PhD Researcher’s Week – Creativity, routines and rhythms
Study leave in the middle of a long career has opened a new kind of window and rhythm, allowing a different way of breathing and structuring everyday life. A researcher’s everyday life, however, is not just wildly flowing creativity—at least not for me—but rhythm, routine, and listening to one’s own energy levels. Welcome to take a peek into a researcher’s chamber for one week, a room with high ceilings and wide walls (and a rather chaotic desk full of sticky notes and half-finished cups of coffee, creating the mood).
Monday: Miscellaneous Tasks and Gym Day
Monday was dedicated to getting the week started, and it became filled with emails, short meetings, and student supervision. I try to get these “running errands” done at the beginning of the week so that they won’t spill into the other days. Idealistic, but that’s the aim. It felt good to get this grab‑bag of tasks sorted out and to literally reduce the number of sticky notes on my desk. In the evening, I went to the gym and tried to loosen the stiffness in my shoulders.
Tuesday and Wednesday: Butt in the Chair
This week I had two days reserved for writing the second article of my dissertation. At this stage of writing, it was important to really concentrate on revising the text and checking the results section. My rhythm is very morning-oriented, and I often wake up before dawn to make coffee and head to my workspace with the cup in hand. There I open my computer and turn off my phone—often literally, as I’m trying to teach myself to stop multitasking in all its forms.
A schedule-free day like this also offered the chance to go out for some fresh air during daylight. While walking, I usually listen to something light, and at the moment my headphones are filled with a Moomin reading marathon—something completely unrelated to research, and so addictive; I recommend it!
This kind of research work and new everyday rhythm seems to require something concrete and visible as a counterbalance. I, who have so far relied on other mothers’ cooking (the ones found in the grocery store), to my husband’s surprise find myself increasingly often in the kitchen chopping and kneading—we’ve been eating a lot of vegetable soups and bread rolls during this study leave.
On Tuesday, writing flowed and my thoughts were sharp. On Wednesday, an unclear feeling hit me that none of this actually makes any sense. I stopped sitting at my computer already in the early afternoon and started scrubbing the bathrooms and vacuuming the house. On the other hand, at this stage of life I think that ups and downs are part of this process too, and self-compassion is an important skill to develop in the research world as well. Usually things sort themselves out and become clearer when you give them a bit of time and space. (I did plan to book a supervision meeting—sharing things is often a key to unlocking thought barriers and feelings of uncertainty.)
Thursday
I didn’t write a single word for the article today. Instead, I prepared presentations for upcoming events, including a spring research conference. Everything is connected, and as I plan these lectures and talks, my thoughts also drift toward the significance and timeliness of the dissertation, current societal discussions, and themes related to a humane working life.
In the middle of the day I jumped into the whirl of dance and went to a dance class to sweat. There, you can’t let your thoughts wander if you want to stay in rhythm.
In the afternoon I opened the transcribed interviews for the third article and skimmed through them. The intention over the next few weeks is to start planning the final article of the dissertation. If you want to know how to write, you also have to read a lot, and on Thursday I gathered material to read for next week. Hopefully my plan holds, and I manage to reserve one reading day.
Friday: Jatkot Group Updates
My Friday morning routine includes an early swim. It has been fun to find this community of early risers, where you don’t really need to talk but you see the same “faces” every week. I usually try to keep Fridays intentionally free of tight schedules and overall more relaxed. They may include, for example, a museum visit, a long lunch, or coffee with a friend.
This Friday, however, I met with colleagues from the Jatkot research group in a monthly meeting. This group has become a source of strength and a peer‑support network throughout the joys and sorrows of the dissertation journey, and in sharing life more broadly. We learn a lot from each other, and today we went through experiences related to qualitative data analysis.
In the afternoon, another Teams meeting continued with the EEPO research group. This group is beginning research on ethical police work, and it is interesting to be part of the process from the very beginning.
In the evening, I’m heading to a jazz concert and starting the weekend: rest, outdoor activities, exercise, good food—free from research. Still, sometimes a thought strikes like lightning. Then I must write it down—because the brain works even when the body rests. And that is one of the most fascinating aspects of a researcher’s work.
Research progresses when you give it structure. I benefit from scheduling and planning everyday life and accepting that life surprises you and plans change, and even that isn’t dangerous.