Last week, I discussed 5 problematic behaviors that PhD students knowingly or unknowingly indulge in and shared 15 actionable steps to break those patterns. Make sure you check that out BEFORE you continue with this article.
Continuing that steak, I will discuss another 5 behaviors to keep a check on. PhD students talk about these behaviors in small groups and seldom publicly. Even when they are discussed, students often share their experiences, relate to each other, and move on. While sharing provides a sense of camaraderie and support, these conversations are important to identify problematic behaviors and actually doing something about it. This is exactly what my intention is with both part-1 and part-2. Not just letting you know that hey these are problematic behaviors, but practically sharing what to do about it.
This blog, just like the last one, is full of actionable steps. 15 steps to be specific. Be sure to save it to refer back later on.
Imposter syndrome
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Imposter syndrome refers to the experience of feeling self-doubt, incompetent, or unqualified to achieve something or learn a specific set of skills. High-achieving individuals often experience imposter syndrome where they fall into the trap of thinking that they got lucky to accomplish something as opposed to appreciating their hard work and dedication.
This is one of the most common experiences of PhD students where they feel that they are not doing enough; not working hard enough; or not capable of achieving the set targets. If you feel this way, you are not alone. Academic expectations are high in PhD programs. You are expected to excel in classes, research, and extracurricular activities all at the same time. Many students end up feeling low self-confidence. If you relate to this experience and want to break the pattern, here are some starting points-
- Break down big intimidating goals into smaller actions to make them more achievable. For example, if writing a grant proposal seems like an impossible task leading you to believe that you are an imposter, break it into smaller sections like introduction, aims, methods, and so on.
- Note down academic accomplishments. For example, got grades that you are proud of? Performed better than you expected? Learned a technique and excelled at it? Note it down and build that list to reflect when you feel like an imposter.
- Stop saying yes to everything to a point where it is overwhelming leading you to believe that you are not capable. Say yes cautiously for timely completion of goals.
Setting unrealistic goals
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Firstly, not every PhD student is goal-oriented in their approach of moving forward. I strongly recommend setting short and long term goals for two reasons- (i) the most obvious one, timely completion of projects; and (ii) the less obvious one, it helps detangle your thoughts related to what you really want and how you want your career to pan out.
Having said that, there is a balance that you need to maintain while setting goals. Here is an example of an unrealistic target- “complete writing literature review of my thesis in two days”. When you set unrealistic goals without thinking them through, you are setting yourself up to fail. Read that again.
This behavior is problematic and self-deteriorating because it does more harm than good. Setting unrealistic goals is often a virtue of procrastination because there is a tendency to complete things last-minute. In instances where you don’t meet the deadlines, it leads to disappointment and feeling that you are not doing enough.
If this sounds like you even partly, it is time to change the pattern and here is what to do-
- Organize your schedule and block time. For example, instead of trying to complete the entire literature review in two days, replace it with the following – (i) day 1 – 3 hours – find articles for one specific sub-topic; (ii) day 1 – 2 hours – read the articles and highlight what is important; (iii) day – 2 – complete summarizing the literature for that particular sub-topic.
- Practice organizing your schedule according the the deadlines. Instead of setting unachievable targets just once or twice a year, be more consistent and organize your tasks according to those that are more urgent or high priority versus those tasks that can be completed later because their deadline is later in the year. This will help you balance out the workload and stay organized.
- Check if with yourself regularly. Check if you are able to achieve the target you set. This is so subjective as one goal can be easy to achieve for one student while may take longer for another. So, checking in with yourself to figure out what is working for you will help determine your own efficiency and manage time accordingly.
Professionalism vs personal bias
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In an ideal scenario, every colleague gets along with everyone and it is all rainbows and roses. But, the fact is not everyone who we work with is our favorite. It can’t be. You make genuine connections with some and stay away from others. For PhD students, if you don’t get along with your mentor for whatever reason, this is a difficult situation to be in. You have to work one-on-one with them regularly and you end up feeling frustrated by a lot of things if the work styles or intentions don’t align.
Or it could one of your colleagues who you have to work with on the same project or experiment perhaps. Or a graduate student who you are teaching a lab technique to. In these cases, personal opinions and biases for that person can seep into the professional work without you even knowing it. Whether you intend to or not, it is unprofessional to let personal judgments lead your decisions or approach that you take with the lesser-liked person.
If you struggle with this and want to at least be able to work together without feeling frustrated, here are some action steps-
- Focus your conversations to relevant lab- or research-related topics to maintain a boundary with less-preferred colleagues. Personal judgements are more likely to come in between while talking about things other than work.
