All these helpful hints have jogged my thinking in related ways... I've been praying and reflecting a lot lately about the many distractions that seem to crop up all the time in a PhD student's working week. And so I've decided to cut back on some of the weekly volunteer commitments I've found myself embedded in recently as well as set up and stick to some boundaries for my work hours. No doubt you can tell I'm starting to feel the one-year-to-go crunch? And it's crunching... I can't believe it's the end of January already! Where did the past few months go?
I know this is a feeling shared across many occupations, but I can't help saying that it really is different for a PhD student. The self-discipline required to keep regular office hours, despite the friends who need help or other work that seems to need doing only during the day. The motivation and vision required to understand and manage your own research process, to see an end in sight and work diligently towards it every day. And the creativity required to write, write, write... It's not just any old creativity I'm realising, it's a creativity that has to be coupled with logical structure. A creativity which only a fresh, well-rested brain can muster.
So this year's resolution is: personal email disabled during work hours and from my iPhone permanently, no volunteering or errand running during work hours and minimal activities on weeknights, followed by weekends that still involve volunteer/service activities plus time for friends and family just as long as I'm not exhausted by Monday.
Wish me luck ;)
