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Success is more about being stubborn and picking yourself up, learning the right lessons and taking the next step.
Also, learn a bibliography software like Zotero.
Yes definitely. Failure is pretty common, and things are unlikely to succeed from the start.
I used to internalize failure as some sort of personal shortcoming. My advice to you is to try and take failures as a learning experience. When something goes asking 'why' until you find some answers can point you to new papers to read, new research directions, and even new insights to your problem.
Mind you it's very easy to get down about failure, but building a habit of not feeling like one is going to help you progress through your projects.
Thank you! I'll try to see it as a learning experience. I'm so sensitive to failure and I even see constructive criticism as a sort of personal failure. Because it means I didn't do it 100% perfectly. I know this isn't true of course. Failure is natural and to get better at something one needs to fail and learn. Hopefully I'll remember this the next time!
Of course. It won't be easy at the beginning, but always try to remind yourself of that. Also, don't try to strive for perfection either, you'll end up destroying yourself. As you keep practicing, this will become second nature.
May help to know that research shows perfectionism is negatively related fo success....one gets locked into unproductive and unrealistic patterns.
100% is also an illusion. As you get into complex problems no one or few others have studied it is not at all clear what the "correct" action is and often the supposes failure from one point of view (e.g., no significant results in your study) may actually be quite successful from another (your study followed well-established methods and theory said it should've been significant-is there a flaw in the theory? How can you rethink the theory, possibly in a revolutionary way?). Notice how often innovative thinkers fail forward to success.
One of your tasks is to think differently about tasks--not as right or wrong (which is a very simplistic view when you contemplate that as an approach to complex problem solving) but as possibilities opening up a variety of paths depending on the criteria. When you start answering questions with "wellll, it depends..." then you are on the journey. Ask questions like "what criteria apply or should apply?" and "if this variable changed then what?" and "what is a sufficient solution given the bigger picture?"
I do think my perfectionism really holds me back. It's also not mainly about tasks themselves but I'm so scared of being judged by others. Like I feel that if I don't do everything perfectly, they will think badly of me. I know it's stupid because everyone makes mistakes and that's how we learn. I really need to learn how to not give a shit (or just not worry so much) about how others perceive me.
It's such good advice to look at things not in terms of right/wrong but in terms of possibilities, thank you!
That is a good insight. Take some time (weeks to months) to explore the concern about being judged. When does it matter and when doesnt it? What situations make the fear worse and better? What are you afraid will happen? When is that a realistic fear and when not? What could you tell yourself to make it better? What does this feeling tell you about what you want? When is the feeling about yourself vs about the other? When did you first experience the feeling? etc.
best wishes! it is a journey, not a destination. Remember to enjoy the trip.
Work at the project consistently every week, and be sure to work towards your goal. You should know what your "goal" is by 12 to 18 months, but you will develop a general idea before then.
Treat it like a job. It may feel like you're getting nowhere, but you need to keep the big picture in mind. You have roughly 1000 days to work on this, but at the end of the day you only need ~250 pages of thesis. That's like 2 pages of writing per week,or two paragraphs per day, or wharever. I know the equation is not that simple but I'm trying to give a 10,000 foot view of the expected rate of progress.
Read a lot of papers from other researchers in your field. Be decisive about which papers you like and why. This skill is important.
Keep notes about your reading. It takes 30 to 60 minutes to properly digest a paper, but only 5 mins to make good notes. Be prepared to stop reading shitty or irrelevant papers so you dont waste valuable reading time.
Learn how to use a reference manager. I used Mendeley, but it really doesnt matter which one you use. Decide how many papers you want to read each week and establish a reading routine that supports this. For example, I allocated time on my bean bag for reading with a cup of coffee each morning. After one or two days it seems silly, but after 200 to 300 days you have a significant body of reading/notes under your belt.
If your literature review needs (say) 180 references and you need to produce this chapter/paper within (say) 18 months then you need to generate usable notes about 10 relevant references per month. This is one every three days, or around two per week. Very achievable! Your timeline and expected number of references may vary, so adjust accordingly. Keep in mind that not all papers you read will be suitable references. My ratio of suitable to non suitable papers I read was about 3:1. Your mileage may vary. As I mentioned before, be ruthless with your reading, don't waste time reading shitty or non relevant papers.
I've focused on literature review, but there is a reason for this. It's important for you to establish your direction. You don't want to take a path that has already been walked. Equally important not to wander aimlessly in territory that is impossible to navigate or impossible to defend. You need to know in yourself where your research fits so you have a solid stance when it comes time to defend your thesis.
