Category Archives: Productivity

Navigating Success: The Crucial Role of Networking in Academia

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In the dynamic realm of academia, where knowledge and ideas flourish, networking is a cornerstone of professional development. Beyond the lecture halls and research laboratories, connecting with peers, mentors, and experts holds immense value. This post highlights just some of the reasons why networking is vital, and how it can shape not only your academic journey but also your future career.

Knowledge Exchange and Collaboration

Networking in the academic world entails more than just exchanging business cards; it’s about exchanging ideas, perspectives, and insights. Engaging with fellow scholars, attending conferences, and participating in seminars open doors to diverse viewpoints, sparking intellectual discourse that can drive innovation and breakthroughs in your field. Collaborative research projects often spring from chance encounters, leading to interdisciplinary solutions that may not have been possible in isolation.

Mentorship and Guidance

Navigating academia can be complex, especially for those just starting out. Establishing connections with experienced individuals can provide a channel for invaluable guidance. Mentors offer insights on research methodologies, publication strategies, and career choices, helping you make informed decisions. Their mentorship can significantly impact your academic trajectory, accelerating your learning curve and personal growth.

Access to Resources

Networking extends beyond human connections; it grants access to resources that can bolster your academic pursuits. Through networking, you might gain access to exclusive research databases, funding opportunities, specialized workshops, and cutting-edge technologies. Collaborative projects can also result in shared access to equipment, reducing the financial burden on individual researchers.

Exposure to Different Perspectives

Academia thrives on diversity—of ideas, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds. Networking exposes you to scholars from around the world, enriching your understanding of various viewpoints. This exposure fosters cultural competence and equips you to address global challenges through a well-rounded lens.

Conference and Seminar Participation

Conferences and seminars are hubs of intellectual exchange, drawing experts and enthusiasts from various fields. Participating in these events not only allows you to present your research but also offers opportunities to engage in discussions, receive feedback, and forge connections with fellow attendees. These interactions can result in collaborations, joint publications, and lasting friendships.

Career Advancement

Networking is a powerful catalyst for career progression. Well-connected academics are often able to stay abreast of job openings, research positions, and funding opportunities that have not been widely advertised. Personal recommendations from within your network can carry significant weight in selection processes. Additionally, building a reputable online presence through platforms such as LinkedIn can enhance your visibility and attract potential employers or collaborators.

Staying Abreast of Trends

Academic disciplines are in constant flux, with new research, methodologies, and technologies emerging regularly. Networking keeps you up to date with the latest trends and advancements. By engaging in conversations with experts, you can gain insights into emerging research areas, technological innovations, and novel approaches that could influence your work.

Final Thoughts

Networking in academia is more than a social activity; it’s a strategic investment in your personal and professional growth. By fostering connections with peers, mentors, and experts, you open doors to collaboration, mentorship, and resource-sharing that can shape the trajectory of your academic journey. The benefits of networking extend beyond the academic realm, positively influencing your career prospects and enriching your understanding of the broader intellectual landscape. So, as you navigate the world of academia, remember that the bridges you build today can lead to the discoveries and opportunities of tomorrow.

The Benefits and Challenges of Pursuing a Postgraduate Degree

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Pursuing a postgraduate degree can provide a wealth of opportunity for personal and professional growth. However, as with any major undertaking, it also comes with its own set of challenges. In this article, we explore some of the advantages and difficulties of earning a postgraduate degree, as well as some practical ways to navigate them.

One of the primary benefits of pursuing a postgraduate degree is the ability to specialize in a specific field or area of study. Whether you’re seeking to deepen your understanding of a subject you’re already passionate about or to transition to a new career, a postgraduate program can provide the necessary skills and expertise to excel.

Another advantage is the potential for career advancement. Many employers view advanced degrees positively, and earning a postgraduate degree can open doors to leadership positions within your industry or new opportunities within your current organization. Additionally, a postgraduate degree often leads to increased earning potential, since those who hold postgraduate degrees tend to earn more than those who only hold a bachelor’s degree.

