End of Term

What do you know, I've made it all the way to the end of the semester. Our department's Christmas party is on Friday (I have organised it this year, and am hoping it won't be a complete fail) and then a lot of people are heading home for Christmas.

I live in the same city my university is in, so I'm not going "home" for Christmas, but I will be taking some time off. Guilt-free, work-free time off.

I think a lot of us first year PhDs have learned that while we love what we're doing and are eternally greatful for the opportunity, it's hard going! I for one am just tired. Literally, not metaphorically. I'm sleeping way too much and need some time to just rest! That's what Christmas is going to be about for me, so that I can return in the new year supercharged and ready to go.

2012 is going to be busy, which is why I need to take all the opportunities for rest I can get. There's a lot of exciting things coming up (and hopefully some opportunities to present at conferences too!), a lot of research to do, and some serious things too like Thesis Monitoring Committee, and proving I've done enough to be allowed to continue after my first year.

I hope you enjoy your holidays and that you are taking a well-earned break too. Merry Christmas, and a happy new year!

Writing

This week, I've been trying to get back into the habit of writing. I've read heaps of books about it but I figured now was time to stop reading and do.

Writing is something I find quite difficult. Not getting the words on the page, but getting them to sound eloquent, intelligent and actually making sense. I feel there is a lot more pressure for thesis writing, even though I know anything I write now is not going to be included in it's present form in my final dissertation. I just have had some bad experiences of academic writing.

Maybe it's my own form of imposter syndrome. I got a first class degree, which means I must be alright at it, but I am convinced my writing is awful. This makes me very nervous about writing anything, and I'll draft and redraft something several times before I even hand it in to be reviewed for the first time by my supervisor.

However, knowing that a lot of people say it's just down to practice, that's what I'm trying to do. I don't have a huge amount write about now, but I'll write about what I can and fingers crossed by the time I'm having to write the bad-boy itself I'll be less scared and more "Hell yeah!"

The importance of planning

Yesterday, along with lots of other first-year PhDs (including others from my department too), I attended a course all about your first year. The main thing that stuck out for me, which I'm going to talk about here, is the planning.

Now, I plan a lot. I'm somewhat neurotic about lists - especially if there's Crayola colour-coding involved - and I like to know what I'm doing. Due to that, I was pretty sure I had the whole planning thing down. Well, kind of, but there's still a lot to learn young grasshopper.

One of my favourite things I learned about yesterday was the Gantt chart. I'd heard of it before but never really got around to doing one in practice. Having a go at making one for a hypothetical scenario was really interesting and I'm definitely going to get creating for my own work. The concept of putting everything on paper and seeing how everything links to what and what needs to be done first and what can wait was definitely an eye-opener. My internal plan is a good starting point, but not good enough to keep me on track forever. So, it's time to break out the Crayola and make a plan!

Before I go though, one thing I want to emphasise that I've learned through my own experience. You have to plan for time off. I am already seeing some of my fellow students feeling overwhelmed by self-imposed pressures. Remember: it's ok to have some time off doing nothing! It can actually make you more productive when you return to work. So, if you're making a plan too right now, remember to get some fun time in there too. :)