7 Tips for Starting a PhD During the Pandemic

Hi! I’m Danni and I started my PhD journey this September in the agrifood industry. Of course, 2020 has been the year of the coronavirus pandemic that has hit us all in many ways. I feel very grateful to be starting a huge new adventure during the pandemic but it hasn’t been easy. In fact, it’s been harder than I thought it would be, particularly settling into a new location and trying to make friends.

I’ve found some habits and tips that have really helped me with starting out my PhD in a pandemic and I’d love to share these with you in case they can help you too! You certainly are not alone and I hope this helps you feel more at ease.

First and foremost, set a schedule that works for you and that you can follow throughout the week. For me that’s 9am to 4pm and I work right through the day. Giving yourself a time schedule gives you something to get up for in the mornings (or afternoons if you’re a late one!) and keep accountable time-wise during the week. This, for me, also helps makes weekends feel more like a treat because I don’t have to stick to my weekday schedule, helping separate work and home life.

I can’t stress how much my attire affects my productiveness. Don’t get me wrong, on the odd day I do like to stay in my lounge wear but for the most part I find that getting up and dressed as if I were going into uni really helps me get into the mindset of studying.

I find it useful to have my desk in a designated “work space” whilst working from home during this difficult time, if you have the option. This helps me differentiate between work life and personal life and at the end of the day it is good to switch everything off and exit that room/space along with switching off the work brain so you can have time to yourself. It’s really important to learn how to switch off at the end of a day from study so that your mind can have a rest and you are ready to go for the next day. Especially when beginning your PhD, there’s so much to do and so much to think about. It has taken me about two months to settle in and start switching off at the right times, so if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed right now, give it time.

Due to the various lockdowns and working from home it is pretty impossible to physically meet and make friends when starting a new adventure at university. Making the time to reach out to others on your course, doctoral training partnership (DTP) or similar PhDs via a “virtual coffee”, as I like to call it, is a really great way to connect with others and start to make friends. It might be a quick chat about how your week is going, how you feel starting your PhD or even explaining your PhD to others and finding out what amazing projects are beginning to take form. Anything that gets you connecting with others boosts your mental wellbeing and you’ll be surprised at how many other students feel the same way as you do!

Make a to-do list for each day, covering what you’d like to achieve. In the early days of a PhD this may be to read a certain number of papers or to sign up to forums or websites related to your field of study. Not only does a to-do list help you set out a productive day but it also feels good to physically cross off things on your list. In the start of a PhD there is so much to read and sometimes at the end of a long day of reading you feel like you haven’t produced anything, so being able to cross off the list compensates that feeling in some way. It also helps to consolidate your day and prepare for the next, helping to switch off at the end of the day.

I know this may be compulsory to meet with your supervisor frequently as you begin your PhD, but I think it’s a fantastic commitment to make sure you have in your diary. Not only is it good to make connections with your supervisors but it also keeps you going in a timely manner on your project. Even if you don’t think you have that much to report to your supervisor, in my experience I have found it very useful to meet with them once a week anyway. A small piece of research you have found can lead to great, in-depth discussions with your supervisor that lead to many more questions and directions you can work on in the following week.

I’ve found that signing up to workshops every now and then are not only great for improving skills but they also break up your week so that every day is not the same, helping to keep your motivation and morale high, rather than feeling like every day is the same. This mood can be very prevalent in the beginning of a PhD when you are reading so much literature all day every day, especially alongside a pandemic which confines us to our homes.

Danni is a first-year PhD research student at Cranfield University, based in the School of Water, Energy and Environment. If you'd like to follow her research, you can find Danni on X (Twitter).

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