Charlotte Gargett, PhD Religions and Theology

One of the hardest challenges that I have faced, particularly at the start of my PhD journey, is getting used to the fact that all my time is my own.

Prior to this stage of my life, I had always had a timetable given to me through school and then through university. While this timetable became progressively smaller with less on it, I still had someone telling me where to be and when, as well as when I needed to have things done by in order to achieve my goals. The only thing I had to worry about was showing up and getting things done. However, this structure that I had overlooked was then completely wiped away when I started my PhD. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to do it, as long as I had some work to present at my January and July panels.

The PhD Early Days 

While this might be liberating for some, for me, it was a recipe for disaster. As someone who thrives on routine, the fact that everything was now down to me was extremely overwhelming. I found myself sleeping in because it didn’t matter, I had nowhere to be. I went to bed too late because I didn’t need to be up on time. I’d take a day off because it didn’t matter, I wasn’t missing anything and I could make up for it tomorrow. Days off even accidentally turned into a week off. I could go on holiday when I wanted because I didn’t need to work out when I was free.

Although this might sound great to some, let me assure you that it was not great. I quickly realised that I wasn’t working at a pace I was happy with, the work I was producing was not to my usual standard, and in general I felt sluggish. This led to me feeling extremely anxious about my PhD and whether it was something I was capable of doing. I was worried I had made a mistake. Had I lost my motivation, my passion?

Charlotte’s weekly PhD timetable

Fortunately, I recognised this was something I needed help with and brought it to the attention of my supervisor early on in my PhD. I expressed that I didn’t want the next three years to be like this because I knew I’d set myself up to fail if I did. We realised that it was not that my motivation or passion had diminished, but that I lacked a clear routine, something I desperately needed in order to thrive. Following this meeting, I went away and drew myself a timetable that works for me. I do a 9-5 style work week where I come and work from campus. At the start of each week, I write down what needs to be done that week and divide that task up between the days.

Now that I had a timetable, I just needed something to hold me accountable. I quickly learned that it is easy to let yourself down, but not others. As a result of this, my supervisor and I have scheduled fortnightly meetings, within which we set miniature deadlines so that I know what I actively need to be working on. These match up with larger monthly deadlines that I created so that I can reach my thesis submission on time. Ahead of the aforementioned miniature deadlines, I send my work to my supervisor. This has helped me greatly because if I don’t get it done, I’m not just letting myself down, but I am actively breaking a promise to my supervisor and messing up his schedule too.

A list of deadlines and milestones as part of the PhD journey

Sticking with the Routine

Something that also helped me stick to this routine was having firm commitments dotted throughout my week that helped me orient myself. For example, every Monday at 7:15pm I go to a circuits class at my gym. I know that before then I need to have had something to eat. So, I find myself getting my work done by 5pm so that I have enough time to make some food, let that settle, and then head over to the gym. Prior to this, I would have finished my work whenever because it didn’t matter. I’ve since made it matter!

My advice to any prospective PhD students, or even current students that might be struggling, is to not underestimate the power that a routine holds. Part of the beauty of the PhD, I’ve come to realise, is that you can make this routine work for you. Night owl? Schedule your working hours so that you finish at 9pm rather than 5pm, for example. Need deadlines in order to get work done? Ask your supervisor to set dates for you to have specific bits of work emailed over to them.

It is important that you do what works for you. You will meet other PhD students who might do things completely different to you, but as long as you’re making good progress and you’re happy, it doesn’t matter. There will be days where your routine falls off. This is part of the highs and lows of the PhD, but it’s important to keep going and try your best. Recognise when you need to make changes to your routine, but never let go of having one!

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