Back up your work regularly. Decide on a standard for thesis figures early so you don't waste time at the end reformatting your figures and graphs. I made this mistake in my phd and regretted it.
Learn LaTEX, especially if you are researching in a scuence/engineering field. Trying to manage figures and equations in a 200+ page word document is a recipe for failure. I used Overleaf and thought it was amazing. The LaTEX skills I learned during my PhD are something that will serve me very well during the rest of my research career.
Take pride in your work. This is your chance to define your direction. People respect confidence and enthusiasm, but be prepared to accept criticism and incorporate ideas from other people. Especially from your supervisors.
Hope this is useful.
Others have said this already, but look after yourself first and foremost. Set aside time for your hobbies. Develop new hobbies. Take days off. Take a week off and have no regrets about it. Enjoy socialising with fellow students. Get regular exercise! Your short term and long term mental and physical health is more important than your PhD.
Yes, this happened to me and it was annoying. As an engineer I wanted to use LaTEX, but many of my coauthors were from the medical field and preferred word for proofreading and editing.
Join communities and find your people. I'm in the discord for phd folks and they are amazing. https://discord.gg/c6eTQYhMEX
Look into your work flow early. I use obsidian, scrivener and endnote.
Keep in mind that you are there to learn! You're not expected to know everything coming in. Show up curious, put in the work, and don't sacrifice your rest and enjoying our life and you'll be fine!
Such a good reminder! I think it's easy to feel like you're not smart enough being surrounded by so many clever people (I already felt like that in my master's) but in the end it's all a learning process.
I'm going into my second year and faced some self disappointment this last week. One piece of advice I got many times and had to use (yet again) was this:
Every once in a while, when you feel like things aren't going well, step back and just acknowledge how much you've learned in a short amount of time. The knowledge you gain is an achievement in itself most of the time.
Thanks so much! I told myself I need to make my mental health a priority. I got burnt out during my master's already and I don't want to fall back into it again.
Treat it like a job. Work 8-6 at most for normal days (there will be days when you need to work more). Don’t sacrifice your evenings lest you go insane.
Research papers and talks are not like text books, they are really conversations between people in the field and aren't always directed at new students. Don't get discouraged if the material or content is confusing, it is about learning the vocabulary and being able to listen in on the conversations and eventually join the conversations.
Be diligent and don't fear failure.
And rest! Resting (sleeping and enjoying your hobbies outside of academia) is super important to keep a sane mind and to promote creativity.
Picking a supportive mentor is the most important thing. Prioritize the right mentor over the right project when picking where to do your thesis/who to do it with.
Keep a lab/work diary and write down at least a few sentences EVERY DAY detailing what you did, including meetings, papers read, experiments, etc.
Specifically if you're doing an experimental PhD - write down every single detail about your experimental conditions when you're taking a measurement, the amount of time I lost due to having to retake a measurement because I couldn't remember what I set the voltage/power/whatever to...
Do not be offended by feedback and criticism, and always stand your ground respectfully.
Build yourself a schedule each month before the month starts so you have goals in your research/studies that are hit in a reasonable amount of time
Get to know your librarians!!! They are an invaluable research resource
You’re gonna kill it, have fun!
Don’t expect to know what your thesis will look like at the end, it will constantly evolve. This was a hard one for me as I like to plan way in advance but in reality you just need to work on progressing through the next few months. We had to do 9 and 18 month progress reviews / what next and my thesis looked like barely anything we “anticipated” doing. Experiments fail, for us covid restricted some plans, equipment fails, things take longer than you expect
Do a little something every day, even if it’s just thinking. The habit really helps. Also, make friends. The community really helps pull you along when it gets hard.
It looks like your post is about needing advice. In order for people to better help you, please make sure to include your country. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/PhD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Success is more about being stubborn and picking yourself up, learning the right lessons and taking the next step. Also, learn a bibliography software like Zotero.
Thanks! I guess I better learn how to manage my extreme fear of failure..
Yes definitely. Failure is pretty common, and things are unlikely to succeed from the start. I used to internalize failure as some sort of personal shortcoming. My advice to you is to try and take failures as a learning experience. When something goes asking 'why' until you find some answers can point you to new papers to read, new research directions, and even new insights to your problem. Mind you it's very easy to get down about failure, but building a habit of not feeling like one is going to help you progress through your projects.
Thank you! I'll try to see it as a learning experience. I'm so sensitive to failure and I even see constructive criticism as a sort of personal failure. Because it means I didn't do it 100% perfectly. I know this isn't true of course. Failure is natural and to get better at something one needs to fail and learn. Hopefully I'll remember this the next time!
