4 Inspiring Lessons from My Doctoral Experience

Two years ago, in 2021, I enrolled in Walden for a doctorate in Business Administration, and 24 months later, I successfully defended my doctoral thesis and added to the scholarly knowledge base and practice of business administration. Quite a long tale when I look back at the journey. Starting a primary school in the village, in the days when mpanaka (local lantern with naked flame) provided us with the only source of light for any productive work after evening cockcrow. I can’t forget our firefighting skills then, trying to stop the fire that went from mpanaka to the raffia thatched roof when boys were experimenting with fire. ?Looking back at the past 24 months' journey and how easily it passed despite the rigor, some lessons come to mind that I am glad to share:

#1 - Exercise raves up the brain: I learned by experience the benefits of exercise to brain function since high school and have deliberately factored it to daily routine. A friend rightly joked that he begins his day with a 30-minute run each day to run away from distracting worries. When the doctorate writing and research pressure intensified, I doubled up on the exercise habit. This habit improved my energy level and helped keep me in top form through the rigors of the doctoral program. This experience aligns with Kenneth H. Cooper's claim that exercise habits enhance the quality of life.

#2 – Creative Time Management: It can be very difficult to stay away from those emotion-laden television shows, especially when there are soccer matches. After struggling in vain to order my hand to stay away from the TV remote, I had to turn the television upside down and removed the cables when I was writing the uniquely tough ICAN exams many years ago. That freed up enough time for concentrated studies. Cell phones are the major culprits now, much more than televisions used to. Multiple feeds on phones are often too good to ignore. The safest thing I did during the doctoral program was to keep the phone at least two meters away during the stretchy and sometimes boring doctoral writing and research periods. I deliberately avoided checking the phone first thing in the morning. I heard this helps build self-control muscle to say no to phone distractions when needed. Prioritizing private time for family, studies, exercise, and friends became easier with minimal phone disruptions. I copied the habit of planning each day the night before from the advice of Robin Sharma in his book, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari and deliberately wrote down top daily to dos to minimize dissipating energy.

#3 – Shared family support system: My wife believes I am the next best thing after Einstein and that I have the whole university library in my head. With that kind of expectation, there is minimal room to soften the grip on the thug rope, the sweltering blisters on the hands notwithstanding. The children joined as they periodically waited for feedback on my performance. Anyway, I made it with a 4/4 GPA. So, they also can! ?Family belief and support were the key accelerators in the journey. Belief and support of loved ones motivates like nothing else.

#4 – Small Teams Win Big: We had this exciting small team that was assigned to a faculty chair towards the critical writing phase of the study.? We bonded like atoms in a molecule, helping and supporting each other. Knowledge sharing, transparency, and positive peer pressure to excel kept us in the race. We drew inspiration from one another as the journey unfolded and intensified.

Overall, it was an interesting adventure backed by Grace. Finishing and defending a 231-page thesis in record time alongside work, family, business, and social responsibilities was an inspiring odyssey. #doctoralexperience #DrMagnus