However, there are also challenges to consider. One of the most significant is the cost of tuition. Postgraduate programs can be costly and the financial burden can be prohibitive. But there are options, such as scholarships, grants, and student loans, to help finance your education. It’s well worth researching the financial programs that are offered not just by the institution but in your local area—for instance, grants are often available at the state or county level.

Another challenge is the time commitment. Postgraduate programs can be demanding and require a significant investment of time and effort. This can be particularly difficult for students balancing full-time jobs or other responsibilities.

To overcome these challenges, it’s essential to have a clear plan and the determination to see that plan through. This starts with research—on institutions, programs, tuition costs, financial assistance, and so on. Once you start the program it can be beneficial to set aside dedicated study time, organize your coursework well, and seek out support when needed. You can also consider flexible program options such as online or part-time courses to better accommodate your schedule.

It’s worth remembering that the benefits of a postgraduate degree can far outweigh the difficulties. Advanced education can open up new opportunities and provide the skills and expertise needed to succeed in your chosen field. With a well-considered plan and steadfast resolve, you can overcome the challenges and achieve your goals.

Tips for Achieving a Healthy Work–Life Balance in Academia

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Like many do-what-you-love industries, academia leaves little room for free time. Between preparing lectures, teaching, researching, grading, emailing, writing, networking, and presenting at conferences, many academics feel lucky if they get a single afternoon off each week.

Things are even worse for part-time or adjunct academics, who may feel pressured into taking on more work than they can manage, and for female academics and people of color, who are often saddled with extra mental and emotional labour, such as planning office parties or leading unpaid diversity workshops.

Some of this is due to a toxic “workaholic” culture, in which academics take pride in being overworked and burnt out. However, many academics simply don’t have much agency over their predicament and feel forced to work themselves to the point of exhaustion just to keep the hope of a tenure track position somewhere on the horizon. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that a whopping 70 percent of U.S. academics regularly feel stressed and fatigued, according to a 2020 study by The Chronicle of Higher Education. Plus, this trend has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which introduced a whole new dimension of anxiety into academics’ lives.

As remote work becomes the norm and boundaries between the home and the office collapse, it’s become harder than ever to maintain a healthy work–life balance. However, academics can still cultivate fulfilling personal lives alongside their professional ones. Read on for some tips on how to achieve a healthy work–life balance in academia.

Say “no” as often as you can

Of course, many of your academic duties can’t be avoided––but some can. Take stock of which of your tasks are negotiable and consider saying “no” to these extra requests the next time they come up. This could mean choosing not to revise a paper for publication or give a talk at an upcoming conference.

Not sure which tasks to cut? Start with getting rid of tasks that seem small and easy. The key word here is “seem,” since in academia few tasks are truly as simple as they appear. These tasks tend to consume more of your time and mental resources than you accounted for––and, more often than not, they go uncompensated and underappreciated.

Only work the hours you’re paid for

Many academics report the feeling of “never quite being done” working. This is partly due to their flexible schedules, which can feel like more of a curse than a blessing when their work hours start bleeding into evenings and weekends.

A downside of flexibility is that you don’t have a set time when you log off and go home––so you might find yourself chipping away at a project well into the evening. This is especially true when you’re heavily invested in the end product, which you likely are when you’re working on your own research.

Instead, treat your schedule the same way a benevolent employer would: hold yourself to it, while allowing for moderate flexibility when other things come up. Start work when you say you’re going to––and end work according to this philosophy, too.

Take time to rest

Contrary to popular belief, taking breaks isn’t a sign of laziness¬¬––quite the opposite. In fact, taking time to rest could actually help you get more work done. Studies have shown that rest, including getting enough sleep and taking time for breaks, makes people more productive.

That being said, it’s important to rest in ways that will leave you feeling energized and ready to do more work. Scrolling through social media for half an hour, for example, might leave you feeling distracted and depleted, rather than ready to tackle a new task. Taking a walk, on the other hand, promotes creativity and divergent thinking, according to a Stanford University study.

In a Harvard Business Publishing article, Exequiel Hernandez urges academics to “maximize insight, not time.” Hernandez argues that instead of squeezing work into every spare second, which will likely lead to rushed, subpar results, academics should set aside blocks of time for focused, fruitful work. Basically, don’t work more––work better.

