Towards a PhD: Lessons I Learned from the First 180 Days of the Journey

Day 189: 10/6/2018

I have learned so much from being a PhD student and living in the UK for the past six months.

Study

Twenty things I have learned from five (+ one unofficial) supervision meetings:

1. There are both productive and not quite productive days.
2. It is OK to make mistakes.
3. It is OK to take some rest.
4. Plan well.
5. Stick with the plans.
6. Be flexible when needed.
7. Always be prepared to ask and answer questions.
8. Read more.
9. Write more.
10. Work hard and work smart.
11. Listen more. Talk less.
12. Listen carefully.
13. Interrupt less.
14. Be humble.
15. Be confident.
16. Give myself the credits.
17. Never believe anything at its face value.
18. The best time to form a new habit is now.
19. Celebrate accomplishments and move on.
20. Always keep going.

Life

Having lived here in a totally new environment has taught me about life, friendship, reading, studying, time management, risk management, procrastination, planning, flexibility, creativity, self-efficacy and self-sufficiency.

Also, I have learned that being away from home for a really long time can be brutal, especially when I feel down and need some support from family and friends. At the same time, I should never forget that I might be needed by someone back home, too. It is important that I keep in touch with them and to show them that I am always there for them as well.

Learning

I have learned and tried to open my mind to something new or something different, in other words, to break my own relatively boring routine and habits in search for something better or just to find out it is better to stick with the old one. So far, I have tried snowboarding, making new friends, meeting new people, going to new classes and workshops, and signing up for events I never thought I would ever attend.

More importantly, I have opened my mind to talk to people who I would not converse as much if it was the old me. I used to wonder what made them believe a certain way and become who they are. Later, I figured that the only way to be able to answer those questions I had, perhaps, was to talk to them, to be in their shoes and to understand the world from their point of view. This has opened so many doors and I have gained so many new valuable experiences about life and openness by talking to them. I have opened my eyes, mind and soul in myriad different ways.

For the next six months, I want to focus more on time management and my cellphone use. These have been persistent problems I want to get rid of knowing that my life would be much better. Let us see how it goes.

10/7/2018 12.15 am.