Essentialism Insights for Busy Students from a Ph.D. Candidate

 I started my Ph.D. just a few weeks after completing my bachelor’s degree, and to say it was an adjustment is a massive understatement. As an undergraduate, my priorities were coursework and my several part-time jobs. I lived near my friends, and the stressors of everyday life were mostly shared and understood by those around me. 

Starting grad school meant moving to a different state, where I knew no one. My Ph.D. program is research-based, meaning that most of my time must be self-managed. The past 11 months have meant figuring out, mostly on my own, how to completely shift my priorities and work independently. Self-regulation has been the greatest challenge of my Ph.D., but practicing essentialism has been beneficial in shifting my mindset. Here are three ways I’ve implemented that in my life: 

🗓 I plan each week by time blocking.

This is the tip that has helped me most with staying organized. At the beginning of the week, I lay out all the tasks I want to accomplish and block out time for each in google calendar. I try not to “promise” myself that I’ll complete a task. Time blocks will typically be to “work on” a task rather than “finish” a task. Graduate school can be a huge learning curve, and problems often come up that I can’t anticipate. It’s helpful to know that just spending time on a task can mean completing a goal, even if I need to come back to it later. 

Here’s the other secret – I don’t always stick to the time blocks. Sometimes, I wake up in the morning, see that I’ve scheduled myself a three-hour coding session, and want to crawl back in bed. In that case, I’ll scan my schedule for the week and find something more manageable to work on instead. I’ll then drag the coding time block to another slot on the calendar. This allows me to visualize what I need to do in each week while taking advantage of the flexibility I have. 

📚 I don’t spend much time on my coursework.

This is a controversial one, and it won’t apply if you’re in a coursework-based graduate program or are taking especially difficult classes. In my program, while I need to pass my classes, research is my primary responsibility. I do try to take advantage of course options and opt for classes where I might learn a useful skill. I still take notes in lectures, study before exams, and turn in my homework on time. But overall, I try to minimize the mental load of my courses. 

This was a huge mental switch from being an undergraduate, and it took some time to wrap my head around. To achieve this, I do look ahead in my coursework schedule and decide how much time I need to dedicate each week. I block out time for those tasks, and then I try not to think about the class until the blocked time. If I have an exam, I’ll study hard for my allotted time block, but won’t spend time on it beyond that. I don’t aim for perfection on my homework assignments. And yes, sometimes if I’m in a lecture and the content isn’t too challenging, I’ll spend that time on research work instead. 

🎯 I try to have a neutral attitude towards feedback.

I’m not someone who does particularly well under pressure. When I ran cross country in high school, my mile times in a race were often worse than in practice. I often feel anxiety about my progress as a grad student. Because I know this about myself, I’ve tried to be mindful about how I respond to feedback or criticism in my program. This means aiming to be neutral about both positive and negative feedback.

If my advisor is critical of some of my work, I don’t take it personally. I focus on what I can do to improve, and I remind myself that the feedback only applies to what was commented on. I try not to extrapolate beyond “this abstract needs to be edited” into thinking that my advisor dislikes me or that I’m a horrible grad student. Similarly, when I receive positive feedback, I allow myself a mini celebration in my head, but I try not to let that be the highlight of my week. It’s important to avoid letting massive highs and lows from grad school take a toll on my personal life.

These are all tips that would have benefited me as I was beginning my Ph.D., so I hope they are helpful to others. I love the flexibility of my program, but it means that I must be mindful in maintaining balance.

About the Author

Natalie is a Ph.D. candidate studying Ecology. She's published multiple papers in featured journals, and she credits essentialism and minimalism in aiding her tackle the arduous lifestyle of a Ph.D. student. She welcomes any and all comments, and she loves hearing from future scientists!