One of the main issues that PhD students face more than any other students are stress and time management issues. The reason behind this is that PhD is the toughest of all academic degrees.
To make your PhD journey easier here are a few ways you can deal with stress and time management issues:
Plan it out
The first thing you need to do for dealing with stress and time management issues is to plan a schedule. This schedule needs to be followed on daily basis. Through his schedule, you will plan out your day in alignment with your assignments. Complex tasks put you under a lot of stress if you have not planned them put beforehand. So always make a timetable.
Apart from this, if you have a lengthy assignment you should plan a mini schedule for it. Break it down into smaller tasks so it is easier to manage and you become less stressed as well. Knowing what to do and when to do will prevent you from overthinking as well.
A tip here is to make this schedule digitally, not only because it is convenient and accessible since you can use your smartphone for it. But a Digital Planner also helps you put reminders so that you may not miss out on any task.
Study for a certain time
Decide that you want to study eight hours a day or less and stick by it. No matter how unproductive you have been or have not completed what you were aiming to do. Tomorrow is another day and you can study then instead of forcing yourself to study currently even when your mind is exhausted. Setting apart a fixed time for studies makes time management easier.
It may not feel good to abandon your studies for a day like this but it is for the better. The next day you will feel refreshed and your brain will start generating new as well as better ideas regarding the task. You will also end up completing the task earlier than expected.
Do not work when on a break
It may seem simple but a lot of students are who take breaks have their minds still stuck in work. This will not benefit you because your mind will not be well-rested when you get back to work. In addition to this, if you are constantly thinking about work or start working during the break then you will end up getting more stressed. For students it can be opening the laptop on which they are completing their assignment, just let go of the laptop, and do something unrelated to it.
Use the Promodoro method
One of the goals of the Promodora method is to enhance focus and concentration by limiting interruptions (Cirillo, F., 2018) Here are the guidelines of the Promodoro method:
- Choose one task that you can spend 25 minutes completing.
- Set a timer for 25 minutes and get on with the task.
- If a distraction pulls you away then you have to start over.
- Once you successfully reach the 25-minute mark then take a break for 5 minutes, enjoy a snack while you are at it perhaps
- Repeat this technique in a loop.
This method helps you in staying stress-free regarding your demanding PhD assignments and promotes productivity. Students find it appealing that they can break down their hefty tasks into smaller and easy-to-complete ones.
Getting academic help
You may have already heard how a lot of students are turning towards taking academic help. This is because now people a good amount of students have finally understood the fact of taking academic help from their peers, professors, or any writing services like secondary data collection help services.
If you need help in methodology then consult your seniors, they will help come up with the most suitable method for extracting data. If you need PhD dissertation proposal help, want to craft an introduction, and much more all you have to do is seek it.
The best part about getting help in your task is that not only does it keep you stress-free but also helps enhance the quality of your content.
Lead a healthy life
You need stress is inevitable in a PhD student’s life and you have to learn how to deal with it. However, taking care of your physical health is important for reducing stress so you must incorporate these practices into your everyday routine:
A healthy diet
Consuming the proper amount of carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, etc is very important for your body. Follow a diet plan and eat healthy meals in appropriate portions.
Exercise
Look for a type of exercise that fits your body type and work out regularly. Exercising is known to improve mental health in the youth (Pascoe et al. 2020). Therefore, exercising on an everyday basis is important.
Takeaway
Follow these tips to solve your stress and time management issues with ease.
Helen Bradfield did her degree in psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. She is interested in mental health, wellness,
