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Nathan

Stop & Go

Daily Post

When you submit your thesis you have to stop, at least for a little while.

Take a break from thinking about your research.

You might be able to have a proper break depending on your circumstances; you might have to do other work, but at least stop thinking about your research and your thesis and the many other things that have been on your mind for so long.

Relax. Wait. It’s OK.

When the time comes and you have a viva date then go: do the work, read your thesis, make notes, rehearse and do everything else you need to do to get ready.

Stop and go. Stop when you need to. Go when you need to.

And rest, relax and look after yourself as much as you can.

 

It’s been great to press pause on writing Viva Survivors for three months! I’ve focussed on some other creative projects outside of vivas and PhDs and doing so has brought me a lot of joy and satisfaction. I’ll be continuing with them in due course, but for now it is great to get started again with the blog.

Hence, stop and go.

Nathan

Summer Sabbatical

Daily Post

I didn’t mark the seventh anniversary of the Viva Survivors daily blog back in April. It completely slipped my mind. I wrote about something else instead and the date only registered weeks later.

Seven years.

Over 2500 daily posts.

More than 400,000 words about the viva, viva prep, expectations, examiners, confidence, nervousness, worry, getting ready and more. Serious and silly posts, lists, essays, highlights, resources and lots of things that are neither one thing nor another.

I’ve no intention of stopping Viva Survivors, but I think I need a break 🙂

 

From next Monday, July 1st 2024, I’ll be taking my first ever Viva Survivors Summer Sabbatical: instead of a new daily post there will be an old daily post from the archives, every day through to September 30th.

I’ve already arranged so the site will run without my intervention over the coming months. I’ll be contactable but otherwise investing the time I would have spent on Viva Survivors every week on other creative projects.

If you don’t already, subscribe to Viva Survivors for a daily piece of viva help! 🙂

Nathan

A Free Day

Daily Post

Do you have a day off planned for today?

If not, then I hope you can at least find some rest with whatever else you have to do.

A free day might be exactly what you need between submission and your viva. A day to step back from everything. A day off work. A day off prep. A day away from your responsibilities.

A day to just say, “I did something big when I submitted… And soon I’ll do more when I have my viva.”

It might take a lot to get a totally free day, so take any time you can between your submission and your viva to rest, relax and reflect – because soon enough you’ll be working towards your next challenge.

Nathan

Rest Is No Joke

Daily Post

A Bank Holiday is a good reminder to rest.

Maybe today’s not the day. A Bank Holiday in the 2020s isn’t a guarantee that you can take a break! But rest is an essential part of how we get things done. Even if your viva is coming up and you feel a little pressure to do more to get ready, you still need to rest.

You need to read, you need to rehearse and you need to rest.

Don’t fool around. Make it part of your viva prep.

Nathan

Time Off

Daily Post

It’s a time of year where people typically take some time off. I’m already doing that – I wrote this post weeks ago so that I could enjoy more family time! Viva Survivors will continue to update every day until the 23rd of December, take a few days off, then return for five days of “best of” posts from this year.

Another time where people typically take some time off is just after submitting their PhD thesis. While a candidate could have all sorts of busy things in their life besides research, it can be really helpful to take time away from their thesis to just rest. Breathe. Stop pushing for a week or two. Take time to stop, before viva prep starts.

You might want to plan your time off between submission and viva prep. It could help to sketch out what you want to achieve and how you might do it, but time off is an essential part of the process. Give yourself space to change from one kind of work, to an altogether more considered mode of activity.

 

If you are taking time off in the coming weeks, I hope it is restful, happy and everything you want from it 🙂

Nathan

Just After Submission

Daily Post

At submission, a PhD candidate won’t typically know when their viva is going to be. There’s a period when they’ll wait to find out the date and time for their viva. In the UK it’s common for the viva to be anywhere from six weeks to three months after thesis submission.

A candidate might feel pressure to do something just after submission – from nerves, wondering or hoping – but there’s generally not a great need to start preparing immediately. Viva prep is a different kind of work to what one does to get a thesis finished. The wait after submission can be useful as a break or gear change – a boundary between submission and prep.

Perhaps all you need just after submission is to take a moment. Deep breath. Make a few notes. What will you do for your prep? How will you do it? Sketch a simple plan. Then put it into action when you know your viva date.

After submission, generally, you can relax a little. The hardest work is done. You could be busy – it’s unlikely that your PhD is your only responsibility in life – but at least, for a short time, maybe you can put your research to one side and do something to help yourself rest.

Nathan

Have A Break

Daily Post

Have a break when you submit your thesis. Give yourself space to rest.

Have a break now and then when you prepare for your viva. You don’t need to cram everything into one hectic period of activity.

Have a break during your viva if you need one or if you’re offered. Take your time to make sure you keep performing at your best.

No-one else is going to make sure that you look after yourself or check you’re working at your best. There’s more you can do, but at a minimum have a break!

Nathan

Down Time

Daily Post

You can afford a little break at submission. In most instances, even if a candidate has an idea of their viva date, it won’t be confirmed at the time they submit their thesis.

When you submit you have time. Plenty of time to get ready, but also plenty of time to relax. Rest. Take time away from the work you’ve been doing to get your research finished and your thesis ready.

Pause, for your own sake. You have to look after yourself so that you can get ready.

A little down time will help in the final days and weeks leading to your viva.

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