1: Beat your first deadline
Whatever your supervisor gives you to do first, beat the deadline by at least 24 hours.
2: Get to know people who can make things happen
You might not need them yet, but saying hello to secretaries, technicians, porters etc is a very good idea before you need a last minute favour later. Then…
3: Thank people who do things for you
Especially your PhD supervisor. It’s easy to complain if they aren’t there for you, but recognise that they are almost certainly busier than you are, and show that you value their time.
4: Get to know other people’s research
This will give you a broader knowledge base, and stop you getting too narrowly focused on your own research. You’ll learn far more (and faster) by talking to people than you will by reading.
And your colleagues are more likely to be interested in your work if you show an interest in theirs.
5: Get really, really good at one thing
Nobody knows everything. You’re not expected to. But try to get seriously good at at least one thing.
Even better if it’s something useful to other people.
6: What you write now, you won’t like in 3 years time
3 years from now, you’ll know far more than you do now. That’s the whole point of the PhD.
The value of doing a lit review now though his to learn the basics. Focus on basic concepts, and don’t let writing get in the way of starting research.
7: Downloading papers doesn’t count as reviewing the literature
I mentioned this in 17 random tips for PhD success, but it’s worth saying again. Check out this post on an easier way to review literature.
8: Publish
Everything you do should be working towards getting published. If your work isn’t going to be publishable, it’s not going to be worth a PhD.
9: Make contacts outside your department
Contacts are the lifeblood of your career. Get to know people at conferences, get their business card, add them on LinkedIn, and that CV you send 3 years from now won’t be coming from a stranger.
10: Write everything down
Write notes as if they are for someone else working coming in to take over your work after your shift ends. Your future self will forget!
11: Time goes faster than you think
Sometimes the days will drag, but the years will fly by. Set yourself a target for what you’re going to achieve in the first 6 months.
12: Make mistakes
If you make no mistakes, you’re not taking risks and you’re not pushing yourself.
Just make sure you learn from them, take responsibility for them, and try not to make the same mistake twice.
hi sir.,.
just now i started thinking to do Phd, im full eager to do, but now im persuing MBA 1st year.,. can i able to do Phd… is it possible? i dont know how to proceed further to complete Phd.. pls do the needful sir.,.
These are great! Feeling a little better about the vast unknown three years that sprawl in front of me after reading this post – I have my first PhD tutorial in a few days. Will definitely keep them in mind! Thanks!
Its really2 good..thanks..:)
Hi.My name Mohd Hafizie Suhaimi. I just started my Phd last three week. I’m doing research on IT focusing in social media. The tips is useful for me as my journey toward Phd. Thanks..
Thanks Mohd, and good luck!
I wrote a similar, and shorter, list. We share some of the keep in mind things, although the ones I am missing are quite important as well.
About becoming good at something: does being a very good generalist count?
I just discovered the blog, it seems like you combine the 4HWW with doing a PhD, sweet!!
Yes, I’ve got some stuff in there inspired by the 4HWW… The Pareto principle certainly applies to research!
Hi James,
I wrote a post on how to use some of the learnings from The 4 Hour Workweek for a PhD life and for improving your motivation during your research. Since you are a lifehacker inspired by 4HWW I thought you might like it.
http://juliopeironcely.com/archives/the-4-hour-workweek-guide-to-phd-motivation.html
Did you use other tricks I missed in my post?