Should You Take a Holiday During Your PhD?
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.