Six (and a half) months have passed since my PhD viva.
It’s been a weird old time. I’ve been sitting at my desk, Monday to Friday, getting on with an ever-changing to-do list: applying for jobs and research fellowships, writing a book proposal, revising a journal article draft. There’s always been one deadline or another around the corner.
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I’ve been getting back into the swing of writing lately. It’s been a fair few months since I last sat in front of a blank page. I took some time out to rest after submitting my thesis, and the final stretch of my PhD was much more about editing and formatting than writing. After a…
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Reader, the final countdown is fully under way. There are now just under four (4) months until my submission deadline and things are getting intense. I have LISTS and SPREADSHEETS and WHITEBOARDS and a very strict schedule for getting each section of my thesis edited, proofread, and (gulp) finished. Thinking about actually submitting the thesis…
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*Post written on 30 November; publication delayed in observation of the UCU strike digital picket.* Academic Writing Month is officially over! At the end of my last post, I set out my plan to make some serious progress in November. I made a spreadsheet with intimidating daily writing targets and challenged myself to get to…
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My submission timeline just got a whole lot shorter. Until a few weeks ago, I was planning to submit my PhD thesis at the end of my fourth year (September 2020). I figured I’d use all the time I have available to make the thesis the best it can be. My new plan is to…
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Buckle in, team. It is T-minus 12 months until my final final (final) deadline. The time has come to get serious about my sit-rep and completion schedule. Current thesis status I’ve been thinking about my thesis as a patchwork quilt. Each chapter is a patch; the goal is to have a set of good-quality patches…
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It’s been 939 days since I started my PhD. My planned thesis submission date is 493 days from today. I still have plenty of time, right? Since my sojourn in the Valley of Shit/Tunnel of Doom last summer, I’ve managed to make solid progress on research and writing. My trusty (and, more importantly, healthy) new work…
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My workday always begins with this mug. When I take my first sip of coffee, surrounded by the fairy lights and motivational postcards of my workspace, my brain knows that it’s time to get writing. I write until my thoughts get foggy. Some days I can do three or four hours; other days I manage…
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If archaeologists dug up my PhD experience and interpreted the residual layers of rock and artefacts to figure out how the process evolved over time, the phase I’m currently living through would be known as ‘The Writing Age’. Right around the time I published this post about burning out, something clicked in my brain. I…
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Stratford-upon-Avon is a fabulous town, studded with a glorious selection of independent cafés, restaurants, and coffee shops. During my time as a student, I’ve spent a lot of time in coffee shops. I tend to work pretty well in these sorts of environments: there’s just enough noise and activity to make my surroundings feel interesting, but…
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Ella Hawkins 