Five Time Management Tips for PhD Students

Due to the limited contact time you’ll receive during your PhD, you’ll need to motivate yourself and organise your own time efficiently – that is if you don’t want to end up going into your final year with an entire thesis still to write. Time management isn’t easy. This little fact is probably something you learned while studying for your undergrad, and it will almost certainly have been reinforced over the course of your Master’s degree. When you’re studying for a PhD, time management is crucial. However, the good news is that there are plenty of effective time management techniques you can use to keep you on the right track. Have a read through the following to get you started… 

Time management tips

Find a routine

If you don’t have a daily routine, it may be all too tempting to get into bad habits (like staying up until the early hours and then sleeping in until midday). Set yourself a time to wake up each day, and then do your best to stick to it. This will help you to save time when you might be tempted to dither around in the morning.

Keep a diary

Having a place where you can organise your thoughts, jot down to-do lists and keep a track of upcoming dates is always handy – buy yourself a diary and get into the habit of using it on a daily basis. Having a documented account of your goals can help to make you like you've steadily been achieving milestones, and we all know how satisfying it is to tick things off a list.

Create a 'work space'

Working and not working in the exact same space can make it difficult to disconnect when the time comes to relax, or make it hard to focus when you need to get back to studying. Whether it’s a desk in your room or your university’s library, having a designated place where you can go to work will help you separate your work time from your leisure time.

Plan ahead

Setting yourself goals (such completing a chapter of your thesis or organising an academic conference by a certain date) is a great way to organise your time and keep motivated. If you're able to do so, allocate time to certain tasks so you don't get lost in a certain subject or cut short your time on an important assignment.

Give yourself a break

It’s also possible to overwork yourself. If you give yourself a start time of 9 o’clock each day, make sure you also have an end time. That way you’ll have something to work towards and a well-deserved break to look forward to at the end of the day. This is something you can also apply to your year as a whole – don’t be afraid to give yourself a week off every now and then!

Next: Read more about How to Manage Your Time As a Postgraduate Student