Original PhD Blog

The personality trait of someone who is always striving for flawlessness and is continuously setting extraordinary performance standards is known as perfectionism. Perfectionism is often accompanied by self-criticism and anxiety regarding other’s opinions. This multi-dimensional characteristic is likely to affect people from different walks of life, despite their age. In fact, university students who are constantly seeking perfection to secure approval of their peer are more likely to be affected by perfectionism.

However, perfection can lead to stress and affects the self-esteem of university students. While it can be difficult to shed the burden of perfectionism, once you do, it will help lower stress levels and increase performance. Below are a few tips that can help you to beat perfectionism.

It’s OK to fail

Being a perfectionist frequently keeps student’s subconscious glued to only tasks they are good at. Hence, it might refrain you from trying and experimenting with something new. Although failure might sound something unimaginable for you, failing at times is ok. Try to challenge yourself by doing something which you are not perfect at. This will get you accustomed to the edgy feeling which comes along failure.

Do not forget your ultimate goal

Rather than focussing on minute details of your academic assignments or thesis writing, focus on your ultimate goal. While submitting a great assignment can help you obtain good grades, it will be of no use if you submit it after the prescribed deadline. For example, break a dissertation writing task into smaller tasks such as researching, writing and editing and set time limits for each of these tasks. Focus more on strict deadlines rather than finding flaws in your dissertation. Do not exceed your set time limits, as submitting a slightly average dissertation assignment is better than not being able to submit it before the university deadline.

Appreciate your achievements

Take some time out from your busy schedule to appreciate the things you have achieved so far. Instead of rushing from PhD assignment writing to exam notes preparation, take a break to feel happy about the completed task. After every accomplishment, take a moment to de-stress and praise yourself for every achievement.

Strive for excellence

Excellence is greatly focused on becoming a better version of you by developing your skills and increasing your efficiency. Whereas, perfectionism mostly emphasises on not making any significant mistakes and avoiding any occasions of appearing wrong. The idea of practicing excellence will make you view your mistakes as possible learning opportunities and not something which makes you feel embarrassed or judgemental.

Be yourself

While performing any academic task, make sure you be yourself. Instead of imitating others, learn about your traits and focus on improving your personality. As perfection is stationary, it can become boring after some time. Accept your true self and respond to your achievements and failures with compassion. As you try to free yourself from the pressure of being a perfectionist, you will be more inclined towards experimenting with your strengths and weakness.

Motivation holds a significant part in our everyday lives. It is an essential requirement to boost one’s happiness, creativity and productivity. Not only students but people from different forms of loves need to stay motivated to prosper in any activity they choose.

Since university brings a life-changing experience for most of the students where they are continuously expected to match up with the peers and execute a wide range of tasks, students are mostly on the brim to get demotivated. This demotivation is generally reflected in their routine tasks such as exam notes preparation or assignment writing. While students can seek help with coursework, lifting their spirits is important to bring students back to the track.

If you have been experiencing any sort of de-motivation, here is a complete guide to explain the reasons of losing motivation and ways to get it back.

Fear

Feeling afraid before dissertation writing, appearing for an examination or raising a question in the lecture can make you hesitant. Although fears can make you watchful, imaginary fears might make you lack motivation. To overcome this, try to analyse the things that make you afraid and search for the loopholes you need to fill. Make your strategies to manage any risks and plan for everything in advance.

Setting the wrong goals

Many times due to peer pressure, students set up the wrong goals. As these goals are set to fulfil the social expectations, these goals pull students away from the direction in which one wants to go. If you feel demotivated to achieve your goals, then keep on reviewing your goals from time to time. Start by setting small goals and then set your ultimate goal. Once you start feeling happy about accomplishing a small goal, you will be automatically motivated towards achieving the big goal.

Lack of challenge

Challenging situations are important in life to keep us continuously moving, growing and learning new skills. Lack of challenge or very small challenges makes us bored and eventually leads to demotivation. To challenge yourself, get out of your comfort zone and try to get into activities which will enhance your life skills and stimulate yourself.

Unhappiness

Lack of happiness is another major cause of demotivation. Unhappiness leads to self-doubt, confusion, feeling lost, mistrust and at times depression. To overcome unhappiness, do things which make you feel happy. Get adequate sleep, food and exercise or express your feelings with family and friends. Spend time with people you love or take a walk in the fresh air. The more you accept both happy and sorrow feelings, the more you will feel normal and safe.

