Learn on your Lunch Break
In a postgrad research programme your whole job is about learning: learning from others’ research, learning from your own research, and helping others to learn. But typically, all that learning […]
brainpower
The Science of When to Work
When do you do your research and writing? With so many research students juggling jobs, childcare, and other responsibilities, we often can’t put in a standard 9-5 day. In a […]
Throwback Thursday: The Science of Mental Focus
This post by Dr Anaise Irvine first appeared on Thesislink in March 2016. The other night, exhausted from a day of taxing thesis writing and mentally fried, I collapsed […]
Brain Hacks for Better Writing
Writers’ block is real, and it really sucks. There’s nothing worse than the feeling of time ticking away as you stare pointlessly at a screen, unable to make blank space […]
Juggling and Resilience – Is there a connection?
Do you know anyone that is good at juggling 3-4 objects at a time? Chances are, this person is also calm and alert under pressure. Being able to juggle requires […]
Emotional Intelligence! Can it help reduce stress?
If you are currently feeling stressed you may decide not to read this post but if you do then you might learn some useful tips on how to reframe your […]
Why we don’t write and what to do about it
Procrastination means ‘belonging to tomorrow’. So when you delay writing today, you are creating more work for tomorrow. Unfortunately this delay creates a gap between your intention and your action. […]
Reading for Keeps
I just performed a very unscientific study of thesis bibliographies. Of the last 5 doctoral theses published to ProQuest, there were an average of 333 entries per bibliography.* That’s an […]
The Science of Mental Focus
The other night, exhausted from a day of taxing thesis writing and mentally fried, I collapsed on the couch. In my half-dead state, my brain was mulling how on earth […]
My Education Is More Than My Thesis
My thesis will be bound in navy blue. It’s not finished yet, but I’ve already decided. Navy blue cover, elegant silver lettering, my name in full on the front. The […]
Can “Eureka” Moments be Manufactured?
Thomas Edison famously said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Funnily enough, that is exactly the calculation I have made of my doctoral research. 99% is: reading dense […]
Your Brain on Notes
If you are reading this, you are probably a postgraduate student. And if you’re a postgraduate student, you probably did well as an undergraduate. Which means you’re probably an experienced […]