Should You Take a Break From Working on Your PhD Over the Christmas Period?
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.