Loneliness

To excel in your university examinations, you do not have to isolate yourself from family and friends. After a certain time, just sitting alone and working towards your coursework will make you feel miserable. Rather, spend some quality time with your family or play a sport with your friends or just go to the library and discuss your academic assignment writing with your classmates. Establishing communication and meeting new people will help you get out from the isolated zone and will even make you feel more productive.

The journey of attaining a PhD is one of the longest qualifications a candidate has to undergo. It demands constant and consistent time and energy from the candidate’s end. One of the major challenges faced by any focused PhD candidate is keeping the digital world at bay.

The toxic effect of digital engagements

The journey for a PhD student encompasses lots of work, including preparing various presentations, lectures, coursework, notes, and mails, thus constantly engaging them on computers, mobile phones and internet. Moreover, constantly liaising with mentors, guides and other researchers through email and messages for research updates and study makes the life of a PhD student highly dependent on digital media. Though all of these are great developments, they distract a PhD student from his/her top priority – utilising your faculties and completing PhD thesis. This never ending cycle of digital media involvement significantly impacts the performance of a PhD student.

Resorting to family and friends

Despite all the best efforts and intentions, even a best candidate can get distracted or get complacent. In order to take a digital detox, one of the best methods is that focus be shifted from screen engagement to family and friends’ engagement. In addition, productive discussions with fellow PhD candidates and professors can also assist in detoxing the process of digital mayhem. Notably, engaging with family and friends for a discussion, movie or even just for a quiet weekend can transform your digital engagements in line with a normal routine.

Building the essence of discipline

Another effective way of digital detoxing to focus on PhD writing is discipline towards switching off gadgets on time. It is one of the best ways to embark on the digital detox journey. Fix a time to use your digital devices and social media platforms to rejuvenate your mind but stick to the timings. Even scheduling your some time for complete gadget free mode can assist you break the sticky cycle of the digital engagement. Moreover, you can access different applications available for computers and smartphone to restrict your screen time and binging on different social media platforms such as Digital Detox, Flipd, and Moment. The true essence of using these apps is to take these detox breaks in a periodic and consistent manner.

Detoxifying through sports

Sports or any extracurricular activities are considered as a marquee digital detox player. Switching your digital time with sports can help you build a new leisure activity into a productive and healthy life style. These activities can include any exercise that require physical engagement including cooking, playing an instrument, and drawing, among various other activities. This has been proved as one of the best ways to digital detox to get a re-focus on your work and studies.

In the course of the ever demanding PhD program from any University across the world, you cannot afford to go off the digital grid entirely. However, with the use of the aforementioned tricks, you can certainly have a digital detox to re-focus on your PhD thesis writing.

Pursuing a PhD can be a challenging task. With PhD candidates spending a countless number of hours in studying, working, PhD thesis writing, attending seminars, etc. it becomes difficult for them to spend time on their personal lives. While experts suggest that the Christmas period is one of the best times for PhD students to take, many candidates are unable to decide between taking a break and continuing their PhD. Here are some of the reasons which will help you decide if it is worth taking a break from working on your PhD during the Christmas period.

Taking a break helps increase productivity

To have a healthy and productive PhD life it is advisable to take a holiday. Intermittent breaks from studying and working help the brain to rest, recover and rejuvenate. This, in turn, increases our performance, focus and productivity.

It will help you spend time with your family and friends

As Christmas is one of the happiest time of the year, many people take a break from work and studies. This also makes it the best period to spend time with loved ones. Also, with the festive spirit of Christmas around every corner, you will get time to indulge in activities such as shopping, drinking hot cocoa with friends, watching your favourite movies or planning a short trip with your family or friends.

A holiday will save you from being miserable

A PhD demands students to continuously work in labs and perform research while limiting their social interactions with friends, family, peers and colleagues. This social withdrawal at some point is likely to make students miserable. Taking a holiday will let you do things which you usually don’t get to do while working on your PhD. The happiness and positivity that you will get to indulge in during your Christmas holiday will be reflected in your effective PhD dissertation writing.

Taking a break will protect you from entering a panic zone

As PhD students are continuously thinking of theories and finding methods which have never been implemented before, it is likely that they might enter a panic zone. However, entering a panic zone at this most crucial point of your career can bring some unfavourable results for your PhD. So before you start scratching your head to find out what is going wrong in your research, plan a holiday which will keep you motivated to work harder towards your PhD thesis.