Cultivate hobbies outside of work

Finally, while academics are lucky to be doing what they love, it doesn’t mean that they can’t love other things, too. It’s important to take time to engage in leisure activities that have nothing to do with your professional life (which means that reading the latest academic articles in your field of study probably doesn’t count!).

Need another reason? Studies have found that having hobbies can lead to better performance on the job, too.

Write Smarter: How to Set Effective Goals in Your Academic Writing

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How often do you walk away from your computer after a writing session feeling disappointed at having not written more? This will be familiar to any academic, but ask yourself: What did you set out to achieve in the first place? One mistake too many of us make is that we approach writing with ill-defined goals. However, the research is clear: Setting effective goals is the first step toward making tremendous accomplishments.1

Thankfully, there are plenty of methods to help you set practical goals, one of which is the SMART framework. Using this framework will help you not only keep on track but identify when a day’s work is complete. This means you can walk away from the computer feeling proud of what you have accomplished.

What does SMART stand for? The short answer is Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. Each of these corresponds to a strategy you can use when setting your writing goals. Below, we explore each component in the context of academic writing.

Specific

Rather than being vague, a good writing goal will make crystal clear the particular task to be completed (and how), often using numbers.

Bad example of a specific goal: “I will write some of my introduction section today.”

Good example of a specific goal: “I will write five paragraphs of my introduction, focusing on the quantity of writing. I’ll go back and edit for quality tomorrow.”

Measurable

How will you know that you are making progress toward your writing goal, and how will you know when you have achieved it? Ensuring you have quantifiable metrics against which you can benchmark your progress is essential for holding yourself accountable and knowing when it’s time to close the laptop.

Bad example of a measurable goal: “I will write up some of my discussion section today, stopping when I get tired.”

Good example of a measurable goal: “I will write 500 words of my discussion, after which I will stop writing and review my work tomorrow.”

Achievable

It’s possible that being accepted by a top-tier publication on your first submission, or drafting an entire thesis in a day, is unrealistic. Take a moment to consider whether your goals are achievable. Seek support and keep your goals manageable.

Bad example of an achievable goal: “I will finish the last chapter of my thesis before editing and proofreading the entire manuscript in time for the submission deadline. I’ll squeeze it in around the other things I have to do. Everything will be fine!”

Good example of an achievable goal: “I will take the next day to finalize the last chapter of my thesis and then send it to a professional proofreading service to get the language polished.”

Relevant

It’s much easier to work on things that feel personally relevant to you. Ask yourself—ideally before you even commence writing—whether your current writing project feels meaningful and exciting. Goals that motivate us in and of themselves, irrespective of their material rewards, are much more motivating than goals we’re pursuing purely for a paycheck.2

Bad example of a relevant goal: You see a call for proposals for an upcoming special issue. The issue is not on a topic that you find particularly interesting, but you’ve got some results that you think will fit the bill. You decide to write up a proposal but it feels like a chore. When the proposal is accepted, you dread the time you must now dedicate to writing the full manuscript.

Good example of a relevant goal: You have been offered the chance to submit a chapter to an edited book. The offer comes from a prestigious and reputable publisher, but the topic you would be writing about isn’t as interesting to you as your focal research. You decide to decline the offer and focus on your core research. Consequently, you enjoy sitting down to write much more than if you had pursued the opportunity, and are highly productive.

Time-bound

Lastly, the best goals are time-bound. Create a timeline of tasks that lead up to a final deadline, ensuring they are bite-sized and allow buffer room for any unexpected hiccups.

Bad example of a time-bound goal: “I’m going to finish that chapter of my thesis… eventually.”

Good example of a time-bound goal: “I will complete the first draft of my 3,000-word discussion section within seven days. Therefore, I will write 500 words each day up to the deadline, allowing one day for any delays.”

Consider setting yourself some SMART goals and watch as your writing productivity soars!

