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Tag: perspective

Nathan

Decide On Your Focus

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You could focus on being perfect for your viva, but you’ll end up disappointed by the unattainable nature of your goal.

Or you could focus on being prepared for your viva, plan what needs doing and take practical steps to getting things done.

You could focus on not knowing what exactly your examiners will ask you, in which case you’ll probably be worried in advance of meeting them.

Or you could focus on rehearsing for the viva so that you’re confident about engaging with whatever questions are asked.

You could focus on your examiners and their lengthy careers, reams of publications and status at the viva – but you’ll probably feel bad doing so.

Or you could focus on your PhD journey: the effort you’ve put in, the success and progress you’ve made and the personal development you can see over the last few years.

Despite the title of this post you don’t need to have a singular focus for your viva and your preparation. You get to decide what you give your attention to in the weeks leading up to it.

Where will you put your focus?

Nathan

Nerves In Perspective

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PhD candidates are generally nervous about the viva. In my experience, most will feel a portion of nervousness at some point before they meet their examiners. Some will continue to feel it during their viva too.

I don’t know that a person can ever completely overcome a feeling of nervousness, but I’m convinced that they could learn to put them into perspective:

  • The viva is important, so it’s natural to be nervous about it.
  • You may be nervous about it, but it’s only going to be for a few hours. Then it’s done.
  • Most people pass – and pass well – so however nervous you feel, the outcome is most likely going to be good.

Nervousness isn’t always rational. You can feel nervous and be confident for success at the same time. Try to focus on what you need to do, so that you can do well.

For the viva particularly, remember that those nervous few hours come after thousands of hours of work on your part. Remember that, and those thousands of hours might help you see that those few hours in the viva are going to be fine.

Nathan

Important

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The viva is important. Passing is important. Lots of things in life are important.

Getting your dream job.

Passing your driving test.

Publishing a book.

Being on TV.

Finding true love.

Living a long and happy life.

Going around the world.

Seeing falling stars on a summer’s evening in the middle of the French countryside.

Watching a dust devil swirl and twirl.

Seeing night turn to day in the middle of an intense electrical storm.

(seeing the previous three things on one holiday!)

Finding a problem.

Finding a solution.

Being reliable.

Being a parent.

Sharing things.

The viva is not the most important thing you will ever do. Wouldn’t it be a bit sad if it was? That would mean everything that came before, especially the research you did, would be a bit blah in comparison. And the same for everything that comes afterwards!

Let go of your viva being the most important thing ever. Then you can find and focus on what really is important about the viva, and get past it to whatever important things come next.

Nathan

First Time PhD

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In ten years of working with researchers I’ve met one person doing their second PhD. PhDs are fairly rare in the population; a person with two is like finding Bigfoot riding a unicorn!

For most candidates though, PhDs feel quite common. You’re around people all the time who either have them or want them. Often it can be easy to feel like maybe you’re not as good as others (hello impostor syndrome!). While you’re on track you’re not quite there yet. You see people who have succeeded and it’s easy to feel like you might not ever get there.

Well: give yourself a break!

It’s the first time you’ve done a PhD!

Whatever else you’ve done, whatever your achievements, interests or professional standing, this is a big deal. It’s important and it’s difficult – doubly difficult because usually you’re learning how to do research while doing it. Your process evolves while you do.

Appreciate that this is your first time. You don’t have to have all the answers. No-one expects the impossible.

If you feel like the PhD is beyond you, or the viva is out of reach, take a step back. Every day is an opportunity to get a little better, a little closer to “done,” but this is still your first time doing a PhD.

Nathan

Counting For The Viva

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One experienced candidate waiting to be done,

Two prepared examiners hoping this is fun.

Three years (or more) leading to this day,

Four key threads of prep can help along the way.

 

Five seconds pause can help get a thought together;

Six hours is unlikely (but never say never)!

Seven might be lucky, but you don’t need to be,

Eight lines is enough, now repeat: “It’s up to me.”

Nathan

A Stone In Your Shoe

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A little piece of grit just nudged your toe.

It’s a tiny pain, an annoyance, nothing serious but now you’ve felt it you can’t stop thinking about it. You have a choice:

  • Ignore it, just keep going. It’s a little thing and you can bear the discomfort.
  • Wiggle your toes. Push it to one side and wait ’til you’re done.
  • Take off your shoe. Bang the heel, see the stone fall to the back and pick it out.

Simply: you can ignore a little annoyance, spend the minimum effort to push it away or stop everything to resolve it. All three strategies have merit. All three can be applied to the end of your PhD, your viva prep and even in the viva.

  • Find a small mistake? Ignore it, make a note and fix it later, or drop what you’re doing and correct it.
  • Missing a reference? Ignore it, pencil it in your diary to sort out or go straight to your literature review and figure it out.
  • Critical comment in the viva? Ignore it, make a note and think about it, or ask your examiner for more so you can respond now.

There are pros and cons to all the approaches you can take when annoying little situations show up.

You have a choice about which one you pick.

Nathan

14,400 Seconds

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That was my viva. It sounds a lot, but it’s only four hours. Tick-tick-tick times 4800 and I was done!

I’ve met a handful of people with similar or longer vivas. Sometimes the viva is long, or can feel long, but often they just fly by no matter what the clock says.

And really: they don’t compare to the 20-something million seconds you’ve invested in your PhD.

Nathan

Zoom

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Obsessed with the fine detail of your thesis? Take a step back and think about where your research fits in the field.

Pondering over how your work relates to other researchers? Zero in on all of the steps that made your work what it is.

Don’t just focus on the big picture or the small stuff. Change your perspective. Zoom in and out. Build up and reinforce the connections ahead of your viva.

Nathan

Countdown

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You could spend your final year of your PhD counting down the days: Another day gone until I have to submit, another day gone until my viva…

I knew PhD candidates who stressed and obsessed that time was running out. It’s easy to see with hindsight and perspective that stress didn’t do much to help them. Of course, if you are stressed, it’s not enough to say “don’t do that,” it’s not something that you can just turn off.

Perhaps you can try to steer things a little though. You can wake up each day and say, “What am I going to do today that will help me? What can I can do that will get me one step closer to finishing my PhD?”

Then you can mark that day off with a different thought: Another day closer to done, another day closer to complete…

It’s a little change. But little changes add over time.

What are you going to do today?