Needing Practical Skills

practical skills

For me, practical skills, as well as tips and techniques for succeeding, are vital for me to feel comfortable doing something properly. This is one area where I have scoured the internet looking for blog posts, articles or even Youtube videos (many of which have helped) with clear tips in progressing through a doctoral degree. I understand that a PhD journey is supposed to be experienced through being neck-deep in literature and in throwing yourself into various theoretical perspectives but I don't feel comfortable in doing that unless I have a process for achieving that successfully. I need a step 1, step 2, step 3 kind of process to follow in order for work to become habit-forming. that's what makes me comfortable and what helps me to succeed.

The problem with providing this information is that everyone does things differently and depending on the focus of your research, tips and tricks may not suit every area of expertise. The first few months of my doctorate I felt really out of my depth and struggled with getting organised and finding ways to feel like I was getting on top of the workload. I wanted someone to say, use this app to do this, and these techniques will help you achieve these goals and I simply didn't get this advice. I felt I couldn't ask for it as I still wasn't too sure what I wanted and needed to know.

Being someone that thrives on practical tips that help me to progress I have decided to provide some tips tricks and techniques I have come across on my PhD journey and I hope that they can help you too. I would love to hear your own tips and techniques too so please share in the comments.

Google became my best friend and I constantly tried to find sources of useful information that were both practical and within my reach. I found a number of blogs from Thesiswhisperer, Researchwhisperer, Patter, to name a few, that had a huge archive of blog posts with some useful information and I came across really helpful videos online to show how to use Zotero, NVivo and other useful tools like Evernote.

Now, almost two years into my PhD journey I have found that there are many practical tips tricks tools and ideas that can help make the PhD journey, but just as finding relevant literature involves searching to find suitability, so does finding the right tools. I have tried apps and deleted them, I've tried various processes and practices only to give up and I am now in a place where I have a good routine, but I am always on the lookout for streamlining opportunities to make things work better.

Initially, I wanted to have everything printed out and in folders and after completing the first module for my EdD I have 3 lever arch folders bursting at the seams and I quickly realised that this approach wasn't sustainable both in terms of the impact on the environment and also in reality when it comes to managing the amount of paperwork and I started to explore methods for online storing of literature, data and notes and this quickly became a very feasible option with plenty methods options and virtual space. I now have everything online and backed up and I work with my research diary and also my notebooks and for me, this works. I can access everything quickly and easily whether on my phone, tablet, desktop or laptop meaning I can tap into things when I have a spare moment. and for me, this really does work well.

When starting a research degree I would say, be open to trying new techniques for working and as you progress you will naturally align yourself to things that save time, feel that they are helping rather than hindering and you will build your own workflow and techniques for success.

I would love to hear from you in the comments sharing your tips and tricks for remaining on top of your workload and managing your data and literature. in my next post I will share more information on how I manage my literature so that I can find it quickly and easily when it's needed.

Location: Bristol, UK

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