How The Present Day Planner Saved Me from Quitting My PhD

How The Present Day Planner Saved Me from Quitting My PhD

During this time seven years ago, I was six months pregnant, juggling writing my PhD dissertation, working part-time to make ends meet, and applying for jobs all across the US. There were moments when I felt like I was about to …collapse

Amidst the morning sickness and sleepless nights filled with anxiety, I couldn't focus on my research during the day. Something always seemed to pull me away from my desk, and when I finally overcame procrastination, my mind would go blank, not knowing where to start.

I tried to utilize various productivity methods, from modern apps to expensive notebooks, but nothing worked. The obstacles I faced were too complex for the usual tools. No tool was powerful enough to keep me highly focused for long periods, yet gentle enough to motivate me when I lost my drive. I was truly stuck.

One morning, after a sleepless night, I wrote a letter to my advisor expressing my desire to pause my PhD program and stop working on my dissertation. In other words, I was giving up!

I printed the letter, tucked it into a notebook, and took the bus to the university to meet my professor. On the bus, I read and re-read the letter multiple times, rehearsing the words "I'm sorry, but..." thousands of times. Then suddenly, I noticed the page where I had tucked the letter. It was a page from a productivity planner, ending with the question: "On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your productivity today?" I was furious. My blood boiled. The notebook seemed to be judging and mocking me!

But just right then, a sudden thought came to my mind: "Why not use my expertise in education to create a more 'human' productivity planner, one that is more balanced and practical?" With that in mind, I flipped the resignation letter over and used the blank page to sketch the first layouts for a "dream" productivity planner.

On that bus ride, I went back and forth to school and home several times, engrossed in my sketches. When the bus finally stopped for a driver shift change, I got off. Stepping outside, I felt rejuvenated. Forgetting all about quitting, I dashed home to start using my self-made tool immediately.

Those were the initial designs of The Present Day Planner, seven years ago.

Fast forward to the present, I have graduated with a dual PhD and become an Assistant Professor at a major university in the US. The dissertation I struggled to write while pregnant (and later with my baby in a sling) won the Best Dissertation Award of the year. In the final years of my PhD, I managed to take care of my young child, work full-time, and steer my family through the challenges of the pandemic, yet I felt much less pressured than in previous years. My working hours reduced by 50-70%, but my work efficiency increased tenfold—evidenced by 10 of my research papers being published in international scientific journals before graduation—a feat I had never dared to dream of before.

All thanks to my “SECRET WEAPON”: THE PRESENT DAY Planner 

But what exactly is special about this planner? How could a small notebook create such a significant transformation for me (and many others who have tried the sample planners)? What scientific principles underpin this planner?—You could find the answers in my next blog posts. 

 

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