Mindset Strategies for Efficiency Every PhD Student Should Be Taught From The Beginning
Doing a PhD makes it incredibly easy to fall down the rabbit hole, losing ourselves in details, unexpected turns, new sub-hypotheses, and the creativity of designing yet another experiment.
Slowly but surely (actually, rather fast), your PhD becomes one of your most treasured projects. Your “baby.”
And when that happens, it’s dangerously easy to slip into perfectionism mode. Plus, science is fascinating. You want to be helpful, supportive, and well-liked. So you take on another experiment for a colleague. You say yes to another responsibility. You try to prove your worth.
But the truth is: this is not how it works. Yes, helping colleagues is valuable (and getting your name on their paper is nice). Yes, responsibilities are good for your CV. But not at the cost of your PhD.
You need strategy. You need boundaries. That’s how you protect your energy, increase your value, and keep your PhD your number one priority.
There are many layers to this, but today I want to focus on mindset - because that’s where everything begins.
Done is better than perfect.
This applies to almost anything: coursework, manuscripts, your thesis, teaching materials - you name it.
We want things perfect. Peer criticism reinforces that pressure. But here’s the truth:
Perfection early on is not only unrealistic - it’s harmful.
It drains your energy. It invites endless over-editing. And it delays the moment you actually move forward.
It’s more valuable to submit something imperfect, know where the weaknesses are, and improve strategically with feedback. That’s how you grow.
Your PhD is just one milestone in a long career. Right now it feels huge, but realistically: you’re still in the first half of your professional life.
Your PhD does not need to be outstanding.
Most graduates underperform relative to their early expectations, simply because your knowledge and abilities grow exponentially during the PhD.
You couldn’t have known the complexities.
You couldn’t have predicted all the troubleshooting.
And you couldn’t know which experiments others tried and abandoned (because negative results rarely get published).
Knowledge is knowledge, even when it’s negative.
So take the pressure off.
Your PhD doesn’t have to be the highlight of your life.
You’ll hear many people say their PhD was the best phase of their career. But remember:
we naturally romanticize the past
the people saying this are usually the ones who decided to stay in academia
It can feel lonely when your own PhD experience doesn’t match the idealized version. But there are countless people who left academia precisely because they didn’t enjoy the environment.
You’re not alone, and you’re not doing anything wrong.
Evaluate everything you take on.
For every new task, ask yourself:
Does it move me forward in my PhD?
→ If yes: go for it.If not:
Is it optional or mandatory (e.g., from your PI)?
Does it bring you value (scientific, strategic, or personal)?
If it doesn’t bring value: do you genuinely enjoy it?
And the most important question:
Do you REALLY have time for it?
What will fall behind if you say yes?
Helping simply because you’re kind is wonderful. Not everything needs to be strategic. But when helping becomes a way to feel worthy or avoid disappointing others, it starts working against you.
That’s where boundaries matter.
You’re allowed to protect your energy.
You’re allowed to say no.
Learning to say no from the beginning is one of the strongest skills you can build. If you set boundaries from the beginning, people adapt. If you try to set them later, it’s harder - but still possible.
Make your mindset your most important wellness priority.
This is so underrated. Your mind is your greatest tool - treat it that way.
There is an epidemic of poor mental health among PhD students. I’ve written a complementary post where I share 5 mindset strategies to help protect your mental wellbeing.
There’s so much more to say, but these points will give you a solid foundation to keep your PhD your top priority - so you can progress fast, efficiently, and with purpose.
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And in the comments, tell me:
How is your PhD going?
Which boundaries are most important for you right now?
How are you doing with saying no?
Keep going.
Alexandra