JohnWillis
New member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2026
- Messages
- 3
Year 3. I've hit the wall. Actually, I hit the wall a year ago and now I'm just lying at the bottom staring up. Every day I think about quitting. Every day I somehow keep going.
Here's what's keeping me alive (barely):
The "one sentence" rule: On days when writing feels impossible, I write one sentence. Just one. Usually one sentence becomes two, then a paragraph. But if it doesn't, at least I wrote one sentence. Progress.
The pomodoro technique but for despair: 25 minutes working, 5 minutes feeling sorry for myself. Repeat. Somehow the scheduled misery helps.
Accountability buddy: Another PhD student and I text every morning: "what's your goal today?" and every evening: "did you do it?" Having someone expect an answer helps.
The "done is better than perfect" mantra: My dissertation doesn't have to change the world. It just has to exist. Future me can make it better. Current me just needs to finish.
Celebrating tiny wins: Wrote 100 words? Coffee treat. Fixed a citation? 10 minutes of phone time. Finished a page? Dinner out. Small rewards keep me going.
Therapy (seriously): My university offers free counseling for grad students. Talking to someone who isn't in academia helped. She doesn't know what a dissertation is but she knows what burnout looks like.
Remembering why I started: I made a list of reasons I wanted this PhD. When I'm really low, I read it. Some days it helps. Some days it makes me more depressed that past me was so optimistic.
The "just one more week" game: When I really want to quit, I tell myself: just get through this week. If you still want to quit next week, quit then. Next week comes and I'm still here. It's been 47 weeks of "just one more week."
What I've learned: The PhD isn't a sprint or a marathon. It's a series of small, terrible, daily choices to keep going. Some days I make those choices. Some days I don't. But I'm still here.
To everyone else struggling: you're not alone. This is the worst. But we're doing it anyway.
Here's what's keeping me alive (barely):
The "one sentence" rule: On days when writing feels impossible, I write one sentence. Just one. Usually one sentence becomes two, then a paragraph. But if it doesn't, at least I wrote one sentence. Progress.
The pomodoro technique but for despair: 25 minutes working, 5 minutes feeling sorry for myself. Repeat. Somehow the scheduled misery helps.
Accountability buddy: Another PhD student and I text every morning: "what's your goal today?" and every evening: "did you do it?" Having someone expect an answer helps.
The "done is better than perfect" mantra: My dissertation doesn't have to change the world. It just has to exist. Future me can make it better. Current me just needs to finish.
Celebrating tiny wins: Wrote 100 words? Coffee treat. Fixed a citation? 10 minutes of phone time. Finished a page? Dinner out. Small rewards keep me going.
Therapy (seriously): My university offers free counseling for grad students. Talking to someone who isn't in academia helped. She doesn't know what a dissertation is but she knows what burnout looks like.
Remembering why I started: I made a list of reasons I wanted this PhD. When I'm really low, I read it. Some days it helps. Some days it makes me more depressed that past me was so optimistic.
The "just one more week" game: When I really want to quit, I tell myself: just get through this week. If you still want to quit next week, quit then. Next week comes and I'm still here. It's been 47 weeks of "just one more week."
What I've learned: The PhD isn't a sprint or a marathon. It's a series of small, terrible, daily choices to keep going. Some days I make those choices. Some days I don't. But I'm still here.
To everyone else struggling: you're not alone. This is the worst. But we're doing it anyway.
