More things to do (when you think you have nothing to do)

The planning meeting was rescheduled and deferred for a week. I was almost relieved when I found out. The university is undergoing a restructure of processes for postgraduate students. As mentioned in the last post this involves doing a needs assessment at the commencement of candidature and then finding professional development courses that address identified needs.

Postgraduate students are also required to undergo an induction which includes an online component and face-to-face workshop. It is suggested the online component should only take two hours to complete however I have spent several more becoming comfortable with the system and really familiarising myself with online facilities available to me. This, however, is just an extension of the work I began last week.

Here are some more things to do if you find yourself with unexpected free time.

Explore

If you are new to the campus you are studying at, now is also a great time to familiarise yourself with the physical facilities. I am based on the top of a seven-floor building. I have, within reason, explored the areas that are safe for me to do so. I know where the best cafes are. I know which toilets are kept the cleanest. I know where to find a quiet spot when I need one. Take your phone with you and go on a photo exploration. This is an excellent habit to get into and provides great stress relief.

Schedule

If you have the flexibility to do so, figure out a schedule that works best for you. I spent my second week leaving home at different times to observe the traffic flow. I discovered I could leave home at 8.15am and still land at my desk by 9.00am and avoid most of the rush hour congestion. I also discovered the best (and worst) time to leave the university. At around 4pm there is a mass exodus and so I found myself lined up for 15 minutes just to get off campus. If I waited until 5pm most everyone was gone and I was still ahead of the city peak. This process has helped me cut down on my travel time and reduce the amount of time wasted in traffic.

Read

If you have begun your candidature I assume you have at least some idea of the area of research your project is situated in. My project is vastly different to the one I completed during Honours so I had no background knowledge or research to draw upon. This meant having to figure out the 'who's who' from scratch. Our Dean of Graduate Research recommends finding out who the top ten authors in your field of interest are and reading their work. Not only is this scoping for your inevitable literature review it will mean when you do get to that first planning meeting you will make a good impression.

Blog

Read blogs on the Ph.D. experience, The Thesis Whisperer comes to mind as a particularly good example. This can help to normalise your experience and prepare you for the journey ahead. For example, knowing that at some point over the next three years it is highly probable that I will find myself in The Valley Of Shit may help me to recognise it sooner rather than later. Also, consider writing your own blog as a way of documenting your own experience.