16/05/2026
Things I wish someone told me before my PhD
1. Your supervisor is not responsible for your motivation. They are responsible for your academic guidance. Motivation is yours to manage.
2. Comparing your timeline to other students will cost you more time than your actual research problems.
3. Reading more papers will not fix a chapter that needs to be written. At some point you have to stop reading and start writing.
4. Your first draft is supposed to be bad. It is called a first draft not a final draft for a reason. Get it out of your head and onto the page.
5. Taking breaks is not procrastination. Rest is part of the process. A burnt out researcher produces worse work than a rested one.
6. Asking for help is not weakness. It is strategy. The people who finish fastest are usually the people who asked the most questions.
7. The version of you that submits will be unrecognisable to the version of you that started. Trust the process even when you cannot see the progress.
Tag a postgraduate student who needs this today.
