Planning breaks during your PhD

When I started my PhD here people told everything about work during the PhD like working long hours or even during week end, working hard during the Government Holidays when even the school office is closed and access is limited to the University... bla bla. The thing that I never heard of is planning a break during this long journey. So I took it for granted that I am married to the PhD for this three years and should not think of anything else. But soon I became tired, started nagging with my husband for holidays and at one time I freaked out. It was just after three months during Christmas. Me and my husband were not really used to the idea of planning the breaks long before and found it impossible to go somewhere as the ticket prices were untouchable at the moment. So I got rotten at home for those few days of vacation. I carried loads of books to home which remained untouched until the day when the school reopened.

I am from a country where people generally don't plan much advance. We used to buy tickets may be only a week before, the price is fixed for the whole year. I often used to book ticket over phone at the last moment of the week, picked it up half an hour before departure at night, sat on the seat relaxed hoping I would be at the other end of the country the next morning when I would open my eyes. So most of the time whenever I felt exhausted I used to spend the week end amidst nature in countryside. Only in the case of going abroad we need to plan much earlier because of the visa issue and station leave from the University.

Anyway, I somehow survived that December and my husband talked in his workplace for leave of few days in February, we bought tickets and then I was ready to go back to my PhD in January. Well, I did not learn much from this incident and exhausted myself several times after that incident in that year. I went to USA for a week in June and Portugal for another week in September. But the purpose was to present in conferences, nothing to do with pure vacation. I told myself at least I am away from my office for those days.

The hardest time came after that when I went back home in Bangladesh for my data collection in October. Yes, I was there for long eight months but with a really tight schedule of that much works that can never be finished in eight months. I overburdened myself with work pressure and at some point I felt it is affecting my marriage life too. I used to fight every time I met my husband being back to Dhaka from the field. Those visits also were not meant for leave or vacation, they were always associated with some jobs to be done there.

At some point we were able to manage a week to stay away from both of our works. We planned to go to India. But here I also have done the biggest mistake. I chose a place which is related to my PhD. So I contacted the institute, arranged some interviews there during my stay there. Yes, I am so so good at mixing pleasure with work and sometimes I feel I could not enjoy any of it, neither my work nor the vacation.

I have been back to UK after eight months in June. This time we did not make any mistake. Though I am not yet capable of planning few months ahead but at least I am trying to make that time. Some of our friends were going to Highlands in July so we hooked ourselves with them. That was the first vacation for me after a long long time which did not have any work associated with it. And then in September I went to a conference in Tartu, Estonia but planned beforehand for some stay-over in Riga, Tallinn and Helsinki. On our way back to Edinburgh me and my friend also went for an adventure short sightseeing in Copenhagen. I was fueled for work in October and November and just booked our flight to Belfast for a break of three days next month. I hope I will finish writing my results chapter at that time and I would need that break to work on discussion with a fresh brain afterwards.

I almost became sick after coming back from the conference and this time my supervisor said that I should take some break. Just after a mega meeting with three of my supervisors on one Thursday I absconded from the office for two days and returned back on Monday again.

 All these visits except the conferences were not for more than three days (actually one! two days were weekly holidays). I am looking forward for a long break for quite a long time. I dont know whether its possible during this third year of my PhD. But I am planning beforehand for short stay away after reaching every milestone. I will surely take the mega one after sending draft to my supervisors next year.

And believe me, you need that! You need long and short both kind of breaks to look back to your works from a different perspective. You can find new things that you have not thought earlier. I stopped working longer hours as now I believe that my brain needs rest to be creative, to produce something meaningful. There is no point of pushing yourself so hard that you cross the threshold point. I have planned my goals for the next year and inserted short and long breaks wherever necessary after reaching the milestones.

Here are some more blog links about planning breaks during your PhD.


https://blogs.jobs.ac.uk/phd-student/2011/07/15/taking-a-break-from-your-phd/

http://phdtalk.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/my-phd-schedule.html

http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/gradschool/training/eresources/study-guides/starting/time-management

https://phdingfordummies.wordpress.com/2015/10/21/traveling-when-to-take-holidays/