A Grad Student’s Tips for Getting Out of a Motivational Rut | PhD and Productivity

After 2 years of mostly working from home, I’ve been in a bit of a motivational rut this semester. Even though I absolutely LOVE my apartment and being able to have all my home comforts around me, lately it’s been difficult to focus and my brain has been SO bored doing the same routine and staring at the same screen over and over again. So, the last couple of months, I’ve dabbled around with some things that have helped get me out of a motivational rut and I’m excited to share them with you - enjoy!

(1) change up your environment and leave your house

If you have the flexibility, my number one recommendation for getting out of a rut is to leave the house! It doesn’t have to be for a very long period of time and it doesn’t even have to be very far away - but a change in scenery has done wonders for my motivation. Though you do lose some time commuting to a new space, I find that those couple of hours when I’m in a coffee shop, coworking space, or a library tend to be pretty productive and seeing the hustle and bustle around me usually makes me feel like I’ve accomplished more at the end of the day.

A secondary thing that happens is that I appreciate my own space more once I’ve had the opportunity to work in an office environment again. When I’m at home for such a long time, the novelty of being able to work from my couch really starts to wear off so forcing myself into another space also makes me a little more productive at home because I realize how much more comfortable I am at home!

(2) book a work-cation

I am THE BIGGEST proponent of work-cations. If you have not tried a work-cation and you are in for a TREAT. Just because you have work to do, doesn’t mean you can’t work from somewhere else right? Nature and being in a new place can be such a healing and at the same time exciting experience - and I find that this is the perfect complement for really buckling down and getting work done when you’ve gotten really sick of being stuck in your apartment!

Most hotels and airbnbs now have pretty reliable wifi and you can usually rent out a cozy space that is perfect for getting away and focusing on work (or whatever it is you want to focus on at the time!). I love taking solo trips or trips with my partner (who also works from home!) where we spend the day working and enjoying a new space overlooking a beautiful river or tucked way in the woods! It makes working from “home” a little more fun and even makes my work feel more meaningful

I’m currently in the stage of my PhD program where my main focus is writing my dissertation and doing research - something I can do from anywhere. So, my favorite way to enjoy this semester has been through booking various airbnbs in the middle of the workweek, usually for a lower rate but the same great space :)

(3) the pomodoro method

I know that not everyone will have the means or the time to leave their work from home situation so I also have a couple of recommendations when you’re stuck at home with no other options! My top tip for getting out of a motivational rut is definitely trying out the pomodoro method. I wrote all about the pomodoro method in this blog post: How I use the pomodoro method, if you’re interested in checking it out! - But long story short - what it is is a method where you work for a timed, focused amount of time with no distractions (usually around 20-25 minutes) then take a 5-10 minute break and continue that cycle for 2 hours. For me, the simple act of putting myself on a timer for getting things done can be very motivating because (1) I know that the amount of time is limited so the work doesn’t feel as daunting and (2) it shows me just how much I’m able to get done in a short period of time! Even writing this blog post right now, I’m timing myself on a 10 minute timer to see how quickly I can get things written in a short time span. You’d be surprised how much you can get done with really focused, small bits of time!

(4) a new playlist & noise cancelling headphones

I feel like I say this all the time so hopefully y’all aren’t sick of hearing it yet buuuuut…. Get yourself a pair of noise cancelling headphones!!! Truthfully, I do not know WHAT I was doing with myself before I owned a pair of noise-cancelling headphones because they are absolute GAME changers. Even when I’m at home in my own space, since I live in an apartment, there are always noises both inside and outside of my apartment building that can be pretty distracting. With noise-cancelling headphones, much of that background noise fades away which makes it so that I’m not quickly flicking my attention between so many different things.

If I’m reeeeaaallly in a rut, I like to find a new playlist to play in my headphones to get myself a little more excited for the day! Lately, I’ve been really enjoying study with me videos on YouTube. I tend to prefer the ones that have lo-fi playlists and built in pomodoro timers. I find that having that structure is very motivating for me because it feels like I have a friend who is guiding me and studying along with me.

(5) plan rewards for yourself!