Take a Better Break: How to Boost Your Writing Productivity Using Breaks

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We talked about the Pomodoro Method of writing—which is a strategy combining 25-minute increments of focused writing with five-minute breaks—in another post. But what exactly should you do during writing or study breaks to maximize your productivity once you’re back behind the keyboard?

Take a moment to reflect on what a typical break from writing looks like for you. Do you chat with your colleagues or friends? Do you browse social media? Maybe you take a short walk. Ultimately, a productive break from writing is likely to look different for different people. However, new findings about the science of recovery suggest some rules of thumb to increase your chances of feeling replenished and ready to write after your breaks. Below, we explore three science-backed tips for taking a better break.

Spend a Moment in Nature

Studies show that taking some time outside may be more restorative than taking a break indoors. The reason for this is related to the effect of the natural environment on our attentional capacity. Findings indicate that when we spend time in nature, we tend to subconsciously focus on features of the environment, such as the calls of birds, the chill of the wind, or the sounds of rustling trees. This soft, nondeliberate focus allows your conscious attention to rest, meaning that once you return to the computer you’ll be better able to mobilize your attention and focus on your work.1 Additionally, getting some physical distance from your work will help you to psychologically detach and truly relax during your break.2

Even if you can’t physically get outside, studies show that just gazing upon natural scenery through a window is sufficient to rest your attentional capacity.3

Do Something Nonwordy

Be sure not to spend too much time during your break engaging in “wordy” activities, such as reading articles or responding to messages. These activities use the same language-processing parts of your brain that writing does, and may continue to draw on the same cognitive resources you need to get your work done.4

Instead, try something you enjoy that is “nonwordy,” such as light stretching or a short game on your smartphone.

Let Your Mind Wander

Stuck on your next paragraph? Take a few minutes to let your mind wander during your writing break. Findings from creativity research suggest that intentionally disengaging from problems and taking a moment to daydream can be an effective way to have those much-needed “a-hah!” moments. This is because our brains unconsciously work through problems when we’re not consciously thinking about them.5

To make this type of break work for you, physically distance yourself from your work for a few minutes and take that time to daydream about whatever comes to mind. The ideas will come flowing in no time.

Ready to be a more productive writer? Commit to testing out one of these tips today and see how your productivity improves!

Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary?: Identifying the Sources You Need to Get Writing

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Information is everywhere, but what kind of information do you need for a research paper? Sources come in many forms and sometimes it can be hard to figure out exactly what kind of source you need. Here are some definitions and tips to help you decide what kind of material you need for your academic papers.

Primary Sources

Primary sources are usually original material on which you base your research. What this material looks like varies by academic field. If you are writing a research paper in literature, a primary source might be a specific literary work you are analyzing. If you are working on a project in history, you might use letters, diaries, artifacts, reports, and other kinds of documents from the event or time you are writing about. These types of materials might be housed in an archive or reproduced in critical editions. Social media and news reports following an event might also be a primary source. A project in the social sciences might look at data someone else gathered or at data you collect in a study. This data can be quantitative or qualitative.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources discuss, analyze, and interpret primary sources. These are usually academic books, peer-reviewed articles, scholarly papers or reports, theses and dissertations, and similar types of material. Secondary sources help you to understand the current state of research around the primary source material you are working with. You can use secondary sources to understand current research trends in your field, find other perspectives, and discover new ways to approach your topic. A good research paper engages with secondary sources in its field of study and then adds new information to the current body of research.

Tertiary Sources

Tertiary sources summarize secondary literature on particular topics. This type of source includes encyclopedias (such as Wikipedia), textbooks, and dictionaries. Tertiary sources are very helpful for understanding the basics of your topic, but you should avoid citing them. It is much better to use secondary sources to show that you have done your research. These sources should be used for the beginning stages of research and they might even point you to scholarly work relevant to your field. For example, a Wikipedia article on a well-known study might cite several articles published in relation to that research, perhaps as follow-ups or critiques. You can use those citations to find the original articles and then use those in your paper as well.

For more information on types of sources, check out Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, the MLA Handbook, and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. As you start to write your paper, keep these types of sources in mind. And remember, we can help you to organize your sources, ensure you have followed the correct referencing style as laid out by your school or journal, and verify that all citations are complete and correspond with entries in the reference list.

