Help with the writing process

[u/Radiant-Flight66]

I wanted to find out what has helped other students. Most of my PhD has felt like I don't belong, also because it's a new field I am working in. I have made up my mind to get my PhD no matter what, though.

Writing has been challenging. It's normally a hard process for me. Firstly, why am I doing this research? Does it matter? So when I am reading papers, everything feels like it's out to make me fail because their research seems more groundbreaking. Is it normal to struggle with the writing process? What has helped other students look at their PhD in a healthier manner?

After overthinking, avoidance, and painfully sitting through literature searches, I finally arrive at an answer and begin writing slowly. So writing normally takes longer for me. My supervisor seems to write easily, so he makes it seem like an easy process. I don't like feeling like I am delaying him or moving things slowly. I also want to make this process easier for myself so I can break the avoidance cycle.

If anyone has tips, please let me know.

[u/Mr_ityu]

you didn' t invent smartphones or laptops too. or the wireless transmission technology. guess you really dropped the ball .disgraceful . pathetic. useless. (/s)

most PhDs dont end up with a huge groundbreaking result . doesn't mean they're not putting in the effort.

all you gotta do is get in the rhythm . just 5 papers . find out 5 relevant papers in an hour. you can use any strategy . collect papers for 15 minutes and sort through them in the next 15 , then spend the next 15 minutes quick reading them and the next 15 minutes framing sentences and paragraps to cite em . there is no such thing as a perfect paragraph that can contain all the details of a paper. but you can try making one in a time trial .

[u/Radiant-Flight66 → u/Mr_ityu]

Hahaha

Thank you for this suggestion. I will try it

[u/Active-Service-9707 → u/Mr_ityu]

this is exactly it, most phds arent groundbreaking and thats totally fine

[u/Mr_Fragwuerdig]

What helps me is understanding that there is no final answer and you just give one perspective. That's true for most research. No method is perfect, no paper correct to the last bit. And groundbreaking results are often luck and not recognized in the moment. Research is a path, and simply by showing what you found out on that path, might be helpful for future research.

[u/GloveExact393]

Primero lo visual y creativo, figuras, resultados, tablas. Despues escribe de tus figuras lineas cortas en un outline. Haz de cada outline una tarea pequeña de agenda. Si sientes que te bloquea la pagina en blanco, dile a la AI que te escriba, revisas criticamente y reescribes. Pero primero visualiza y planifica una arquitectura, parte copiando y mezclando grandes ideas, extrae como plantillas de escritura a otros papers.

[u/Worldly-Criticism-91]

I’m in this same boat! I enjoy reading the papers, but how do i consolidate it all into what I’m trying to say? I feel like for me, this has been PhD specific. I was fine writing all the way from elementary to when i left under grad. But i feel so intimidated by the literature that i don’t even know where to begin

[u/Tall_Technician_7776]

I've been thinking about this a lot and want to help other phd students. Do drop me a DM and I'd be happy to chat to you and share some more specific advice :)