Posted on by Lonwabo Makapela

What I love about Winter

Well, the first semester is done and dusted. Though much of it is a blur, the temperatures are now beginning to drop, colours fading, trees becoming bare, the air crisp, and nature is hitting a pause on growth; I thought to do the same, and upon a bit of reflecting, I realise that I have had a disproportionate amount of Winter over the last 12 months. Having left for the U.S. in August and returning to South Africa in May means that I left just as Winter ended, lived in the U.S. all through the Winter, only to return to South Africa as Winter started again. Something about that seems poetic, so shall I compare thee to Winter?

First, many of my blog posts on the PhD/research journey have been quite sombre. And though I acknowledge the winter blues and all its stressful and anxiety-enhancing oddities, I have decided to dig a little deeper today and explore the magnificence of the little light we see in Winter. So, what exactly is it that I love about Winter? Let’s get to it.

Travelling

Once winter break hits, most of us travel home, and if not, we travel somewhere with family and friends. Similarly, one of the best perks of being a researcher is the opportunity to travel. If not to collect your data, you are attending conferences, and workshops, taking up visiting research positions all around the globe. What’s even better is that research trips are often funded in a way that allows travel costs to be taken care of. Travelling brings many benefits, such as exploring different cultures, alleviating stress and anxiety, drawing inspiration, and creating unforgettable memories.

Eating steamy stews

Conceptualising your research ideas resembles the making of an excellent steamy stew in the sense that when making a heavy bottom stew, you add your many ingredients to the hot oil, the cuts of meat are tough and need a significant length of time to break down – it takes time to develop great flavour; therefore, the heat must be slow and gradual, never fully reaching boiling point, and occasionally removing the soup from the heat. This process may be long-drawn-out, but nothing warms us up like a steamy stew on a wintery evening; it fills your heart with warmth and is soothing to the chill of Winter. So, give yourself time to do your thing, but be sure to get cosy and enjoy the result!

Layering all your favourite clothes into one outfit

It’s hardly possible to predict Winter forecasts at times. It could be rainy on one day, freezing the next and warmer than average temperatures the next. This sometimes makes dressing for the weather difficult. However, reminiscent of choosing suitable theories to support your research, selecting the appropriate inner layers for your outfit is essential. The delicate and fun nature of layering means you must be sure to layer the clothes both fashionably and functionally. You can experiment and play with garments in your closet and allow your creativity to shine through. So, give yourself the leeway to experiment with various colours, patterns, and textures for infinite possibilities.

Days off!

With research, life can often become a go go go, as we get wrapped up in the stresses. But this can take a toll on your brain, body, and spirit. Without a doubt, we are all wrestling with this realisation and having to decide whether it would be wise to take a break. This reminds me of the extreme weather conditions this time of the year, particularly in the Eastern Cape, where driving conditions are less than ideal due to heavy snowfall, which leads to a closure of the mountain Pass. These extreme weather conditions forcefully assign a day off to many. Therefore, feel free to take a break on those rainy, snowy days and whenever needed. Sometimes, cosying up to a hot beverage, snacks, and Netflix is just what you need.

Planning your spring

There naturally comes a time, usually towards the beginning of July when I start daydreaming about spring and the new semester. Granted, as a PhD student I don’t have an explicit winter break, but due to habit and emptiness of campus around this time, I feel prompted to take some time off and start planning for the new semester – looking forward to the newness and bloom of spring gives my spirit a boost. Having something to look forward to, can make the world’s difference, so start making those warm-weather plans now!

Ultimately, the winter season brings forth colder months and shorter days. And although the best part of nature is going to sleep due to frost in the air and the low temperatures, the colours of the dying leaves are magnificent.

‘If winter has the courage to turn into spring, who says I can’t bloom just the same’ Sian Wilmot.

Posted on by Lonwabo Makapela

Lon’s 7 study hacks!

Hi!

So, I ambitiously started writing this blog post a week before leaving the U.S. for South Africa. Little did I know that packing up my life to move back home would be such a draining emotional rollercoaster, followed by two weeks of painful jetlag once I arrived home. BUT, I had to get myself out of that rut of exhaustion and get writing because how could I miss out on such an important topic?

