Ph.D. (People Have Doubts)

As I have completed more than 2 years of my Ph.D., the following are some of the things which I have always tried to follow and some of the things I wish I had known earlier.

• Avoid Comparison: Don't try to compare yourself with your peers. The context and the journey matter. Striving to be the best creates an illusion of an endpoint and therefore, shift your focus to be at least 1% better each and every passing day than your past self.

• Be a critical thinker: My supervisor has always wanted us to be critical thinkers. Don't be a doer rather think first. Half of the work comes from identifying a compelling problem. Spend more time reading and thinking than doing. There is no point in rushing down a project and then realizing there is no point in pursuing it. This is especially difficult in academia's publish or perish culture.

• Learn to handle failures: In this long journey, failure is as certain as day and night. Progress and productivity come in waves. When your experiments and research is going strong, capitalize on it. When you have experienced failure, analyze it and learn from it. When you have hit a wall, don't bang your head against it. Take a step back and re-access the situation.

• Being Selfish: Prioritizing yourself and your work is NOT selfish. Learn to say no to extra responsibilities, side projects, even mentorship opportunities. Overcommitting to the promises which you can't keep eventually is SELFISH. You cannot pour out of an empty cup.

• Developing Skillset and Begin with the end in mind: PhD is a time to become specialised and a time period to DEVELOP skills. More than 60% of candidates in PhD want to pursue career in academia, but not all of them end up pursuing it. Diversify your skillset. Set broad goals and leave as many doors open as possible.

• People Matter: In success, there is always "US" and not "ME". Great research comes from being part of a great team. Find advisors, mentors and peers who genuinely supports your growth. Surrond yourself with people who will be there for you in your rough times of experiment failures, paper rejections and downtime.

• Health First: PhD is a degree that needs to be earned and hence it requires hard work and dedication. However, you are above your research. Find hobbies outside of research through which you can go to a state of relaxation and flow. Taking breaks means taking your mind 100% off work as much as possible. Practice mindfulness.

"Consistency is always better and greater than Perfection."