My final tip for getting out of a motivational rut is to REWARD YOURSELF. I honestly reward myself like I would my dog for good behavior! I think that in grad school and in work in general, we often feel like we should do something just because it’s an obligation or part of our jobs or because we’re responsible adult bla bla bla - when in reality, we’re all humans, we all have a bit of an inner child, and sometimes we just need something FUN to motivate ourselves!

For me, the rewards are usually poke, Hawaiian pizza, or an episode of a reality TV show I’m dying to watch :) (Looking at you love island!) The bigger the reward, the harder I have to work for it! Most recently, I presented a paper I’m working on and since it was a presentation where I was experiencing a LOT of anxiety, my reward was both pizza and sushi hehe!

I know working from home during a pandemic can be a HUGE challenge but one benefit is that you’re able to design your environment and may even have the flexibility to tackle some of your existing systems in a way that can help you jumpstart your motivation! I hope these tips were helpful to those of you who might also be in a bit of a motivation rut like myself - if you have any tips you’d like to share with me and this community, leave them in a comment below!

My Favorite Mac Keyboard Shortcuts for Productivity | Productivity in Grad School

Hello, friends! I guess this week is all about my MacBook haha - we’re on a roll! In my last post, I shared my favorite MacBook apps for productivity in grad school and today, I’m sharing the next best thing - all my favorite keyboard and swipe shortcuts for productivity on my MacBook!

Shortcuts might seem like a trivial thing in the grand scheme of things but I am telling you - those little things ADD UP, so don’t underestimate them! Something that can be done in one swipe rather than 3-4 clicks is going to add up to saving you tons of time (and frankly frustration!) in the long term. So, without further ado, some of my favorite shortcuts on the MacBook and how I use them in my everyday life for productivity in grad school!

For keeping my desktop organized:

  • command + option + escape - pulls up a little window that shows you all of the apps you have open and allows you to force quit the ones you no longer need. If you’re someone like me who leaves about 1,000 apps on your laptop up at all times to the point where your laptop sounds like a hairdryer - memorize this keyboard shortcut and use it liberally!

  • command + w - closes a window you have open, but doesn’t close the entire application. E.g., if you have multiple google chrome tabs open, it will close just the tab you’re currently looking at. Another super useful one if you’re like me and enjoy having 1,000 tabs open at all times!

  • command + q - quits a program or app you are currently using. Before you quit the program, make sure to save everything you need, but once you’ve determined you no longer need an app open, quickly use command + q to quit a program so that your laptop doesn’t need to continue running it in the background!

For navigating around my computer while I’m working:

  • Trackpad four finger swipe - one of my faaaavorite things about the macbook is the ease with which you can switch between different active desktops and how you can have a ton of active desktops all at the same time! This was a huge selling point when I bought my first Macbook because I am the queen of having 1,000 windows up but about half of those are windows I’ll briefly reference before going back to my main window. Swiping with four fingers allows me to swipe between desktops quickly.

  • Alfred: control + space bar - I talked about Alfred in my previous blog post on my favorite Macbook Apps and it has quickly become one of my most used keyboard shortcuts. Downloading the Alfred app (which is free!) allows me to select a keyboard shortcut - in my case, control + space bar - that pulls up a window where I can quickly type the name of any file or app that I want to open. If you’re an academic like me, you probably have 1000000 papers and data files on your computer and again if you’re like me, you probably don’t remember exactly where you stored all of those items (oops!). Alfred fixes ALL of those problems and makes searching for files SUPER simple.

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For Writing & Notetaking

As a grad student, I spend about 95% of my time either writing or taking notes on things! Whether that’s documenting an analysis I’ve done, taking notes on journal articles for a literature review, or writing up a research paper - there are TONS of shortcuts I use throughout the writing and notetaking process. I’ve broken them down into two main categories below!

Classic Shortcuts for Editing:

  • command + c - to copy text

  • command + v - to paste text

  • command + f - opens a search bar where you can type in whatever you’re looking for. This pretty much works on any app but I find that I use it most when I’m editing documents or trying to find my place in a really long paper! 🙃

  • command + s - to save a document. This one literally works on everything - I think I might use this one every minute. There have been too many times where I’ve lost work because I didn’t save in time before the program crashed (looking at you SPSS) so I’m now conditioned to hit command + s every 60 seconds juuuuust in case.