How to Improve your Writing: Tips and Resolutions for the New Year

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The new year is almost here (!), and that means it’s time again to set resolutions and goals. With a clean slate, you can focus on revamping your writing routine for 2020. Below are a few ideas to help get the new year off to a flying start and realize your writing potential.

Set Realistic Goals for the Upcoming Year

Think about what you want to accomplish in terms of your writing in 2020. Is it to redraft a rejected paper that’s fallen to the wayside? To turn in your work well before the deadline? To finally start a project that you’ve been itching to get into? Whatever your goals, keep them focused and realistic so that they are easier to reach and feel less overwhelming. You might also find it useful to create a writing calendar to figure out what time of the day you work best, to get a writing accountability buddy to help you stay on track, or to use apps and online tools to stay organized and focused.

Incorporate Reading into Your Routine

While writing is an important part of any academic career, most people don’t realize how vital reading is if you want to write well. This new year, consider incorporating more reading into your daily routine. Reading is a great way to broaden your knowledge and skills and to hone your craft by absorbing others’ techniques. Whether it’s a journal a week or a few papers a month, setting quantifiable goals will make it easier to start reading in the new year.

Refill the Well

Another great resolution is to remember to take breaks and engage in self-care practices during your writing sessions. Taking breaks, especially when you’re working on longer projects, can help you refresh your mind and avoid writer’s block. Whether it’s a walk around the park, a yoga class, a long bath, or a cup of coffee, refilling the well is an important part of any routine.

Spend Time on Revision and Proofreading

Brainstorming and sitting down to write are both important parts of the writing process, but so is the often-forgotten job of revising and proofreading. Revision is typically a multi-step process that involves tightening your sentences, reworking ideas, and perhaps getting outside readers to critique your work. In addition, language errors and issues with clarity can severely hinder your chances of getting your paper published or receiving a good grade, and sometimes it’s hard for even the most accomplished writers to catch mistakes or unclear passages on their own. For this reason, utilizing a professional proofreading/editing service can be an extremely worthwhile investment. We’re always here to help, and we hope that our flexible, professional, and friendly approach will help you to meet your goals in 2020.

Happy new year from the Stickler team!

Writing by the fire

Don’t Let the Holidays Halt Your Momentum! Tips for Staying Productive Throughout the Festive Period

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The holidays can be both a wonderful and stressful time. Between preparing food, reconnecting with family, seeing friends, and buying gifts—not to mention the fact that everyone else is “out of the office”—it can be hard to find time to stick to your writing schedule and get work done. It’s important to be flexible with your writing schedule during the holidays, but that doesn’t mean that you have to set aside all of your work and wait for the new year to roll around. Below are some tips to keep you productive throughout the holiday period while still enjoying the festivities.

Protect Your Time

It’s important to remember that during the holidays you are likely to have less time to write. Things may get in the way, plans may change, and you might have to allocate some of your time to family and friends. Thus, it’s important to protect the free time that you do have. Think about points in your day during which you can carve out time—whether it’s a couple of hours or 30 minutes. It might be when you first wake up, after everyone else has gone to bed, or in between parties. Block that time out for yourself and protect it at all costs. Let people close to you know that this time is important, and make sure they understand why. That way, you won’t feel stressed about other things taking time away from your work.

Put in Place a Serious Schedule

If you struggle to use the free time you have for writing and find yourself waylaid by other tasks, it might help you to put a schedule in place ahead of time. Consider what time of the day you are usually the most productive (or what time of day you are claiming for your own—see the point above), how much time you have, and your ability to access a quiet and productive workspace. Then, sketch out a rough plan of what you will do during this time each day. Dedicating yourself to this schedule and putting your writing above other tasks will help you stay productive and on track, while still giving you time and space to do the million other things that need to be done during the holiday season.

