Templates
The PhD Student week
A weekly schedule for PhD students: write for 90 minutes every weekday at 08:30, research and analysis for 3 hours after, read papers daily, one supervisor meeting a week, and exercise.
Mon
- Write08:30–10:00
- Research10:30–13:30
- Read papers15:00–15:45
- Gym17:30–18:30
Tue
- Write08:30–10:00
- Research10:30–13:30
- Read papers15:00–15:45
Wed
- Write08:30–10:00
- Research10:30–13:30
- Read papers15:00–15:45
- Gym17:30–18:30
Thu
- Write08:30–10:00
- Research10:30–13:30
- Supervisor meeting14:00–15:00
- Read papers15:00–15:45
Fri
- Write08:30–10:00
- Research10:30–13:30
- Read papers15:00–15:45
- Gym17:30–18:30
Sat
- Read papers15:00–15:45
Sun
- Read papers15:00–15:45
The week, day by day
- Monday: 08:30 Write (1 h 30 min), 10:30 Research (3 h), 15:00 Read papers (45 min), 17:30 Gym (1 h)
- Tuesday: 08:30 Write (1 h 30 min), 10:30 Research (3 h), 15:00 Read papers (45 min)
- Wednesday: 08:30 Write (1 h 30 min), 10:30 Research (3 h), 15:00 Read papers (45 min), 17:30 Gym (1 h)
- Thursday: 08:30 Write (1 h 30 min), 10:30 Research (3 h), 14:00 Supervisor meeting (1 h), 15:00 Read papers (45 min)
- Friday: 08:30 Write (1 h 30 min), 10:30 Research (3 h), 15:00 Read papers (45 min), 17:30 Gym (1 h)
- Saturday: 15:00 Read papers (45 min)
- Sunday: 15:00 Read papers (45 min)
Why it works
- Writing every day, first. Short daily writing sessions tend to produce more than waiting for long free days.
- Research in one long block fits experiments and analysis.
- Reading daily keeps the literature current without a backlog.
Make it yours
- Teaching duties? Put them in the afternoons and keep the writing block.
- Thesis deadline? Move to two writing blocks a day.
Use it
Open the week builder, paste the line below and adjust the times to your life:
Questions
Should I write every day during a PhD?
Many academics recommend short daily writing sessions over occasional long ones; the habit keeps a draft moving.
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Keep reading
Who it is forPhD studentsA planner for PhD students: daily writing blocks, long research sessions, supervisor meetings and a record of the hours that went into the thesis. Free.GlossaryDeep workDeep work is focused, distraction-free work on hard problems. Cal Newport named it in 2016.GlossaryPlanning fallacyThe planning fallacy is our tendency to underestimate how long tasks take, even when we know similar tasks ran late. The research and how to plan around it.TemplatesUniversity StudentA weekly study schedule for university students: lectures, two study blocks a day, gym, and a Sunday review. Free template you can adapt to your timetable.