  • command + p - to print or save a PDF. Though this shortcut is usually used to print a document, I most frequently use it to save things as a PDF so that I can share it via email with collaborators or students.

Document Navigation & Highlighting Text:

  • option + right/left arrows - Holding option while you navigate lets you skip between words.

  • command + right/left arrows - Holding command while you navigate lets you skip entire lines of text.

  • command + a - Highlights ALL of the text in your document or on the page you’re working on. Super useful if I need to highlight an entire page and copy it elsewhere!

  • shift + arrows - Holding shift down while you navigate highlights individual letters.

  • shift + option + arrows - Holding shift + option down while you navigate highlights individual words.

  • shift + command + arrows - Holding shift + command down while you navigate highlights entire lines of text. Or, if you’re in the middle of a line, hitting the left arrow will highlight everything to the left of your cursor and hitting the right arrow will highlight everything to the right of your cursor. Using the up arrow will highlight every line in the document above your cursor and using the down arrow will highlight every line in the document below your cursor.

Screenshotting

Honestly I think I screenshot something at least several times a day - either to take a quick note of something I want to remember or even to show something visually to a colleague - I find that screenshotting is often the easiest way to communicate and document!

  • command + shift + 5 - screenshots your entire desktop

  • command + shift + 4 - pops up a little target that allows you to drag and select the part of your screen that you want to screenshot. I use this one far more than screenshots of my entire desktop because frankly? I don’t need everyone I work with to know how much of a mess my computer is 😛

On the Apple Notes App:

The Apple notes app is the main way I track personal lists, take quick notes, and plan for the month/year. For this reason, I use a lot of shortcuts when I’m typing out things on the apple notes app to plan more efficiently and customize my notes.

  • command + shift + C - brings out a palette of colors on the notes app. This makes it easier for me to highlight things that are important in bright colors!

  • command + shift + L - starts a checklist in your notes app. I love this feature in apple notes because if you’ve made a checklist, then every time you finish a task, you can tap the bubble and the item you’ve finished will automatically sort itself to the end of your list - leaving your remaining tasks at the top.

  • command + k - inserts a link. I save links CONSTANTLY and being able to highlight text and then insert a link within that text (rather than saving the entire, non-aesthetically pleasing, super long, messy link) makes my notes a lot neater.

I hope you enjoyed reading through all my favorite shortcuts! Maybe I’m a bit of a productivity nerd having “favorite” shortcuts haha - but I swear, in the long run, they will save you SO much time! Work smarter, not harder, right? Anyway, if you have any shortcuts that you use that you think I might also enjoy - leave me a comment down below, I’d love to hear from you!

What’s on my Macbook? | MacBook Apps for Productivity in Grad School and Academia

Hello, friends! Today, I’m talking aaaall about what’s on my MacBook! I’ve done a lot of posts about some of my favorite tools on the iPad, but the apps I use on my MacBook are equally as important to my productivity in grad school - sometimes an app solves problems that I didn’t even know I had! So without further ado, my favorite MacBook apps for productivity in grad school :)

(1) Zotero

Free to Download on Mac or PC

Y’ALL. If you are a grad student or an academic, DO NOT SLEEP ON A CITATION MANAGER. I repeat. DO NOT SLEEP ON A CITATION MANAGER. There is nothing more tedious and unnecessary than having to do all of your citations by hand. Yes, a citation manager isn’t going to be perfect, but technology is a reaaaally powerful thing and it can get you 80% of the way there - so use it!

My citation manager of choice is Zotero and the most powerful way I’ve found to use it is to also download the Zotero Google Chrome extension. This extension allows you to save articles from webpages you’re visiting and most of the time, it’s able to save all of the information you need for a citation. Then once you’ve saved the article, you can easily right click on any entry and ask it to create a bibliography out of the items you’ve selected. It even saves a copy of the article in PDF form (if it’s available) so that you can access the PDF easily through Zotero. I literally use Zotero every single time I’m writing a research paper and cannot recommend it ENOUGH.

what's on my macbook, macbook apps for productivity in grad school and academia, magnet

(2) Magnet

$7.99 on the App Store

If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s an easier way to look at two windows on your MacBook screen, you NEED Magnet. I’m usually not a big purchaser of apps on my MacBook but damn if this little app isn’t worth every single penny.