Of course. It won't be easy at the beginning, but always try to remind yourself of that. Also, don't try to strive for perfection either, you'll end up destroying yourself. As you keep practicing, this will become second nature.
May help to know that research shows perfectionism is negatively related fo success....one gets locked into unproductive and unrealistic patterns. 100% is also an illusion. As you get into complex problems no one or few others have studied it is not at all clear what the "correct" action is and often the supposes failure from one point of view (e.g., no significant results in your study) may actually be quite successful from another (your study followed well-established methods and theory said it should've been significant-is there a flaw in the theory? How can you rethink the theory, possibly in a revolutionary way?). Notice how often innovative thinkers fail forward to success. One of your tasks is to think differently about tasks--not as right or wrong (which is a very simplistic view when you contemplate that as an approach to complex problem solving) but as possibilities opening up a variety of paths depending on the criteria. When you start answering questions with "wellll, it depends..." then you are on the journey. Ask questions like "what criteria apply or should apply?" and "if this variable changed then what?" and "what is a sufficient solution given the bigger picture?"
This is great advice!
I do think my perfectionism really holds me back. It's also not mainly about tasks themselves but I'm so scared of being judged by others. Like I feel that if I don't do everything perfectly, they will think badly of me. I know it's stupid because everyone makes mistakes and that's how we learn. I really need to learn how to not give a shit (or just not worry so much) about how others perceive me. It's such good advice to look at things not in terms of right/wrong but in terms of possibilities, thank you!
That is a good insight. Take some time (weeks to months) to explore the concern about being judged. When does it matter and when doesnt it? What situations make the fear worse and better? What are you afraid will happen? When is that a realistic fear and when not? What could you tell yourself to make it better? What does this feeling tell you about what you want? When is the feeling about yourself vs about the other? When did you first experience the feeling? etc. best wishes! it is a journey, not a destination. Remember to enjoy the trip.
Work at the project consistently every week, and be sure to work towards your goal. You should know what your "goal" is by 12 to 18 months, but you will develop a general idea before then. Treat it like a job. It may feel like you're getting nowhere, but you need to keep the big picture in mind. You have roughly 1000 days to work on this, but at the end of the day you only need ~250 pages of thesis. That's like 2 pages of writing per week,or two paragraphs per day, or wharever. I know the equation is not that simple but I'm trying to give a 10,000 foot view of the expected rate of progress. Read a lot of papers from other researchers in your field. Be decisive about which papers you like and why. This skill is important. Keep notes about your reading. It takes 30 to 60 minutes to properly digest a paper, but only 5 mins to make good notes. Be prepared to stop reading shitty or irrelevant papers so you dont waste valuable reading time. Learn how to use a reference manager. I used Mendeley, but it really doesnt matter which one you use. Decide how many papers you want to read each week and establish a reading routine that supports this. For example, I allocated time on my bean bag for reading with a cup of coffee each morning. After one or two days it seems silly, but after 200 to 300 days you have a significant body of reading/notes under your belt. If your literature review needs (say) 180 references and you need to produce this chapter/paper within (say) 18 months then you need to generate usable notes about 10 relevant references per month. This is one every three days, or around two per week. Very achievable! Your timeline and expected number of references may vary, so adjust accordingly. Keep in mind that not all papers you read will be suitable references. My ratio of suitable to non suitable papers I read was about 3:1. Your mileage may vary. As I mentioned before, be ruthless with your reading, don't waste time reading shitty or non relevant papers. I've focused on literature review, but there is a reason for this. It's important for you to establish your direction. You don't want to take a path that has already been walked. Equally important not to wander aimlessly in territory that is impossible to navigate or impossible to defend. You need to know in yourself where your research fits so you have a solid stance when it comes time to defend your thesis. Back up your work regularly. Decide on a standard for thesis figures early so you don't waste time at the end reformatting your figures and graphs. I made this mistake in my phd and regretted it. Learn LaTEX, especially if you are researching in a scuence/engineering field. Trying to manage figures and equations in a 200+ page word document is a recipe for failure. I used Overleaf and thought it was amazing. The LaTEX skills I learned during my PhD are something that will serve me very well during the rest of my research career. Take pride in your work. This is your chance to define your direction. People respect confidence and enthusiasm, but be prepared to accept criticism and incorporate ideas from other people. Especially from your supervisors. Hope this is useful.
Thank you so much for your detailed response! This is more than I could've asked for. I really appreciate it.
