Thesis and Toddler Tales-2

Welcome to the freshest scoop of Thesis & Toddler Tales, where I spill all the PhD tea, share the epic wins and epic fails, and sprinkle a bit of magic dust on this crazy academic journey. This month let's chat about the superhero move of asking for help from your PhD squad. Trust me, it's a total game-changer, and I'm here to spill the tea on my newfound wisdom!

Now, I know I'm not the only one in this boat. When I scored that golden ticket—aka my PhD offer—in July, my first move was down the YouTube rabbit hole. I binged on videos about "things to do before starting a PhD," "life as a first-year PhD student," and the classic "was PhD worth it?" But what really grabbed my attention were the productivity tips—software for literature reviews, note-taking, references, you name it. Because, let's face it, PhD life equals tons of reading. Yet, no matter how many videos I watched, my sleep-deprived brain couldn't wrap around all the apps and software. Time was a luxury, and I ended up downloading a gazillion applications without a clue (okay, maybe not a gazillion, but you catch my drift...haha).

Enter my PhD superhero cohort member! We were chatting one day, and I spilled about how challenging it was for me to stay organized with all these software mysteries. She introduced me to the wonders of Notion, Zotero, Litmap, and Obsidian. Let me tell you, it's been a total game-changer. Bless her for spending hours figuring those out and being kind enough to show me the ropes. Now, I'm rocking the organized life!

But wait, there's more, my friends. My supervisory meeting clashed with the one day my daughter isn't in nursery, and I couldn't reach my emergency babysitter—cue panic mode. Who saved the day? Fellow PhD buddies! They swooped in to babysit while I adulted for an hour. The me from three years ago would have never asked for help, fearing I'd be a burden to others. But the new me knows that I can't conquer this PhD Mountain alone, and sometimes, we just need to shout out for a lifeline.

For all my #momademia crew, here are some golden nuggets:

Build Those Bonds: Positive relationships with your PhD buddies are like gold. Share your experiences, ask for help, and form connections. Your colleagues don't need to have kids to empathize with the juggling act!

Spill the Beans: When they ask how you're doing, spill the beans—but ask if they want the short or long version (haha). The more you connect and open up, the more you discover hacks to make this wild ride a bit smoother.

Big shoutout to Chiara, John, and Lucy for being my lifelines in these first two months of PhD madness! Remember, friends, it's okay to ask for help, and the yeses you receive can be absolute game-changers.

Here's to conquering PhD life together! ???

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With loads of love,

A young mom mastering the art of combining PhD and Motherhood