If you’re an academic or student - you know what it’s like to write a paper or run a bit of data analysis and need to have every 1000 windows up in order to write one dang sentence. Magnet is an app that allows you to super easily split up your screen real estate with quick shortcuts. It has tons of options (e.g., you can split your screen into halves, thirds, quarters etc) and makes viewing things in the ideal format a lot easier.

The app is inherently simple and doesn’t do much other than that, but this is a game changer. ANY app that turns something that would’ve taken me a minute to adjust and turns it into a 1 second keyboard is saving you time in the long term and making it easier for you to be productive!

what's on my macbook, macbook apps for productivity in grad school and academia, notion, notetaking

(3) Notion

Free for Educators/Students

If you’ve taken a peek at my Best Notetaking Apps for Students post, you know that I have a bit of a mixed relationship with Notion! I’ve had a couple of experiences of not being able to access my notes at vital time points, so for that reason, I can’t 100% recommend it as a good notetaking app for students. However, I can recommend it as a tool for productivity!

Notion is absolutely great for tracking progress on projects and I frequently use it as a way of tracking blog posts I’m writing and where I am in the process of writing those blog posts! It’s also super, super useful for writing literature reviews for research papers because you can easily tag, filter, and sort papers based on content.

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(4) Google Drive

Free to Download: 15 GB of free storage, then paid.

This is going to sound like Zotero 2.0 buuut it has to be said - if you are a grad student or academic, DO NOT SLEEP ON A FILE MANAGER! I swear the number of files that lived on my computer increased by a billion as soon as I became a grad student. I have about 1000 versions of my dissertation and every research article under the sun saved on my computer, so having a file manager that automatically backs up my computer and allows me to access the files on any device has been a life saver on MULTIPLE occasions!

My file manager of choice is Google Drive because I already use Google for many other services (e.g., gmail) and because unlimited storage is offered by my university. Not only is it vital when your computer or another device decides to die on you, you also never know when you might need to access a file from your office at work or on your phone or iPad - and using Google Drive to sync everything has given me a lot of peace of mind.

P.S. if you haven’t already - definitely take a look at what digital file management systems your university already provides for students and faculty. It’s worth taking advantage of it since it’s a resource that is available to you!

(5) Alfred

Free on the App Store

Alfred may be my favorite Macbook app of ALL TIME. Literally, life changing. It has saved me SO much time over the years and has made my life SO MUCH EASIER. Alfred is an app that allows you to search for any or file on your computer or search the web with a quick keyboard shortcut. You can pick the keyboard shortcut that works for you (mine is control + space bar) and then whenever you type in that shortcut, no matter what app or window you’re viewing on your computer, alfred will pop up and you can start typing down whatever it is you’re searching for.

Now, this might not sound like a super helpful app at the onset but think about ALL of the time you usually spend navigating to an app on your computer desktop or searching for a file that you’ve buried god knows where. With Alfred all you have to do is hit your keyboard shortcut and start typing the name of the file or the name of the app you’re looking for. Hit enter as soon as you see it and your file or app will start opening. This has saved me TONS of time since navigating to the file I’m looking for usually takes me a couple of minutes - but when I search for it on alfred, the file I’m looking for usually appears within the first 3-4 letters I type! A really simple, elegant solution for a problem I didn’t even know I had 😊

(6) OneNote

I’ve talked extensively about using OneNote on my iPad so I won’t go too in-depth here, but it’s worth mentioning on this list, too, because it is again one of my most used app on my MacBook. I use OneNote to track every research idea, every research project, and every teaching lesson I’ve ever planner. I also use it all the time for personal projects like improving my mental health, journaling, and collecting all of my favorite recipes! To see how I use OneNote check out my best apps for notetaking app.

All in all, most of my favorite macbook apps are all about making life easier by reducing any friction that might prevent me from being productive. Many of these apps are conceptually simple but make a massive difference in helping my day-to-day work run more smoothly! What are your favorite MacBook apps? I’m always interested in trying more and would love to hear your favorites!