- Bring up important issues or conflicts appropriately to the lab director instead of treating the less-liked colleagues unfairly or talking about them with other students behind their back.
- After you finish working with the lesser-preferred colleague, reflect on the conversation and to check how you dealt with it. Be honest with yourself about your approach. If you felt like you were unfair due to your personal opinions, ensure that the next time goes better. Also, don’t shy away from apologizing if you are at fault even unintentionally.
Doing the bare minimum
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Doing the bare minimum. Doing exactly what is asked of you but no extra efforts towards your own progress. This can also refer to doing bare minimum for the people around you. But, here I focus on just YOU. Doing the bare minimum for yourself.
This was me fours year back, just doing the bare minimum for myself. Instead of taking charge of my career, I did the bare minimum, had the “go with the flow” approach, and spent time towards less meaningful things. I am not a lifestyle coach, but I can speak on this because I have been on both sides.
The results of doing the bare minimum? I did not recognize my own potential, always felt like I was not talented. No one else saw potential in me because I never let it come out. Being introverted did not help the matter either. Now, I am still an introvert, but I am doing much more than just the bare minimum.
Result?
I am happier, I do not need other people validating my efforts as I can recognize and appreciate them myself. Others can clearly see my potential and are willing to continue their work relationships. If you indulge in this behavior and really want to break the pattern, here are tried and tested action steps-
- Find one new opportunity at a time to get involved. This can be mentoring a junior student in the lab. Joining a student organization. Expanding the network by virtually connecting with professionals outside your university. This will help get you out of your shell without making it too uncomfortable.
- Take charge of your own PhD timeline and initiate conversations about gaining teaching experience, or applying for potential grants or scholarships with your mentor. This is even more important if your mentor is laid-back or not student-focused. YOU need to take charge and do much more than just bare minimum for your own growth.
- Explore job opportunities to evaluate what skills are in demand and try to learn one new skill to strengthen your profile. This will help you procrastinate less and use your time intentionally.
Lack of self-reflection
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To be brutally honest, I come across more PhD students and people in general who do not self-reflect at all than those who do. I am a strong believer of self-reflecting and the person you can become from it. In PhD context, self-reflection is so important because how else will you know if you are following the right direction? What things you’d like to keep or change? What type of job sounds like a dream job?
There are so many questions related to navigating PhD and even your career after that and you have to look into yourself to get those answers and learn about the kind of professional you aim to become. If you don’t self-reflect and just keep going, eventually the other shoe will drop leaving you feel uncertain and clueless about what you are doing currently versus what you actually like or dislike.
Example, there is a big discussion about academic and industry careers for PhDs. Speaking from experience, you have to do a lot of self-reflection to decide what career you want for long-term or what you excel at. Not just that, but considering other factors like whether this is the right time to make the switch or are you qualified enough for the transition.
I have met PhD students who do not seem interested in academia yet they continue because they don’t know what else they want or what else is out there. You have such a unique training through your PhD and self-reflecting can really set you up for a successful and happy career. If you are goal- and career-oriented, here are some ways you can include self-reflection in your day-to-day routine without turning your life upside down-
- Start creating an annual roadmap with specific milestones for every year of your PhD. This will help you think about how YOU want your next academic career to look like. Indirectly, self-reflecting 🙂
- Before leaving from work or the lab, take a minute to reflect how your day was and if there is anything you could have done differently. Whether this is a conversation that went badly with a colleague, or an email you sent hastily, or the distractions you allowed to come in between work.
- List some behaviors or traits that you need to keep an eye on to check in with yourself every couple weeks or months. Example, I self-reflected and observed that I start getting cranky when I continue to work with empty stomach. I keep a check on this behavior and make sure I eat my meals in between and then continue working. When I fall into the pattern again, I remind myself to break it. Trust me, it works.
Some of these behaviors are inter-related. It may be more helpful and realistic to start with one behavior that is the highest priority for you. Pick 1-2 action steps and go from there. Keep it simple. Come back when you feel you are ready to try out other ways and pick some more ways. It is a trial and error method but once you try different ways to break the patterns, you will find your own tactics that best fits with your lifestyle. I shared a bonus tip in my last blog and I will share one here too.
Bonus tip – To break the patterns, the first step absolutely necessary is to come out of denial and acknowledge that you indulge in specific problematic behaviors. Then, you can try out different ways to change it.
I hope these are practical and small actions that you can implement into your routine. If you like more pocket-friendly tips and tricks, my Instagram page is the place to follow. I post about career-related content on LinkedIn too.
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Featured photo for this blog – Photo by No Revisions on Unsplash