Taking a Break Over the Holidays: Advice From a Third Year PhD Student

#1 Work out what tasks HAVE to be done before Christmas

Whilst we can all dream about clearing our to-do lists before Christmas, that isn’t realistic. My top tip for having time off in December is to look through your to-do list and find the non-negotiable tasks that actually have to be done before you take a break. This can help you prioritise your work in the final few weeks of term. For the tasks that don’t need to be done before Christmas, write a note to yourself of what needs doing and then park it until January.

#2 Plan ahead for the New Year

There’s nothing worse than opening your laptop after a long break and not remembering what you were doing! Before I take some time off, I always try and spend an hour writing a quick summary of the things I am working on, what I am thinking about, and my plans for what I want to do next. This also includes a list of things to work on for my first day back, as well as a reminder of any upcoming deadlines early in the year. This means you’ll spend less time playing catch up in January and less time stressing about it in December!

#3 Know that everything will still be there in January (good or bad!)

It’s both a blessing and a curse, that you are the only person working on your PhD. It means that when you shut your laptop in December and open it again in January, nothing will have changed. That might be a bad thing if you are currently praying for the statistics fairies to fix your data analysis overnight (just me?), but it can also be a good thing. It ultimately means that everything will still be there in January and you can come back to it then with a fresh pair of eyes. You don’t have to finish everything this side of Christmas. Remember the PhD is a marathon, not a sprint. And even marathon runners have to stop for mince pies and a Christmas film every so often!

#4 Make it a PROPER break (emails and everything!)

In academia we’re not good at switching off and taking a break. You feel like you’re being efficient by checking your emails when on a sun lounger on holiday – but in reality, it means you’re not switching off and won’t come back to work refreshed. Set your out-of-office and turn off your Teams and email notifications and fight the urge to check them at least for a few days!

And set up an out-of-office auto-replies, they’re a great way of giving yourself permission to not reply straight away. Make it clear in your auto-reply when you will be back in the office and whether you are contactable until then. A supervisor of mine during my Masters always said: if it’s really important and you don’t reply, they’ll message you again!

#5 Enjoy!! It’s CHRIIIIIIISTMAAAAAAAS!

Ultimately your PhD is a long project and having some rest periods to reset, will ultimately make you a better researcher when you return to your project. Take some time off without feeling guilty over Christmas, knowing that you have finished the non-negotiable tasks and that the rest can wait. Your mental health is the most important thing, so use the holidays as a chance to look after yourself and those around you, rather than your data for a change!

Merry Christmas everyone.

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