Be Flexible and Forgiving

While the above points are important, it’s also vital to remember that life happens and sometimes other things may get in the way of writing, despite your best efforts. Being flexible and forgiving with yourself and your time is an important way to reduce stress and achieve a balance between work and fun. Maybe you’ve been invited to a family lunch during your scheduled writing hour, and have to choose between sticking to your writing plan or spending time with family you haven’t seen in a while. Sometimes it’s important to listen to yourself and follow your heart. Writing is important, but it might not be as important as family and friends. Plus, spending time with others can often give you a much-needed inspiration boost, or clear your head so that you’re more productive in the long run.

Engage in Writing in Other Ways

Even if you aren’t writing, there are other ways you can engage in your work or field. Whether it’s reading books or journals, revisiting an old draft, or catching up with what colleagues are working on, it’s possible to further your academic pursuits without actively writing. Sometimes it’s hard to sit down and find a quiet space to create new work during the holidays, so revision or editing are also great options to help move your work forward.

Balancing writing and the holidays can be tough if you don’t have the right mindset. By carving out time for yourself, sticking to a schedule, and also remembering to be flexible with yourself, you can achieve a balance of enjoying yourself while still getting work done.

To help you stay productive and meet your deadlines, we’re offering $20 off our Express Service (two-day turnaround rather than the standard four) throughout December. That means our two-day Express Service is $30 instead of $50! Just enter code “BlogExpress20” at checkout.

Happy holidays from the Stickler team!

Goodbye Procrastination! Five Tips for Getting things Done

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No matter where you are in your academic journey, getting things done can be difficult. Life gets in the way, your motivation drains, and suddenly you find it difficult to meet impending deadlines or finish important projects. This is especially true when it comes to writing—no matter whether you’re working on a grant proposal or a PhD thesis, writing and procrastination go hand in hand. We hope these tips will help you find your motivation and start checking things off your to-do list.

1. Get Your Priorities Straight

No matter how much you plan, throughout the day new things pop up and start to overload your schedule. Whether it’s a software issue that needs to be fixed, an errand that needs to be run, or a lengthy email that needs to be answered, these small tasks can add up and can even contribute to procrastination. To counter this, it’s important to set firm boundaries. What absolutely needs to be done today, and what can wait? On the other hand, maybe you have a few tasks on your list that will only take a couple of minutes to complete, in which case it can be helpful to follow the mantra “If it takes two minutes, do it now”—in other words, go ahead and get these done immediately so you can tick them off.

2. Break Tasks Down

Writing “finish thesis” on your to-do list may not be the best way to complete such a mammoth undertaking. Instead, think about the different sub-tasks that make up this overarching goal, and create lists from there; for example, your sub-tasks may include “create research questionnaire,” “gather prior works for literature review,” “ask supervisor about revised title,” or “finish writing introduction.” From there, think about what you can realistically get done today. It may be that asking your supervisor about your title will only take a few minutes and can be done right away, then you’ll definitely have time to create your questionnaire, and tomorrow you will finish writing your introduction. Breaking the overall task down into bite-sized chunks in this way not only makes the entire thing less daunting, but also gives you much more regular “wins” in the form of completed tasks, which will help keep you motivated.

3. Know that Delegation is Your Friend

If you come across a task that you don’t have time to do or don’t want to do, another option may be to delegate it to someone else. Delegating can be hard because it involves asking others for help, letting go of control over the task at hand, and possibly spending money. But this strategy is a great way to get a load off your plate and allow you to focus on your project or paper, which can be well worth the resources invested in getting the help you need. Delegating tasks can be as simple as asking a partner to pick up some household chores, or paying someone to run an errand, but with specific regard to academic work a company such as Stickler can help with aspects such as putting your reference list in the correct style, adding an automated table of contents, or ensuring every formatting and style requirement stipulated by your university is followed.

4. Give Yourself Deadlines

Deadlines are one of the most powerful tools for motivating yourself and breaking the cycle of procrastination. Even if a project you’re working on doesn’t have a set due date per se, creating one can provide just the right amount of pressure to help you focus and get things done. That said, self-determined due dates can be tricky if there is nothing holding you to them. Consider getting an “accountability buddy” in the form of friend or colleague, with whom you have regular check-ins in which you each share your work and report on whether you’ve accomplished your respective goals. Even something as simple as knowing you’ll have to report any failures to your accountability buddy can work wonders for your productivity.

