Academics tend to be ambitious perfectionists in a zero-sum world. However, many of the basic skills of academia–writing, teaching, and good work habits–are things grad students are expected to pick up by osmosis. Think of this blog as a friendly conversation, aimed at grad students in the sciences, about setting realistic goals and the tools and tactics toward achieving them.
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Survive and Thrive in Grad School 
Excellent site! Would that we had one for postdocs! Any suggestions?
I’ve just found your blog, and I will promote it at any given opportunity to anyone who might show even the slightest interest. I am at pains to expose as much of my own troublesome writing and research process (pretty much the same, no?) as possible on my blog (in Danish, not very international, but you’ve gotta start somewhere).
Academics tend to make what they do look almost effortless or at least reasonably straight forward if only you’ve got the brains. This makes students think that something must be wrong with them when they struggle to succeed. A lowly Ph.D.-student myself, I have realized that I have, in fact, got it in me to become a real academic: I procrastinate. And quadrant II, please don’t mention quadrant II…
Great site, thanks!
I would like to congratulate the team efforts by all those contributors for the excellent articles ,as well as for the material as well. From my poor english you can very well know that it is very difficult for any one to get such pieces of information which not only encourage the graduate students from developing countries to get access to the guidance which they always are hungry. But free access also gives them oppurtunity to learn and share what things are going on global scale.
With kindest regards
ashwini
I got here by googling images of pencil drawings birds
I cannot remember how I got here, but I bookmarked it and “re-found” it today.
I am trying to kick this nasty habit of procrastinating, and trying to improve time management skills. I think I’m just not motivated enough. No sense of urgency about anything.
wow, i just fell upon this websirte and found it fascinatind aswell as the link from Jill Bolte Tayler on the TED link. Her couragous and enthralling story entitled: My stroke of insight. It made me cry, laugh and i have every intention to pass this on to everyone i kow.
thank you, thank you, thank you.xx
Thanks for putting up this site. I’m a new grad student and had been struggling with many of these issues for awhile before a friend referred me to this site. It’s been a particularly helpful and lucid read.
oh wow i love the site, ESPECIALLY because you’re an okie like me. Honestly, I’m so glad I found your blog–I’ve been looking for a blog like this for a long time!
I’m a public health research student that is trying again another approach to getting things done. I know this site is for people in the sciences – but can’t seem to find an equivalent for public health research. I just need somewhere to communicate my attempts to organise myself better to complete my thesis writing. I’ve had enough extensions now. Good luck to all out there who are facing the challenges of post-graduate research, let’s get over each one as it comes. Time management for me is one that I haven’t handled very well, amongst other things. But I’ve started again at trying to get this right.
It is an excellent place to browse for hints and ideas I needed. I just sent it out to my friends in Mongolia. I hope they might find it useful as well.