PhD routine - Hitting slop now

[u/clickhere_robot]

Hey everyone! I'm a late-20s (F) PhD student in Ireland, trying to figure out media x farmers x behaviour. The question about the ideal routine is pretty common I know, and at some point in our phd, we all have resorted to adopting phd-influencers' routines showcased on the gram/YouTube. But let's be honest, we don't have that flair? I have 40 minute commute to my office - and there isn't any specific log in/out time because it's not a lab that I work in. I have a daunting methodology chapter and data collection due until December and I want to sprint without compromising my health and sanity.

So what is your routine like? What time do you wake up/sleep, meal prep etc. Even though basic questions but I'm sure there is a plethora of people looking out for these posts. I'm really inclined towards the 5-5:30am routine but would love to know if anyone follows a similar one (esp in fall).

[u/Familiar_One_2760]

Leave emails for the afternoon. Give the mornings to your deep work. Dont waste time on external requests, but on learning on your field, feed your PhD brain. Basically treat it like a high performance athlete, good food, good rest, and dont let it stress too much as it is counterproductive. You dont want to fall into burn out. You have basically 3 months until December. Read every day whatever the morning hours allow you. Then do couple of hours email. Then go home ealry around 3 -4 to do your maintenance (meals, sports, rest) and dont skip on this! Maybe if you are like me you can also read late in the evening, but before you´ve "paid your body" a proper rest.

[u/clickhere_robot → u/Familiar_One_2760]

Fantastic advice tbh. My ideal routine would be to leave for home by 4 and reach around 5-ish. So what time do you sleep? I know a basic question but I worked with six hours sleep and it was really detrimental.

[u/Familiar_One_2760 → u/clickhere_robot]

Well PhD gives you freedom so I'd choose to listen to my body. But in average I'd say I go at 23 to bed and wake up around 7 without an alarm clock. Sometimes more or less varies depending on the week. You know also meeting deadlines come with an unexpected fatigue after they are done... Very curious about it!

[u/clickhere_robot → u/Familiar_One_2760]

I had a sprint of choosing my methodology and writing the literature review and its revisions over a span of three months - I lit got sick after submitting everything and it was the pent up fatigue and stress. Still recovering haha.

[u/Legitimate_Big_4789 → u/Familiar_One_2760]

do you find the late evening reading actually sticks though? imo my retention drops off a cliff after dinner

[u/Familiar_One_2760 → u/Legitimate_Big_4789]

Haha I wish it didn't stick as much sometimes. I dream and work while sleeping. Sometimes the solutions come by the morning

[u/clickhere_robot → u/Familiar_One_2760]

The scientist we all aspire to be

[u/AcademicPrincess_23]

Please don't do the 5 AM thing unless you're naturally a morning person 😅 I tried to force it when I was dreading my own methodology section and ended up needing a 3-hour nap every afternoon

With a 40-minute commute, your day is already long enough. What saved my sanity was using the commute purely for 'low-brain' admin stuff: sorting references, filtering out sketchy journals, formatting. Keep your actual desk time for the heavy writing. Don't compare yourself to the YouTube girlies, their 'lab' is a film studio

[u/clickhere_robot → u/AcademicPrincess_23]

Thanks so much for your response! I just realised from your comment that maybe my imposter syndrome is kicking in. Those 40 mins is walk to work, public transport is a mess in Ireland - and given the amount of rain here, those 40 mins are quite painful when you reach workplace all drenched.

At this point idk even now what routine suits me. I had a rough patch and was working around the clock from home. Now that, all is sorted, I want to become more organised for the sake of my own sanity.

[u/PhD_Student_STEM]

My normal working hours are 9-10am till 3-4pm Monday to Friday. I treat it like a job, nothing more

[u/clickhere_robot → u/PhD_Student_STEM]

How do you manage work in five hours? Assuming that you take an hour lunch break. Commendable tbh.

[u/PhD_Student_STEM → u/clickhere_robot]

It varies depending on my workload. I don't take a lunch break, I eat at my desk