What Can You Do Better?

A simple ten minute viva prep task: get a sheet of paper and write down three things you can do better now than you could when you started your PhD journey.

List them as quickly as you can. Pause, breathe, and write down a few words for each about how you know it’s true. For example, being able to program better because you have written code that you couldn’t several years ago. Or being a better interviewer because you recognise the sophistication of the questions you ask now compared to the start of your PhD.

If there are still a few minutes left then free-write whatever you can about what all of this means. What does being better at things mean for you, your work and – at the very least – for your viva?