Keeping a research journal

Since the very start of my academic journey (2013), I know I wanted to become a lecturer, and I was dreaming about the moment when I will become a PhD student.

It is then perhaps not a surprise, that I read a lot of blogs and articles about keeping a research journal or diary during a PhD. In fact, I attempted to do that during my MRes  and  kept  two notebooks; one  for formulating my ideas and the other, to jot down all the references and potentially useful articles. However, I feel that for the PhD I will need to be more consistent so that I am able to trace my steps and understand all the decisions I make along the way. That is why now I think I will need a document on my laptop instead of only notebooks (although I am sure I will use notebooks as well) and found some useful templates already. I feel very excited as journaling is a natural part of my life since I was a teenager and I have a feeling that apart from research notes, I will also write about all my feelings (e.g.:  feeling inadequate or about any small victories along the way). I cannot help it, after all I am coming from a Psychology and Counselling background, so reflecting on my progress and feelings about it, is a natural thing to do for me.

To that extent, I can tell you that at the minute I feel very excited about my PhD journey but I also feel scared and a bit apprehensive. I did complete an MRes after all and I think this prepared me well for what is about to come, but it also made me aware all the challenges which comes with completing a research degree. I have a feeling though, that this will be one of the best parts of my academic life as I can work on my own topic again but now for 3 years! I am aware that I will need to manage my time more efficiently than ever, because apart from working on my project, I will also continue to teach (5-7 hours a week) and work in a small research team 8-12 hours a week. This is only for the first semester though, as I am intending to decrease my teaching hours in the coming term. Still, this will be a challenging start but I believe that with a good time management plan and some late nights, I will do just fine! 🙂