5. Don’t Let Planning Take Over!

It is possible to spend so much time trying to prioritize tasks and create lists that you end up being counterproductive and still not focusing on the task you should be working on. So remember not to focus too much on the planning and prioritizing; the key to productivity is finding the right balance of motivation and focus that works for you and your schedule.

7 Tips for Surviving and Thriving in Graduate School

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It’s no secret that graduate school can be a stressful time for many people, especially with mounting pressure on the appearance of perfection, productivity, and having it all together. These seven tips can help you to not only survive grad school, but thrive in an environment where you are learning about and researching the topic you are most passionate about. By focusing on things like mental health, understanding your work style, and self-care, you can make the most out of your grad school experience.

  1. Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help

If this is your first time in grad school, it can be a scary transition. Even though being a grad student can feel isolating at times, you should never feel like you’re alone—there are thousands of students across the world and in your own institution who are feeling lonely and maybe even lost. It’s important to reach out and ask for help when you need it, and this should not be seen as a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. Whether it’s sitting down with current students, faculty, or a mental health professional, there are plenty of people and resources around you that can help you navigate your graduate studies and all the related pressures that come with them.

  1. Keep Your Goals Visible

Grad school can get hectic really quickly. From homework, to research and even teaching responsibilities, grad school suddenly becomes about much more than the thing you’re passionate about. It can be easy to lose sight of your original goals and reasons for wanting to come to grad school in the first place. By taking the time to write out your goals and post them somewhere where you can see them everyday, you can remind yourself of what makes all of this worth it when you’re having a bad day.

  1. Have a Life Outside of School

When you’re in grad school, it can be hard to think about or do anything other than school-related tasks. But it’s equally important to have a life outside of school as it is to be chipping away at your dissertation. This could mean finding a way to connect with friends outside of your program, or even taking up hobbies that interest you. Look towards your local community for things like classes, workshops, and groups that you can join to give your mind a break from school every once in a while.

  1. Focus Less on Grades

Grad school is less about GPA and more about focusing on a topic that interests you and working towards your thesis or dissertation. Yet it can be hard to break out of that mindset of grade-focused schooling. If you get less-than-perfect feedback on a paper, don’t let it throw you off track. Instead, think about your overall grad school experience in terms of the knowledge you’re gaining, as opposed to the grades on your transcript. This way of thinking will help you put less stress on yourself to perform and remind you of the joys of learning.

  1. Practice Self-Care

Self-care is an important part of anyone’s health, but especially those pursuing a postgraduate degree. It can be hard to justify carving out time to take care of yourself when you’ve got so many deadlines looming, but even something as small as one hour a day can really make a different for your physical and mental health. Self-care looks different for everyone, and can include anything from watching a movie on your couch, to hanging out with your friends, doing yoga, cooking your favorite meal, or getting some extra sleep. Whatever self-care means to you, dedicating time to it can help reduce stress levels and keep you sane.

  1. Maintain a Strong Support System

Grad school can be tough to get through alone, but creating or maintaining a strong support system of friends and family who care about your wellbeing is a great way to help you thrive in tough times. Find time to strengthen your relationships with your friends and family, whether that means calling them or hopping in the car for an in-person visit, and don’t be afraid to lean on them in challenging times—after all, they care about you and want you to complete your degree! We often don’t realize how important our support systems are until we need them the most.

  1. Learn How to Manage Your Time

You’ve probably heard this a million times, but time management really is one of the keys to success in grad school. There are countless methods and strategies for time management (check out our recent blog post on the Pomodoro method for an example) that can help you think about the best ways to use your time. But sometimes time management just means cutting out the less valuable commitments in your life and not overscheduling yourself. It can be hard to say no to things, but often that’s the best way to help yourself focus on what’s important to you.

Even though grad school can be stressful and hectic at times, that doesn’t mean that you can’t thrive your time in higher ed. We hope these tips get you one step closer to making your grad school experience more enjoyable!