Category: Getting things done

No matter who you are, when you start your PhD advice falls around you like fine rain. Despite the fact that I worked in research education already, lots of people felt free to give me advice when I started. I noticed that the advice ranged from the banal and obvious: “Don’t leave all your writing …continue reading.

Thesis Whisperer Jnr was eight months old when I started my Masters degree by research at RMIT and was seven years old when I graduated with my PhD from the University of Melbourne. In retrospect, the decision to go back to post graduate study with a very young child seems slightly insane, but I remember …continue reading.

Happy new year everyone! How was your 2015? I’ve been busy, both personally and professionally. Family Thesis Whisperer renovated a house and moved into it, putting down proper Canberra roots. I lost my ‘baby weight’ (Thesis Whisperer Jnr is now taller than me so it was way past time) and started running. The blog went …continue reading.

I just finished renovating the slide deck for my most popular and famous writing workshop “Write that journal article in seven days”. I’ve delivered this workshop nearly 80 times of the last six years with a slide share deck which has now had over 110,000 views. I’m so practiced at this workshop that I can …continue reading.

Marnie Graham completed her PhD as a co-tutelle student at Stockholm and Macquarie Universities. Her primary co-supervisors were Dr Henrik Ernstson from Stockholm University and Dr Sandie Suchet-Pearson at Macquarie University, and together they work on the ‘Ways of Knowing Urban Ecologies’ project. This post is a discussion between Marnie, Henrik and Sandie on the pros and cons of …continue reading.

We’ve written about parenting through a PhD quite a lot on the Whisperer. Last time we heard from Jonathan Downie he was parenting a toddler. This time Jonathan reflects on being a PhD Dad. You can read more about Jonathan and his work on his blog Rock Your Talk. It’s 4.30pm and the new student …continue reading.

Many people never realise that you don’t have to accept Microsoft Word as the default writing software. There are many other products on the market which might suit you better. While Google docs offer some advantages to conventional word processors, there are significant limitations. That’s why I was excited to see a new product called …continue reading.

This post is by Alyssa Bernstein, a PhD Candidate at the School of Law at the Queen’s University of Belfast. Alyssa also freelances as a writer, translator, and developer, and likes making things more efficient. This post outlines her writing process and has some interesting tips for people like me, who like to use technology to …continue reading.

This post is by Sue Watling, Senior Lecturer in Educational Development in the Educational Development Enhancement Unit at the University of Lincoln, UK. Supporting teaching, learning and the student experience, Sue also promotes the development of digitally inclusive practice. You can read more about Sue’s work and Phd journey here. I’ve always had problems with …continue reading.

This post is by James Donald, a PhD student in Organisational Behaviour at the ANU. His research explores the impacts of mindfulness on stress and resilience in the workplace. James is an experienced facilitator and mindfulness trainer, and regularly leads mindfulness and well-being workshops in the community, public and private sectors. His training company is Mindfulness Works. Last time we heard from …continue reading.