is going for a research job right after the PhD, many employers are looking for the right publication in the right places. If the PhD work is yet to be published, this could be a drawback.
5. Presenting at different venues helps one meet people from other countries with the same research interests. This helps to foster a sense of community and can lead to exchange of ideas and collaboration.
6. If there is a chance that some one else may come up with a similar result sooner rather than later, it is sensible to publish the result and not hold on to it.
7. Timely dissemination of results may give new research opportunities.

If you have other reasons for or against publishing before the PhD, let me know and I’ll add to the list.

Press release:

Launch of Vitae

Vitae, a new initiative to champion the professional and career development of researchers, was launched on 25 June by Ian Pearson MP alongside the new Concordat to support the career development of researchers.

Funded by Research Councils UK (RCUK) and managed by CRAC: The Career Development Organisation, Vitae builds on previous work by the UK GRAD Programme and UKHERD to build capacity in the HE sector to support researchers. Delivered in partnership with our regional Hub host universities, Vitae will work with higher education institutions, researchers and employers to make real and positive change.

I remember that UK Grad used to organize certain meetings in which EPSRC funded students did not need to pay, whereas non-EPSRC funded student were asked to pay a substantial amount. Another suggestion could be for Vitae to have more subject specific ventures that may attract more students. Any program which intends to provide support to graduate students and researchers should be applauded.

I’ll keep a lookout for further interesting developments at Vitae.

The course has the following aims:

A broad conceptual and practical understanding of the nature of learning in higher education, and how relevant educational and disciplinary literature can inform one’s own academic and professional practice.

1. Skills and competencies in the planning, delivery and evaluation of teaching and learning activities,
2. Open and positive attitudes towards continuing professional development, and the ability to plan one’s own academic and professional development

The syllabus includes the following:

1. Key ideas about student learning in higher education
2. Approaches to large and small group teaching
3. Evaluation techniques
4. Undertaking classroom observation
5. Giving and receiving feedback
6. Assessment practices
7. Inclusive education
8. Reflective practice
9. Professional development
10. Working in the academic environment

The course consists of group meetings, self-reflection and some lectures. I have realized that I have already started utilizing some of the insights gained from those lessons in my every day teaching. Getting a deeper understanding of inclusive practices is a skill which is also useful in settings outside the lecture room. One also starts to be more reflective about one’s methods. It augurs well for further development. I have also been told that such courses are a requirement for gaining teaching fellowships.

I am glad that my university has very good teaching support facilities. Most universities have similar courses in academic practice and if researchers can take time out to at least sample such courses it will definitely help them and the students they teach.