Grad School is Hard, but.....

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! it should be a smooth progression right? you start as a grad student, and you emerge as an expert! a doctor! a colleague!!  but why does it feel so bumpy? let's talk about all the reasons why you might feel like a superstar one day, and a trash racoon the next - and things you can do to soften the bumps,...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! i'm not sure what came first - my passion for notebooks and pens, or my reliance on those tools when i feel stuck and overwhelmed with my writing. this week, i'm talking all about the benefits of going pen on paper - to slow down, to be less linear, and to get unstuck! if you've been waiting fo...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! in today's episode, i am going to encourage you to think seriously about your summer plans....no, not all the reading you'll do, or writing you'll get caught up on....but your hobbies. and i'll give you a bunch of research-backed reasons that hobbies might be one of the ways that you can m...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! lately, i've been asking people to define not just the tasks they want to focus on - but how they'll know when that task is done. and it's a LOT harder than you might think it is! this week's episode gives you two strategies for figuring out doneness, and debunks a PERSISTENT myth about ho...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! everyone says they're trying to stay on top of the reading - but is that possible? and if so, how do you do it??????????? this week's podcast is all about reading - how to manage it, how to plan for it, and how to think about it so it doesn't bury you alive! resources mentioned: episode on cita...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! what's like new year's eve, but even MORE if you're a scholar? the first day of summer - or any time when you're released from other jobs and "get to" focus on your writing!  however, summer can be a trap! and if aren't careful, you can end the summer even more exhausted tha...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! outlines can be frustrating - how do i know how to structure an argument that i haven't written yet? this week's episode talks about the two things i think an outline ACTUALLY does for a scholarly writer, and how to use them alongside drafting for more support. these aren't your high school rom...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! if there was a pantheon of academic how to books, this one would be at the top - but the reasons i love it so much might not be the ones you think! tune into this week's episode to hear which book basically acted as the seminar in academic writing i never got in graduate school! resources: the book i rec...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! making decisions can be really hard - and when you're a scholar, a lot of your choices are important, and they all have the same level of urgency. menus are one of the best ways i have found to reduce overwhelm, and provide structure with flexibility - learn all about how i use them in this week's e...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! in no universe do i want to be perceived while i do this, but....my dance party breaks are one of my best kept secrets. and if you tend to live brain first, and not notice until much too late that your body could use some care, body focused breaks might just be the tool for you! listen to this week's epi...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! everyone loves to recommend a pomodoro timer (including me!) but this deceptively simple tool actually does NOT work for a lot of people, tasks, and brains. let's get into this controversial classic - and some alternatives - in this week's episode! resources: pomodoro technique congratulations to rm...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! okay before you flee this podcast, hear me out: emailing your supervisor more regularly actually reduces anxiety most of the time. listen on for my best tips on how, when, and why you would want to do such a thing! and if you want to answer those kinds of questions in a community of people who get it AND will...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! a tool that costs zero money, but is rarely encouraged, and can have radical benefits if you implement it....it's a cut off time at the end of the day. this was one of the hardest things i did as a grad student, and it can still be a tricky thing, but nothing has made a bigger difference for my sustainab...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! whether you put all your tasks in a notebook, app, or on the back of various receipts, many of us want some sort of system to capture all that we need to do. task managers will do you one better by storing that information, and sending it back to you when you can actually take action on it. simply put, your b...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! i make very few recommendations about things i think all scholars should be doing.......but citation managers are one. listen to this episode to find out my reasons why - and learn my favorite piece of software to use (hint, it's free!!) for this. you truly cannot imagine the amount of information you wi...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! Welcome to Season 2 of Grad School is Hard, But...where I give you all my best tools to make things a little less hard. To kick things off, we're talking about non-linear word processors. If you've ever done any of the following: completely lost where you were in the document; scrolled up and down f...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! Okay, okay - I've given you 16 episodes (so far) of things that are hard, questions to help you dig deeper, and experiments to try....but now, you can watch me walk the walk and actually take myself through the process. That's right - this podcast has been feeling HARD for me the last few weeks - an...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! One of the most common requests from new clients: Katy! Help me focus more! I want to be able to work for more hours a day! This podcast episode is all about the hard truth around whether or not we have limits (spoiler: we do) and how to work with them, not against them. If you want to stave off burnout - thi...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! I used to live a nice, peaceful life where I made a cute little to-do list in the morning, and then I spent the day checking things off, and then once it was empty, I felt so good! Maybe I never had that - but it sounds great, doesn't it?? Staying on top of what you need to do and when is so hard as a gr...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! The question on almost every mind I encounter is why is it so HARD to know how long things wil take? As a scholar, you'll be asked to do a LOT of self-directed work and it's really hard to plan and adjust if you can't estimate how long something we'll take. We'll talk about how this s...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! After nearly three decades of actively attempting to think my way out of anxiety and other nervous system concerns, I am here to report that it is hard! And it is especially hard to manage our nervous systems in a world where there's never enough time to do it, and we all believe that we'll feel bet...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! Why is it so hard to stop for the day (or the week)? One of the big benefits of academia is setting your own schedule so.....why do so many of us end up with a "feel like I should be working all the time, crash on the couch" schedule? This week's episode is all about figuring out how to stop fo...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! Oh wow - the first and only podcast episode about goals to be released in January! But, for real - scholarly goals are NOT like other, more concrete goals. Learn more about why, reflect on how goals have helped (or NOT) you in the past, and then stay tuned for three of my most popular strategies for setting g...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! What can be so hard about a break between terms, vacation, or other kinds of time off? You'd be surprised! Let's get into what can make these times so hard, and how to plan for a break that is both restful AND useful! Grad School is Hard, But...is a podcast by Dr. Katy Peplin of Thrive PhD! Stay in...

do you have a question you'd like to see answered on the podcast? text it to me here! Has your day ever been completely off the rails by 10 am? Do you have a tendency to abandon ship at the first sign of distraction, or stick with a task that's going nowhere way longer than you should? Resetting when we lose focus is so hard - but this week, I'll share all my best strategies for gett...