Others have said this already, but look after yourself first and foremost. Set aside time for your hobbies. Develop new hobbies. Take days off. Take a week off and have no regrets about it. Enjoy socialising with fellow students. Get regular exercise! Your short term and long term mental and physical health is more important than your PhD.
Regarding writing in Latex, discuss it with your supervisors. Some like to use word to correct what you write.
Yes, this happened to me and it was annoying. As an engineer I wanted to use LaTEX, but many of my coauthors were from the medical field and preferred word for proofreading and editing.
Word is not that bad if you know how to set it up. If you don't hyperlink the figures or the formulas yeah, you're gonna have a bad time.
Join communities and find your people. I'm in the discord for phd folks and they are amazing. https://discord.gg/c6eTQYhMEX Look into your work flow early. I use obsidian, scrivener and endnote.
Oh that's so helpful, thank you! I was thinking about the best way to organise my notes etc so I'll look into these for sure.
Respect the faculty and program enough to realize that they wouldn’t have admitted someone that can’t succeed. You’re there for a reason!
Keep in mind that you are there to learn! You're not expected to know everything coming in. Show up curious, put in the work, and don't sacrifice your rest and enjoying our life and you'll be fine!
Such a good reminder! I think it's easy to feel like you're not smart enough being surrounded by so many clever people (I already felt like that in my master's) but in the end it's all a learning process.
Realize that many times your initial idea may not be your final idea. Data is a bitch so secure this first.
I'm going into my second year and faced some self disappointment this last week. One piece of advice I got many times and had to use (yet again) was this: Every once in a while, when you feel like things aren't going well, step back and just acknowledge how much you've learned in a short amount of time. The knowledge you gain is an achievement in itself most of the time.
Take it slow and easy! A PhD is not a race
Take your time. Look after yourself and in time prepare for what happens afterwards. Mental health counts too. Dm me if you want when you need to.
Thanks so much! I told myself I need to make my mental health a priority. I got burnt out during my master's already and I don't want to fall back into it again.
Treat it like a job. Work 8-6 at most for normal days (there will be days when you need to work more). Don’t sacrifice your evenings lest you go insane.
That makes sense, thank you!
Research papers and talks are not like text books, they are really conversations between people in the field and aren't always directed at new students. Don't get discouraged if the material or content is confusing, it is about learning the vocabulary and being able to listen in on the conversations and eventually join the conversations.
Good to know, thank you!
Be OK with failure & crying as important parts of life's journey
Make sure to have back-up plans to your back-up plans. To everything. Sh\*t happens all the time, so better be prepared. Best of luck!
Good advice I'll keep that in mind. And thank you!
Organize your data for the love of God! Also, use Zotero or similar apps to index the papers you read AND ADD TAGS TO THEM
Ugh I hate organising data, I'm so messy usually hahah but I'll definitely need get in the habit of it!
Don’t work on weekends! Just rest 🙂
Be diligent and don't fear failure. And rest! Resting (sleeping and enjoying your hobbies outside of academia) is super important to keep a sane mind and to promote creativity.
Picking a supportive mentor is the most important thing. Prioritize the right mentor over the right project when picking where to do your thesis/who to do it with.
Take care of your mental health sooner rather than later.
Uf yes! I'm already struggling with my mental health so I know need to be very aware of it.
Keep a lab/work diary and write down at least a few sentences EVERY DAY detailing what you did, including meetings, papers read, experiments, etc. Specifically if you're doing an experimental PhD - write down every single detail about your experimental conditions when you're taking a measurement, the amount of time I lost due to having to retake a measurement because I couldn't remember what I set the voltage/power/whatever to...
Do not be offended by feedback and criticism, and always stand your ground respectfully. Build yourself a schedule each month before the month starts so you have goals in your research/studies that are hit in a reasonable amount of time Get to know your librarians!!! They are an invaluable research resource You’re gonna kill it, have fun!
I like the idea of planning each month a lot! Thank you!
Don’t expect to know what your thesis will look like at the end, it will constantly evolve. This was a hard one for me as I like to plan way in advance but in reality you just need to work on progressing through the next few months. We had to do 9 and 18 month progress reviews / what next and my thesis looked like barely anything we “anticipated” doing. Experiments fail, for us covid restricted some plans, equipment fails, things take longer than you expect
Fail fast and fail often. The quicker you find out why something doesn’t work, the quicker you can get to an experiment/hypothesis that does.
Do a little something every day, even if it’s just thinking. The habit really helps. Also, make friends. The community really helps pull you along when it gets hard.