All your peers might not be working during Christmas

If you are not planning to take a holiday thinking you will be able to work on your research and connect with your colleagues, then think again. As most of the people are not working during Christmas, there are meagre chances that you will be able to get in touch with the company sponsoring your research or your PhD advisor to take your work ahead. As all your peers are set to take a break during Christmas, it is better that you too follow the custom and get the much-needed rest.

As university students are continuously surrounded by tight deadlines and great expectations, they are likely to be stressed. While conducting in-depth research before dissertation writing or any academic writing can cause some kind of stress on students, taking a significant amount of stress can take a toll on health, diet and sleep patterns. Stress often causes students to lose focus and ultimately affects their productivity and grades. If you are going through a stressful situation and need some time away from your research, here are the 10 best ways which can help you to de-stress.

Sleep

To cope up with their coursework, exam notes preparation and assignment writing, students often neglect their sleep schedule. This sleep-deprived state can reduce your efficiency and you might find it difficult to focus on your research. Ensure that you get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep in addition to small power naps when required. 

Exercise

Indulge yourself in some kind of exercise to stay healthy and de-stress yourself. Whether it working out in the gym or doing yoga, regular exercise will boost your spirits and clear your head.

Get some fresh air

Get a fresh supply of oxygen to keep your stress level down. Go for a morning walk or use your bicycle to go to the university to get the fresh dose of air.

Listen to Music

Listening to your favourite music has many cognitive benefits on the human mind. Music will not only act as a great stress reliever but also will help you calm down and stimulate your mind. Whether you prefer slow melodies, classical music or upbeat music, play it and immediately relieve yourself from stress.

Watch a movie

To regain your focus back on the research, it is ok to take some time off to chill and unwind. Relaxing is a great way to improve concentration and reduce the movement of stress hormones. So, plug-in your favourite movie and enjoy the moment.

Dance

Experts believe that dancing boosts self-esteem and improves psychological well-being. It is one of the fun ways to jump around and let yourself loose. Play the music in your room and dance around to your heart’s content before heading back to your research.

Laugh

Laughter is indeed the best medicine. As laughing increases blood flow and oxygen, it decreases stress and makes us feel better. Read some jokes or watch your favourite comedy shows to give you a hearty laugh.

Take a bath/shower

Apart from cleaning ourselves, taking a bath or a shower is a great way to relax and de-stress. Just step in the bathroom and let the hot water rinse away all your stress. A quick shower or bath will also make you feel refreshed and give you instant energy to continue your research.

Get organised

To sweep away the stress, try to organise and clean your room or study table. These everyday activities work well for relieving stress and will make you more mindful. 

Treat yourself

Pamper yourself with your favourite food or simply go out for a cup of coffee to feel more relaxed. After all, after putting so many efforts into research, you deserve a reward.

PhD writing can prove to be a complicated task. A PhD thesis can comprise multiple levels of revisions and additions. This could prove to be a major challenge for students. Furthermore, PhD dissertation writing requires a student to be patient and keep their motivation levels high. One of the best ways to do so is to read as many books as you can. This is because reading books can build your vocabulary and ensure that you acquire as much knowledge as you can. So, here are 8 inspirational books that we recommend for any PhD student:

1. Read This Before Our Next Meeting

This is an extremely interesting book that motivates students to plan ahead. It helps them in building their efficiency while also taking a humorous approach towards the meeting culture in the corporate world.

2. Mastering Your PhD: Survival and Success in the Doctoral Years and Beyond

This book can help a student in getting started with their PhD thesis. It also guides them in terms of planning ahead. It concentrates on the key skills that could help students in achieving their goals.

3. Advice for a Young Investigator

This is a book that not only motivates PhD students but also suggests the key tactics that could help them in conducting their research. It also inspires them to be pragmatists so that they can complete their thesis successfully.

4. A PhD Is Not Enough: A Guide to Survival in Science

This particular book guides PhD students in terms of selecting the right path towards their PhD Thesis. It also helps students by sharing the importance of having the right adviser for your research.

5. What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

This book allows students to understand the art of finding answers. It also inspires them to think out of the box and find unusual ways of going about research. The book mixes elements of motivation and fun and reading it can be the perfect way for you to prepare for your PhD Thesis.

6. The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research 

This book ensures that PhD students are aware of the nuances of PhD writing. At the same time, it acts as a major catalyst for students, inspiring them to become successful researchers that could contribute to society.

7. Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

This one is a wonderful read for PhD students because it allows them to accept failure as a part of life. It also inspires them to use their imagination and come up with creative ideas. This book also focuses on building a student’s will power. Such abilities could prove to be highly beneficial during PhD writing.

8. Exceptional You!

This is another inspirational book that could prove to be priceless for a student. This is because it involves elements of planning and strategizing, along with reminding students about being grateful for what they have. This book helps students in channelizing their energies and ensuring that they make good use of their time.

With the increasing number of competition and growing demand for an all-round achiever, it is important that students must start increasing their productivity early. University is the best place for students who are looking forward towards overall development and increase in their efficiency. At universities, students are continuously surrounded by a number of tasks and activities. Whether it is attending a lecture, engaging in your favourite sport, working on different academic assignments such as report writing or dissertation writing, catching up with your social life or looking after yourself, the university is the best place to learn to lead a balanced life.

Below is a list of our top tips which will help you increase your productivity not only at the university but even in your professional and personal lives.

Manage your time

Managing your time is the first step towards increased productivity. To manage your time, first, you need to track the time you spend each day on different activities. A simple way of managing your time efficiently is by making a personal timetable for your daily activities. This will help keep a track of all the events and activities you have to get involved in for the day and will give you equal opportunities to accomplish your listed tasks.

Set your deadlines

Once you make a timetable, start by setting deadlines. For example, for an essay writing task, break the complete task of writing the essay into smaller tasks such as researching on the topic, writing the essay, proofreading and editing. Further, start setting deadlines for each task such as three hours for researching, two hours for writing and so on and add these deadlines in your timetable. This will save you from any last-minute hassle and will maximise your productivity.

Plan in advance

To maintain a work-life balance, start making use of a diary, calendar or mobile application to plan in advance for the upcoming weeks and months. This habit will not only make your student life productive but also will come as a great help in any career you chose. Mark your calendar with major family events and deadlines for submissions and exams. This will help you decide your priorities and give you enough time to plan your personal and academic life.

Follow a healthy diet

We often get tempted to ditch that nutritious and wholemeal food for fast food and sugary drinks. However, following a healthy diet is important to maintain optimum health and build a strong immune system. As students put a lot of strain on their brain and bodies, switching to more nutritious food will increase your energy levels and will keep you more productive throughout the day.

Get enough sleep

Experts recommend daily 8 hours of sleep for the healthy functioning of the human brain. To increase your productivity, make sure to take frequent breaks and get enough sleep at the end of each day. If you feel stress before exams, indulge in exam notes preparation beforehand and get sound sleep to wake up fresh for your examination day.

The journey of PhD can be highly daunting which requires a candidate’s consistent time and effort. Ultimately, the idea of writing a nearly 100 page PhD dissertation can discourage a candidate’s wish to seek a break or holiday out of the grilling process of PhD. Nonetheless, a well-placed holiday has the potential to improve the quality of PhD writing profoundly.

The fear of holidays amongst PhD candidates

The word ‘holidays’ may not be a famous word amongst PhD candidates as they are always scrambling with research work, attending seminars, completing applications, submitting latest developments in their manuscripts and anxiously emailing to different collaborators. Before taking an enjoyable holiday, PhD candidates believe in completing their due work on time which during the PhD writing process never comes. However, a hiatus from PhD work during the PhD process can be beneficial a PhD candidate.

The process of pursuing PhD can be a daunting exercise, and you might have the temptation to reject holidays. However, having a journal of own personal and PhD work deadlines can assist in negating that temptation. If you’re a candidate with a planned structure of work, you can easily adjust holidays between PhD deadlines without entering the so-called ‘panic zone’. The well placed holidays can assist you in introspection of your existing choices, ideas, and overall path. Moreover, they eliminate the chances of boredom and frustration as the mere idea of a vacation can recharge and refresh your temperament towards the PhD journey. In addition, it provides a path for work – life balance as you’re able to reconnect with your friends and family and spending time with your loved ones diminishes any dull or dreary environment in your life.

Finding the right work – holiday balance

Actually, striking a perfect balance in PhD work can assist a candidate in planning a holiday. Enjoying an interlude during PhD writing is essential as it rejuvenates your productivity and creativity to a greater extent. However, too much engagement during holidays can turn your work technique counterproductive. Therefore, focus should be on getting necessary holidays for an essential period of time – No more, No less. Having said that, planning in advance is the essence of taking holidays wherein you should inform your supervisors way well in advance, you should complete the priority tasks in advance, and should avoid taking holidays if you’ve a vital meeting for your PhD dissertation or a research seminar. Thus, planning is the key.

