The painless PhD, complete module 1 now available

The complete module 1 of the Painless PhD course is now available, covering the basic principles you need to succeed in your PhD, including;

• What is a PhD for and how does it differ from other types of academic qualification?
• Why very smart people struggle when they reach PhD level
• The keys to success in academia
• Why deadlines and targets aren’t always useful (although sometimes they are)
• How to cope with the unpredictability of research and what to do when things go wrong
• Why academic writing is so difficult, and how to approach it
• Why some common thesis-writing advice is flawed (or at least over simplified)
• A different approach to writing
• An introduction to the ways your brain works and what causes stress
• What to do when you feel overwhelmed by the workload

Plus; how I applied these principles in my own PhD to save it from the brink of failure.

The Painless PhD

The painless PhD is a weekly video course, based on the simple idea that just because a PhD is difficult and takes hard work, that doesn’t mean it has to be stressful or painful.

If you are stressed, then you should not ignore it!

Each module covers a specific topic, building on the fundamentals from module 1

• Module 1: Fundamentals
• Module 2: Literature
• Module 3: Planning and executing research
• Module 4: Psychology, stress and procrastination!
• Module 5: Academic writing and effective communication
• Module 6: Getting your thesis done
• Module 7: Your thesis defence and beyond

How it works

There is a new video every week, the next will be video 201: getting started with academic literature, available on Thursday 14th February.

To watch the videos, you need to be a member of the Inner Circle. Lifetime membership costs US$40, and gives you unlimited access to all videos, so you can watch as many times as you want.

The membership fee supports the running of the site and production of the videos, but if you want to watch the first one for free, just click here!