Find The Right Direction

Rowing harder doesn’t help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction.

This phrase, attributed to Kenichi Ohmae, is something I try to keep in mind whenever I find myself stuck or working on something for a long time. It’s a reminder that working hard doesn’t matter if I’m not doing the right thing.

It’s a sentiment I wish I had known during my PhD!

Be sure that you’re working on the right things as you prepare for your viva. It’s good to work hard but you might not need to do as much work as you think.

Obsessing over every detail, finding every typo in your thesis, checking every reference – you could work really hard at these sorts of things, but will that help you to be ready?

Read, review, rehearse. Keep it simple. Work hard but find the right direction.