Holiday – Productivity Propeller

Going forward, PhD candidates should take a break, enjoy the holidays and recuperate with a new enthusiasm. It is pivotal to understand that PhD is as demanding a full – time job, or perhaps more. Thus, sound mental health is key for writing good PhD thesis as major institutes across the globe are investing resources to counter debilitated mental health. Continuous engagement with lots of research papers, submissions, seminars, and applications over a period can serious harm a researcher’s health to a great extent. Thus, in order to generate ground breaking breakthroughs in the respective fields, a timely holiday can definitely act as a panacea.

Choosing the right topic is an extremely important aspect of PhD thesis writing. This is because selecting the right topic means that you are able to obtain relevant results. But many students choose to select PhD topics that are not part of the mainstream. Such unique topics can also lead to an interesting research study. So, here are 10 unique and interesting PhD topics:

1. The role of teachers’ irrational behaviour in students’ lives

This is a unique topic that entails the habits of teachers and how they can influence the lives of their students.

2. The importance of homework in developing an individual’s personality

Homework has been associated with improving learning and writing abilities. But does it have a positive impact on a person’s overall personality? This topic focuses on conducting a practical analysis.

3. To what extent does a positive attitude matter in life?

This is another unique topic. Time and again, we are told to have a positive outlook towards life. But it is worth researching whether this is actually the case.

4. How to manage the millennial generation?

Millennials are much different compared to the other generation. This topic aims to study how to manage them and keep them happy.

5. Is the newspaper industry being hampered by the digital revolution?

In recent years, the growth of technology has meant that we all are connected to multiple devices. Has this actually had an impact on the newspaper industry, or is it too early to say so? A case study-based analysis explores this topic.

6. Is design an art or a science?

There has been an ongoing debate regarding designing abilities. This research aims to establish whether design is an art or a science.

7. Can racism unite people?

Racism is seen as evil in society. But this research topic explores whether racism can also help us in coming together.

8. Will a cure for AIDS ever be developed?

AIDS is a disease that has impacted the lives of millions of people. This research focuses on whether a cure is likely to be developed.

9. Why are some products more successful than others?

This is another interesting topic that focuses on product development. By comparing the success of products, the reasons behind their success can be identified.

10. The role of gaming in personality development

The gaming industry has been developing at a rapid pace. This topic helps in ascertaining whether gaming is also helping in personality development.

A PhD proposal, along with choosing the right topic is the first step towards completing your thesis. These proposals encompass an outline of the research that you will be conducting in the future. Further, a PhD proposal allows others to understand the true meaning of your research and whether it is justified. A compelling proposal must answer various questions related to the research. Here is a list of the most important features of a high-quality PhD proposal:

It includes clear objectives

One of the most important elements of PhD writing is to develop a convincing proposal. Firstly, you need to build a background related to the topic. This includes providing relevant theories and related information on the topic. Further, your proposal needs to define clear objectives. A high-quality PhD proposal comprises a research question that is relevant to the topic. Furthermore, it also includes a set of aims and objectives that are linked to the research question.

The boundaries of the research are clearly defined

An amorphous proposal will not serve the purpose. Therefore, it is important to set the boundaries of your research. The boundaries should be well-defined, and you also need to justify these boundaries. Additionally, it is also important to be clear in terms of the aspects of the topic which you will be covering. Any lack of clarity in terms of the aspects can render your proposal to be vague and incomplete.

A compelling justification for the research is presented

It is also important to justify your research. The best PhD proposals include a compelling justification for the research to be conducted. A common strategy is to briefly review the prior literature on the topic in order to understand the gaps in research. This will help you in formulating your proposal. Furthermore, another good strategy is to identify the motivation behind your research. Doing this will help you in creating a more compelling proposal.

It is structured in the right manner

A high-quality PhD proposal is structured in the right manner. You need to create links between the chapters so that the reader manages to stay interested in the topic. Further, you also need to make sure that the chapters of your proposal cover all the main elements of your research. You need to include an introduction, a brief review of past studies, a research methodology chapter, and a discussion chapter. Covering all these elements will help you in ensuring that your proposal is accepted.