PhD is A Part of Life, Don't Make It Life.

In continuation of the last blog on PhD here is my next article. 

Observing hundreds of PhD students in the last five years during my research, I can say that, "Gods" can help everyone only till Masters, not in PhD. Many of us agree, right? 

The phase through which PhDs walk is unique and unimaginable. It is very tough to motivate and understand their problem. PhDs become more of thinkers than doers in the first couple of years, and this illness continues. Monotonous, boring lifestyle and loneliness bring every weakness out of us. Strengths won't help them anymore. People simply get busy doing nothing. 

Most of us have an idea about science but not research. Science is very fascinating, but research. One should look at reality first. Research teaches us how to approach a problem? If there's no problem, then creating one by finding the gap from previous research done by others. As per my understanding, these are the two broad categories of research. 

Finding a gap, looks like an easy job but creating a problem which never existed/going to exist in future and again trying to solve that problem is not an easy task for the mind as well as emotions. One has to convince himself a lot to do that. 

Such "PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS TO THOSE" matters a lot to NONE. The most fascinating subject of SCIENCE gets boring. 

Why one should even bother about a problem which matters to none at least in front of your eyes? 

On top of it, in this Celestia of knowledge, the contribution which our research is going to make is a million times less than the size of a particle of dust. Fewer acknowledgements, fewer appreciations, lesser salary and more sacrifices. 

Surprisingly, we start applying research behaviours in every aspect of our life once we encounter non-research problems or real-world problems daily. After some time, it becomes a habit. 

Finding GAP in everything - Assumptions - Actions - Consequences - Expected Results - Conclusions and again Finding the GAPs in it ----- This cycle continues only and only in our mind rather than implementing it on the ground. 

In such conditions, problem solvers become a big problem. We start getting stuck in all kinds of questions which even our uneducated and illiterate great grandfathers had solved without much mental agony. 

Then, where's the solution? The solution is with YOU. 

The solution is, become doers and less of thinkers at least for a couple of hours a day. 

I have observed very few people who are very active even in their fifth-sixth year of PhD. The main factor which is keeping them in that state of mind is a busy social life. 

CAUTION: Active social life doesn't mean spending time with your labmates or research mates in a coffee shop or restaurant. The more you stay away from your labmates during non-office hours, the more successful you become in research. It purely means getting involved in non-research activities. 

Category I: These people are very active in sports. They spend at least 2-3 hours outdoors in the ground. 

Category II: These people are in actively involved in family matters and/or in stable relationships. 

The biggest mistake what PhDs make is going away from society. If you want to have a healthy mind "in and after" PhD, then you must get involved in a community no matter what. It may look uncomfortable for some time, say for 6-7 months, but it is necessary. 

Don't follow your bloody, lonely, and boring labmates all the time. They have already made their life a desert, and they will take you to the same place. You should be SINCERE to your research not SERIOUS about it. Stop spending too much time with them. Make friends from other billion people.

Early human beings started living as a community because they realised living with only one person is deadliest. The same principle applies here. Thinking all the time about research - isn't it foolish?

 You can bring back this fascination and curiosity about science only when you give the required time - I mean quality time. Try to spend quality time with your experiments rather than sticking to it 24x7. Which fool can concentrate on a research paper for years? 

Truth is, even if you spend 24 x 7 or 8 x 5, it will take at least 4-5 years. You can spend this either by enjoying or in pain. It is up to the individual. You should make a choice. 

Don't you have that experience from college or school days, just by noticing or observing a person you got to know so many things without even spending a minute with them? Thus, the source of knowledge lies in attention, concentration and quality observation. 

As Swami Vivekananda said, “You should work like a master and not as a slave; work incessantly, but do not do a slave’s work.”

Look at kids, they have a great ability to concentrate on any given stuff in a pinch of time. They perceive knowledge. They never try to gather or memorise information by spending the whole day.  

An old lady in Brazil told me, "Boy, stop living a life of textbook. Life is a festival, we should  celebrate it."

-SB