Steve Tippins argues that PhD students waste years by skipping exercise, nutrition, and relationships. Taking real breaks—playing tennis, practicing piano, fully present—isn't lost time. You return to research sharper and faster.
Take care of yourself exercise-wise, food-wise, and relationship-wise in this process. One of the things you can think of is if I take care of myself, I'm not wasting time. I'm actually preparing myself to be more efficient and better able to move forward. I mentioned activity, running, seeing your family, wasting time. Guilt is a big thing. We feel guilty for not doing what we think we should be doing. But if you remember, if you're wasting time or using time for other purposes, if I'm not working and I'm playing tennis or pickleball or the piano or talking to someone, be there fully. Do it as opposed to feeling guilty. Because if I feel guilty while doing that and then come back and feel guilty, well, I didn't get any benefit from anything. But if I take a break and talk to a friend and fully talk to them and I'm present with them and then come back, well, I've had a good relationship and interaction that hopefully has fed me and I can dive back into my work. Join our free dissertation help group.
