Home is where you office is (phd student strategies to complete writing)

When your home is your office. It's hard to differentiate the space. I had my study desk in my bedroom, since I did my master degree, and now in my phd years. Recently I moved to a bigger bedroom, and had my study desk and my TV in the same room. It was difficult. 

I almost had 0 time on my desk at one point. I can sit for hours watching TV, just beside my desk. I started googling strategies to focus doing work/study. 

I tried too many strategies. 

1. Sit for 3 to 4 hours at the desk, prepare all my meals and water on the desk. So I don't have to get up for coffee or snacks. Only up for bathroom breaks. It worked for a couple of days, then I got bored and being lazy again. 

2. Lazy because of anxiety. Refer to vlog: James Hayton Phd (youtube vlogs)

So I carefully rewired my brain to think of the success it brings if I do my phd work now. Think of all the fun things I can spend my time on if I actually finish my work early on. It doesn't work for long, infact this one lasted shorter than the 1st strategy. 

3. Spent 15 minutes only. Not more and not less. Do your work, whatever it is for only 15 minutes. Do as fast as you can. So I told myself, sit at your desk for 15 minutes, then you're free to go do whatever you want. And I ended up sitting there for hours, sometimes 4 hours staright. This one did actually worked for me! I competed my 1st thesis draft with this strategy. 

So don't be afraid to try several tricks before settling on one. And don't be too frustrated if it worked for a while, then you're drifted again. It's okay to be bored with one thing, and find another. There's no hard rule for a strategy to work. It all depends on your mood and motivation. 

Good luck to everyone and myself!

It's vaccination day for me. Wish me luck.

TGM

14 July 2021

Phd student's routine (vaccine appointment)

I have submitted my first thesis draft to my supervisors. This is my daily routine:

1) Checking emails every 2 to 3 hours, just in case my SVs replied after reviewing the draft (it's day-16 since I sent it to them!).

2) Checking mysejahtera vaccine appointment. I got my appointment today! 4 days to go.

Thankful for the vaccine appointment, I think it came unexpectedly early for me. I saw on Instagram that Klang Valley had started phase 3. I didn't know N. Sembilan speeds up. I had filled up vaccine forms 3 times for UM, 1 for IIUM. My colleagues had been called, replacing people in IIUM PPV. UM had been collecting names for astrazeneca. I was hopeful to be called. Set my phones on high volume during the day, so I wouldn't miss if any PPV call. 

It went viral about last week, that younger people had registered mysejahtera since Feb, but haven't been called for vaccination. I checked mine it was on the 23 Feb. They said to filled up helpdesk, write down that you've registered since Feb. So I did last week. I got automated email reply explaining unfortunate circumstances and I wasn't hopeful. Woke up today and saw a small mysejahtera icon. Mysejahtera never send notification, I knew it was either for vaccines or call for swab testing. I got my vaccine appointment on the 14th July.

Yeay!

TGM

10 JULY 2021

1st thesis draft

I'm still waiting for my 1st thesis draft to be reviewed by my supervisor. Its been 12 days since. A friend with the same supervisor said it took 1 to 2 months for my SV to review and return it back to us. 

In the meantime I scheduled my dental appointment for root canal and crown removal from a clinic near my house. I hope it heal fast before my next presentation- thesis seminar or viva. And hopefully the pain is not that horrible. 

I'm guessing everyone became super busy during this pandemic. While I'm here playing the waiting game. 

Senawang

6.7.2021

Phd survival during a pandemic

Endless problem with administrative work sets by who knows.. 

Theres title approval form to be filled. Examiners' nomination, intention to submit, ermm and what else? I'm navigating in the dark. I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing. 

Pandemic closes down all campuses. Emailed administrative people and it might take some time to get a reply, unless you cc your SV. But I'm not yet thinking of exploiting that chance when all I wanted to know now is the process and all the forms I should be filling in. Website doesn't help. Click on the link and not found. 

Luckily I had few friends to ask around. Had some ideas where to begin. Might contact another friend, he's submitting too, faced the same problem as mine. 

My SV was burning up this afternoon on Meet, when they said that SV had to fill up everything?? I said I haven't a clue. Glad they said it's not our fault. It's the system. 

And they said administrative people replied to emails. Of course they did. A friend already told me the secret sauce to cc your SV. Now they asked why don't you? I said I'm afraid they might be busy, she is handling everyone's submission. SV complaint I was too kind. I should cc them next time. I will Prof. 

They complaint about having to fill up Examiners nomination manually, and it take hours, and had to do it twice!. Poor them! I don't know how to response. And while talking on the phone, we were laughing. They said I'm glad that you're laughing, it's not funny, but yeah. 

They said how pitiful the students are. Waiting and clueless. Students are always left clueless. Because we're easy target. Young and powerless. In need of guidance. Our future's in the hands of these administrative and lecturers. That's all we have to survive. Be kind and nice to both parties, you'll likely thrive. If you're nasty to one, you'll still survive, but you won't thrive. Well, I may not even be looking to thrive now. I only want to survive honestly. Surviving phd in this pandemic could be equal to surviving covid. You either die on course or you survive catching your breath again.

TGM

28.6.2021

Doing phd is not all flowery. Small thing sucks bad. Hearing your friend is submitting sucks! Real bad. So it's good to have this monthly meeting for us phd suckers for reality check. Or else tenggelam in your own disaster you created. 

At least i feel bad when others are far ahead of me. And when i know I'm nowhere near or able to catch-up. Ni semua permainan dunia

7 May 2020

It's not that I'm overly passionate about what i do. This is real. You may have children and soon they will leave the nest. Or migrate overseas. All you can see of them is during raya or Christmas. Lepas tu spend all year waiting and dreading for the next raya. Seriously build your own circle of social life outside of your nuclear family. Make life-long friends with your office colleagues. Your school/uni friends. They're likely to be living closer to you. Go for lepak and kopi and sembang kari. Those sembang kari will likely make your brain stay active and reduce risk of dementia (nyanyuk lah). Some people said do cross word and puzzles, but few really like doing that. I don't.
Sekian pesanan khidmat masyarakat.

10 May 2020

Manuscript Writing

Let's start writing papers like how we want to read others'. I like it when the papers detailed every steps clearly, each difficulties plus how they handle it. I'm glad I learned all these early on. 

.

it's really calming when you can have it all in one paper instead of having to find different papers for each section. 

#justsaying

Bebelan student kertu yang belom publish seketul paper pun.

28 Nov 2020

Writing Phd Paper

Let's start writing papers like how we want to read others'. I like it when the papers detailed every steps clearly, each difficulties plus how they handle it. I'm glad I learned all these early on. 

.

it's really calming when you can have it all in one paper instead of having to find different papers for each section. 

#justsaying

Bebelan student kertu yang belom publish seketul paper pun.

21 Dec 2020

Feels like writing but I always woke up with fuzzy brain. Is this me or all writers should go through this fuzzed phase before they go full on writers block!? Lol thats even worse kan. Let's hope we finish what we started and not lose focus. What's  the focus fatin? That freaking red book! Oh ye.. i remember that.

30 Dec 2020

Dumping phd experience here!

Since I'm in my final year of Phd, let's keep a journal and dump everything here for future reading. 

It will be so funny to read back and relive everything. Being full on old people - last time ah... During my time... Long time we ago... That's how old people always starts a conversation.