Time is waiting in the wings

For doctoral students, time as an actor may play the unstoppable clock counting down to the final submission deadline. During the early days of their studies, students may feel it is running slowly. This creates an illusion that they have plenty of time to complete their doctorate. Yet, as their research develops and their deadline draws closer, the same clock moves to centre stage in their lives and the speed at which it counts down appears to become quicker. This chapter begins by reflecting on the author’s doctoral experience, before turning to the practice of co-managing time, focussing upon thesis research and writing. Within this, the author integrates his experiences with those of doctoral students he has taught, supervised and advised, considering activities and associated realisations that have been particularly valuable. The chapter ends with a summary of these activities as six time-related lessons for keeping the doctorate on track.