"Fantasy Hours"

Assalamualaikum & Hello

I did mention in my 2^nd entry that PhD is a full-time job. Why? Well, the fact that I am on a paid study leave and a scholarship explains the concept clear enough. Agree? So, YES it is a full-time job. I have always wondered how some people relate the 1^st year as the honeymoon year. The government is not paying you to go for a honeymoon ok. This is very wrong. I believe the 1^st year is the most crucial year for any PhD students because this is the time when you have to engage in the conceptualization stage of your research. 

1^st year should be the hardest year, not a honeymoon year. And being a Muslim, when we are paid to study, we HAVE to study. It is ‘amanah’, or responsibility that must be carried out truthfully. This is the concept that must be understood and followed.

The next question to ask is how much work is needed daily? If it is full-time, then I think it is only logic that we put in 8 hours of work daily. Sometimes we might work less (6 hours), sometimes more (10hours). The beauty about doing a PhD is, you determine when you work. You are not bound by thumb print or punch card. But of course, when people don’t know, Allah knows . I always believe that we are all different. Our productivity period is different and our styles are different too. I am amazed when some colleagues spend 12-14 hours daily (consistently) working on their research. I am not that diligent (but I envy them). 

But, I don’t really believe we can achieve 12 hours of productivity. The brain is not a machine. Mental fatigues could lead to a whole lot of other problems. So I choose to stick to the average 7-8 hours of work daily. In reality, there are days I don’t feel like working but I sacrifice the weekend to make up for lost time. I think this is fair (to me at least).

Source: ithinkwell.com.au 

Some months ago, a friend on FB shared a very interesting diagram called ‘The 7 Secrets of Highly Successful Research Student. After scanning the whole idea, I totally agree with it.  What intrigued me the most is the “It’s a job but get you will get holidays” heading. The suggested working hours is 6-8 hours and less if no lab work, the rest is ‘Fantasy Hours’, not productive. How ironic? So my theory is acceptable. *Clap Clap*. It is also stated that ‘if you know when to work, you also know when not to’. Interesting.  I’d rather spend the ‘fantasy hours’ watching a movie or simply enjoying a cuppa with a friend, I bet it is more productive than just forcing and slaving yourself in the office. To reiterate, the brain is not a machine. Let’s not live up to the notion of Permanent Head Damage but rather go for “Pretty Hot/Handsome Doctor”. Peace!

Source: phdcomics.com

Thank You for reading

Miss F