This week’s post is all about the study tips I found most helpful during my undergrad, and, particularly, during my honours year. I feel like that Honours was the period in which I was in my stride and was able to remain consistent throughout the academic year. June marks the midway point of the South African academic year, and I have found that the June/July holidays are an excellent time to recalibrate and remind yourself why you started this educational journey. Many of us might be in a slump, with much of the motivation we all had at the beginning of the year diminishing. This is an ideal time to ensure we revive the spirit of consistency. Half of my recommendations are relevant to undergraduate and Honours students, but I believe that a few adjustments here and there should ensure applicability to any setting that requires productivity, so keep reading. Let’s get to it.

1. Find what works best for you

One of my most vital pieces of advice is to give yourself the time and grace to try different ways of effective studying and choose what feels most natural. I have gone through my fair share of trial and error with various study methods. Trying different techniques and strategies taught me a lot about my working habits and how to optimise my life. Additionally, I began paying attention to my personality and behavioural traits, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, to figure out what works best for me. As an example to shed some light on why this is key, I began sitting in the front row during lectures because it allowed me to participate in class without feeling too self-conscious. After all, I felt like I was having a more direct conversation with the lecturer. Over and above that, I felt obligated to always have my work done by regularly participating in class because now the lecturers knew me. All this played perfectly into my personality and need for accountability.

2. Eat your breakfast

This tip is one that I can’t take much credit for because it is something my dad would repeat time and time again. Now I say this as someone who is not much of a breakfast person, but the brain uses up so much of our energy. So, once I began prioritising a bowl of oats in the morning, I started noticing that it would give me just enough energy to get through the first half of the day.

3. Schedule everything

Every hat you wear deserves its own proportion of your time, and writing down everything you need to get done keeps you on track with your time management. Many productivity YouTubers have coined this method as time blocking. I schedule everything down to my naps and replying to emails. I also limit the time allocated towards each task per Parkinson’s law which states that ‘work will expand to fill the time allotted for its completion.’ To keep track of this, I use the Pomodoro technique, which encourages you to work with the time you are given through a time management app based on 25-minute stretches of focused work broken by five-minute breaks.

4. Note-taking

Weekdays were usually too packed and busy to consolidate my lecture notes. Therefore, I would use Saturday mornings to finalise my summaries. In taking notes, I would colour code my notes according to each module, primarily because I am a visual person. This was very helpful because my brain would associate a particular colour with that module, making memorisation more effective.

5. Have a study spot

A space associated with study and work, particularly at home, is a good strategy. This helps condition your brain to know that work needs to be done once you move into that space. I tend to have stricter rules regarding my study space, such as not eating and not having my phone once I sit down to maintain my brain’s association with that area.

Two notes about this: 1) While using the Pomodoro technique, once my 25 minutes of work are done, I get up, grab my phone and sit elsewhere during my 5-minute break. 2) Similarly, when I have to eat, I get up from that area, sit elsewhere in the house and eat. When I still lived in a student residence, I would get up from my desk and sit on my bed.

6. Create a reward system

An academic term or semester is too long to expect your brain to remain motivated until the release of your final grades. So, creating a reward system towards the small wins helps maintain motivation. Moreover, it is essential to prioritise the need to fuel, recharge, and nourish your well-being as a human. Therefore, I would incorporate the two by using any fuel source as a reward. For example, at the end of each day, once my tasks are completed, I would meet up with a friend, walk, catch up on some YouTube content, go shopping, or whatever I felt like. The key is understanding what a day-to-day reward is like for you tangibly.

7. Weekly accountability check-in

I typically do this on Sunday evening, checking whether I have met my weekly goals and tasks. This is an excellent time to reflect, take stock of what has happened during the past week, and set a new plan and related tasks for the week. Achieving such functions during the week adds to the bigger goals you are working towards. This has been a great way of keeping me accountable and in alignment with my goals for the year.

To be honest, once my studies became research-centric, I struggled to integrate some of these study hacks, but as mentioned in tip no.1, you have to keep trying new methods and strategies and incorporate different habits into your routine to find what works best for you. Do that and cultivate consistency by practising how to ‘make yourself do what you should do when you should do it whether you feel like it or not’, and you will be well on your way. All the best!