If you only plan one thing as a PhD student, plan to be consistent.
In our pursuit of success, we often find ourselves stuck, lacking progress and struggling to achieve our goals. There are a lot of bumps along the PhD road, and numerous ditches to fall into when we veer off course! Whether it’s your part-time (or full-time!) job, burnout, overwhelm, or data you just can’t make sense of, your PhD can feel like a freakin obstacle course created by someone particularly evil!
However, the key to overcoming these obstacles lies in one fundamental principle: consistency.
In this blog post, I’ll introduce you to the one thing that all my successful PhD students have in common: their commitment to being consistent. We’ll explore the concept of consistency, its practical implications, the benefits it brings, and strategies to maintain it.
So, let's delve into the power of consistency and how it can transform your doctoral journey.
Understanding Consistency
Consistency, in simple terms, refers to acting in the same way over time. It involves establishing routines, making commitments, and persistently working towards your goals.
It encompasses regularity, reliability, and following through on your commitments.
While certain aspects of our lives naturally have consistency built into them, such as work or household chores, other areas require conscious effort to establish consistent habits - and PhD is most definitely one of them!
One common challenge that graduate students face is getting caught up in seemingly urgent but less important tasks, responding to emails, attending meetings. By focusing on these smaller tasks, we often inadvertently push the more significant, high-impact work to the side. Like our thesis!
What Does Consistency Look Like?
Consistency can vary for each individual, and it is essential to be realistic when setting expectations. It's better to commit to a sustainable amount of time, such as three hours per week, rather than overexerting yourself and burning out. It's important to acknowledge other responsibilities and work around them while protecting your dedicated study time.
Life can throw unexpected challenges at us, derailing our consistency momentarily, but if we've had a good run of being consistent, it becomes easier to get back on track.
Additionally, it's crucial to address the common belief that having a job hinders consistency in academic pursuits. Research has shown that full-time employment during PhD studies can actually increase the likelihood of completing the doctorate. Gittings et al (2018) discovered that people who were employed full-time during their PhD studies were significantly MORE likely to complete their doctorates!*
Successful students with demanding jobs made a commitment to be consistent by setting aside dedicated time for their dissertation, even if it meant adjusting their schedules. Starting small and gradually building up to a sustainable routine is key.
The Benefits of Consistency
Consistency serves as a catalyst for progress.
By showing up regularly and committing to your studies, everything else begins to fall into place.
Momentum is generated through consistent effort, leading to increased productivity and improved results.
The most consistent students often outperform their more naturally gifted counterparts because they consistently put in the hours and show up.
Consistency also boosts confidence, keeps imposter syndrome at bay, and allows for regular problem-solving, resulting in faster progress.
When you are confronting the stuff you’re stuck on repeatedly, you’ll find ways to get unstuck. It might take some time and some figuring out, but consistent PhD students solve problems way faster than those who are procrastinating and saying, “Urgh, I’ll look at it next week”.
Maintaining Consistency
To sustain consistency, it's important to identify potential distractions and learn to say "no" to tasks that don't align with your primary goal of completing your thesis.
Setting clear boundaries and prioritizing your time will prevent resentment and burnout.
One key thing you need to watch – getting sidetracked. I’m talking about Netflix or TikTok, but more about things that you think you SHOULD be doing.
Things that other people tell you should be doing. Taking stuff on that is not connected to actually completing your thesis. Volunteering to get involved in faculty stuff, volunteering to help your supervisor with whatever, to take on this role, that role, agreeing to do things because people tell you will be “Good for your career!”.
Academics, mentors, they can sometimes be a bit naughty with this stuff and if there’s something that really don’t want to do, but they have this happy, smiley, willing to help graduate student who is always saying “Yes” then they will gladly dump it on you.
Learn to say, “No” to stuff.
Whenever someone asks you to get involved in something this really ‘good opportunity’ or is someone just presenting it to you as a good idea because they can’t be arsed to do it themselves? Ask yourself these questions
• Is this going to help me write a better thesis?
• Is this going to help my professional development in some other way?
• One year from now, what will the benefit of doing this thing be?
Saying, “No” to things doesn’t make you rude, unhelpful or damage your professional prospects. If anything, it actually enhances them because you’re showing up as someone with boundaries, someone who values and protects their time, and knows how to prioritize and that person is highly employable and highly promotable.
Regular reflection plays a crucial role as well. Every week, set a reminder on your phone and ask yourself this question: “Have I been consistent this week?”. If your answer is no, think about why not and what can you do to get back on it? If yes how’ve you managed it and how can you keep that up?
Conclusion
Consistency is the driving force behind achieving your academic goals. By establishing routines, making commitments, and persistently showing up for your studies, you can generate momentum and make steady progress. Remember to be realistic, protect your time, and set boundaries. Embrace the power of saying "no" to nonessential tasks and regularly reflect on your consistency to maintain focus and make necessary adjustments. With consistency as your foundation, you'll overcome obstacles, reach new heights, and realize your full potential in your academic journey.
*Gittings, G., Bergman, M., Shuck, B., & Rose, K. (2018). The impact of student attributes and program characteristics on doctoral degree completion. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 30(3), 3-22.
Check out my YouTube video on this topic!
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