A Happy PhD Blog

Deep, focused work is what moves the needle in a dissertation. How do we make time for it? Shape the calendar like a monk, bimodally, rhythmically or like a journalist. More at ahappyphd.org/posts/scheduli… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #Productivity #DeepWork #Focus

Do you find yourself avoiding hard and uncertain tasks in your PhD? We all do it... but we all may be getting it backwards. Think back to meaningful episodes in your life. More at ahappyphd.org/posts/mantra-d… #phdlife #AHappyPhD #productivity #avoidance #purpose #meaning

Getting negative feedback about your paper (or dissertation) drafts? You may be missing a deep sentence-by-sentence editing. One trick: read your prose aloud. This and pointers to more editing tips at ahappyphd.org/posts/weeds-wr… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #WriteThatPhD

Exhausted or feeling like an impostor in your PhD? A recent study out of Italy suggests self-efficacy may be at play. More details and ideas on how to improve it at ahappyphd.org/posts/impostor… #phdlife #AHappyPhD #wellbeing

Getting into a rut of NOT working in your dissertation? Avoidance may be at the heart of those unhelpful cycles. Learn about it and strategies to fight it and do more of what's important at ahappyphd.org/posts/avoidanc… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #mentalhealth #wellbeing

A catastrophe or crunch stops our thesis progress. Then, the situation stabilizes into a prolonged slump. How to break out of it? Spoiler alert: tiny steps, curbing other obligations, and doing it in a certain mindset. ahappyphd.org/posts/restart-… #phdlife #AHappyPhD #productivity

Ever wished for advice from this blog, tailored to your specific situation? a tl;dr of our blog posts on a topic? An "A Happy PhD" podcast? In this little post, I describe an easy way of using AI to chat with a blog topic. ahappyphd.org/posts/blog-ai-… #phdlife #AHappyPhD #GenAI

Happy New Year! Want to change your behavior or your thesis journey? Forget about vague resolutions that don't stick and do a value-driven yearly review instead. More details at ahappyphd.org/posts/yearly-r… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #ReFocus #YearlyReview #Productivity

Is your workday a series of emails, meetings and social media leaving you drained and unsatisfied? You may be ordering your activities the wrong way: Create first, consume later. Read more at ahappyphd.org/posts/create-c… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #Productivity

Is getting multi-co-author feedback on your paper a protracted and painful process? Try setting feedback options. More at ahappyphd.org/posts/feedback… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #ScientificWriting #Feedback

Falling into social media rabbit holes more often than you'd like? Use DOPAMINE to disengage from the addiction. D is for "data": track it for 2 weeks, review and reflect. Find out about the other letters at ahappyphd.org/posts/social-m… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #addiction #wellbeing

A new newsletter issue is out! See what you're missing at ahappyphd.ck.page/posts/ahappyph… #AHappyPhD #phdlife

Is addiction (to games, porn, drugs, or the news) becoming an obstacle in your PhD? Understand how DOPAMINE works, gather data, understand what it helps you avoid, abstain mindfully, experiment... More at ahappyphd.org/posts/addictio… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #addiction #wellbeing

Did you realize how finite the PhD is? About 200 weeks for most people. Shape your doctoral #productivity strategies to fit that finitude: limit work-in-progress, pay yourself first, resist middling priorities... More at ahappyphd.org/posts/producti… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #mortality

Need a fresh start to your thesis (or life) journey, without resorting to vague resolutions that don't stick? Do a value-driven review (and repeat it every 3-12 months). See ahappyphd.org/posts/yearly-r… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #Values #Reflection #YearlyReview #Productivity

Should you start a PhD? Think about your career path, consider relevant (but underpublicized) factors, and ponder its transformational power. Read more at ahappyphd.org/posts/should-i… and send it to anyone facing this fork on the road. #AHappyPhD #phdlife #careerdecisions

Is your productivity as a doctoral student becoming an obsession? Try to shift from the quest for having "enough time" to embracing your finitude and accepting the present-moment experience of it. More at ahappyphd.org/posts/producti… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #productivity

In the blog we talk a lot about the dropout and mental health problems of doctoral students. But... how big is the problem? It turns out, pretty big. Hundreds of thousands of people big. More details at ahappyphd.org/posts/how-many… #AHappyPhD #phdlife

Doctoral productivity: Lofty goal worth pursuing or exploitative journey? Both sides of the argument have their pitfalls. Maybe a values-aligned doctoral productivity is the answer. See more at ahappyphd.org/posts/is-produ… #AHappyPhD #phdlife #productivity #AntiProductivity

Can a few small tweaks to our daily routine have a significant impact on our productivity, energy and overall health? A neurobiologist says YES. Strategically use movement, rest, focus, sunlight, water... More details at ahappyphd.org/posts/chronobi… #AHappyPhD #phdlife @hubermanlab