Again, I haven’t undergone PhD grind experience, so that I just composed the content from Philip Guo.

PhD grind storylines

It was the norm for new students to join an existing grant-funded research project rather than to try creating their original project right away.

I found it almost impossible to shut off my brain and relax in the evenings, which I later discovered was a common ailment afflicting PhD students.

A part of me was scared because I was breaking away from the establishment to do something new and unproven without any professor support.

So I went into scheming mode once again, thinking of ways to get that final as-yet-unknown piece of work that would enable me to graduate.

I was programming and debugging for over ten hours per day. My mind was quite relaxed since my technical skills were well-calibrated for the challenges I faced.

Philosophy

Now that I was a PhD student, research was my only job, and I wouldn’t be able to earn a degree unless I succeeded at it.

I’m just getting started here, so I should be patient. The research was emotionally and mentally all-consuming.

I learned to channel my anger into purposeful action in what I call a productive rage.

Every rejection, doubt, and criticism spurred me to work harder to prove the naysayers wrong.

Ideas can sometimes take years to blossom, usually after several false starts.

Whenever I felt stuck, I sought experts who could help me get unstuck.

Creative ideas mean nothing without the extreme effort to bring them to fruition.

I become wiser, savvier, grittier, and more steely, focused, creative, eloquent, perceptive, and professionally effective.

`Related work literature searches for my dissertation projects were much more effective. Identifying competitors and adapting good ideas into my projects.

Reference

[1] Philp Guo, The PhD. Grind