Creating Structure and Joy in Research Studies

Doctoral students write.

Forum for Doctoral Students

Weekly writing sessions are an essential part of the project, and Anna Thörnell is among those who have participated. She is a literary scholar working on her doctorate—a project in electronic poetry—and has one year remaining in her doctoral studies. She learned about the Forum for Doctoral Students when she was part of the doctoral council at her department.

“I was aware that there was an initiative to address the problems that doctoral candidates may face, and when I received information about the ‘Finish on Time’ course facilitated by Åsa Burman, I participated in it. That's where I heard about the planned writing sessions, and I immediately felt it was something for me,” Anna says. “I hoped it would help me implement the idea of working in so-called units. I had tried units before but not done it correctly, so I wanted to learn the right way,” she explains.

Less Risk of Procrastination

A widespread phenomenon among doctoral candidates is procrastination, with writing in particular often delayed. The purpose of the writing sessions at the Forum for Doctoral Students is to provide exclusive time and focus to initiate textual work.

Working in units involves concentrated work for 45 minutes, followed by a break. The method is evidence-based, with several studies showing positive results. During the writing sessions in the Forum for Doctoral Students, two units are completed, with a break for coffee.

“Sitting there and seeing others doing the same thing makes it easier to get started. You can remind yourself, ‘This is what I'm supposed to do, nothing else.’ It makes it easier to enter a deep focus. The fact that you have to stop when the session is over prevents the negative experience of slowly losing concentration,” Anna says.

Typically, six people attend each writing session, and meeting with other doctoral candidates in a group also contributes to creating a positive writing experience. Before the first session, a round is held where all the participants share what they will work on during that session and their expectations for the session. After 45 minutes, everyone takes a break, has coffee together, and then completes another 45-minute session. At the end, another round is conducted, with the participants sharing how the session felt and the results they achieved.
 

Anna Thörnell. Photo: Private

“I want to emphasize how important these writing sessions are for me and the atmosphere when we meet. Everyone experiences this sense of relief and joy in the work. One should seize the opportunity if given!” Anna shares. 

She explains that the advantage of sitting with others doing the same thing makes it easier to sharpen one’s focus. Participants help one another allocate the required time.

“By sitting together, we strengthen one another, and it becomes clear that this way of working is good—we hear when others have accomplished something good and, of course, the opposite too; we hear that others can also face setbacks. It makes one feel less alone,” Anna says.
 

Reduced Anxiety in Everyday Life

The writing sessions are held once a week at "Gula Villan". Photo: Gunnar Zetterberg."

The Forum for Doctoral Students also includes activities like social gatherings and a mentorship program, in which Anna does currently not participate. “The writing sessions have been the most important for me. Knowing that I can enter a deep focus, at least then and there, also makes me more willing to let go of thoughts about the dissertation in the rest of my everyday life, such as with my children. It creates a sense of calm to know that the opportunity to truly concentrate and get the work done is there,” she notes.

The writing sessions have provided Anna with relief in her daily life, and she is grateful that the project was implemented. “I know that there have been discussions among the leadership about doctoral candidates facing challenges in various ways. The fact that the Forum for Doctoral Students is now in place reflects a respect for the candidates’ situation that we haven’t seen so concretely before.”
 

The article is from 2022 and has been slightly modified and translated into English.