Welcome to my PhD blog
Worried you're doing your PhD all wrong and someone's about to find out? You're in the right place. 😂
In this blog, I cover all the stuff you might need help with. Like writing your literature review, doing your qualitative data analysis, developing your discussion chapter, and trying not to go completely bonkerpants in the process.
I'll help you work out HOW to do all those things everyone keeps telling you to do.
Expect practical PhD advice, based on the unspoken truth that nobody's PhD is nearly as neat as their finished thesis makes it look.
Have a nosey at the latest posts below, or browse by topic to find what you need.
Qualitative Methods | Literature Review | Methodology | Planning and Organisation | Writing Up | Supervision | PhD Mindset | Paradigms, Conceptual and Theoretical Frameworks
Featured Posts
Latest Posts
Conceptual vs theoretical frameworks in a qualitative PhD: what’s the difference? And why students get stuck
Conceptual and theoretical frameworks are often treated as interchangeable in PhD advice - but they do very different jobs. This post explains the distinction, why qualitative PhD students get stuck, and how frameworks evolve as your thinking deepens.
How to Plan 2026 Without Burning Out: A realistic guide for PhD students
Planning 2026 as a PhD student? Learn how to plan realistically, reduce overwhelm, and stay consistent all year, without burnout or toxic productivity.
When to stop reading for your thematic literature review (and start writing)
If you’re writing a thematic or narrative literature review, endless reading can feel productive - but it often delays real progress. This post explains how to recognise when you’ve read enough and how to shift into structured, critical synthesis.
How to structure your thematic PhD literature review in three clear steps
If your PhD literature review feels overwhelming, it’s usually not a motivation problem - it’s a structure problem. This post explains how to organise a thematic or narrative literature review in three clear steps that move you from summary to synthesis.
How to structure your qualitative PhD discussion chapter themes
Perhaps writing the discussion chapter is turning out to be harder than you expected. You might be sitting in front of your computer right now, the document open in another window, and you’re thinking, “For goodness sake, someone just tell me what this thesis is actually trying to say!”…
Feeling behind in your qualitative PhD? Why it happens and what to do about it
Almost every PhD researcher feels behind at some point. This post explores why that perception happens, how to redefine progress, and how to move forward with steadiness rather than self-doubt.
No time to write your qualitative PhD? A realistic three-step approach
If you feel like you never have enough time to write your PhD, the issue may not be time at all. This post explores a realistic three-step approach to building consistent writing momentum without waiting for perfect conditions.
Feel like quitting your qualitative PhD? Read this before you decide
Almost every PhD researcher reaches a point where quitting feels tempting. Before you make any decisions, this post unpacks what that feeling really signals and how to respond constructively.
How to work effectively with your PhD supervisor (especially in a qualitative doctorate)
Supervision can make or break your PhD experience. If feedback feels confusing or inconsistent, this post explains how to communicate more clearly, reduce frustration, and work more effectively with your supervisor.
Reflexive Thematic Analysis: A practical step-by-step guide for qualitative PhD researchers
Staring at transcripts and unsure how to turn them into themes? This step-by-step guide to Braun and Clarke’s Reflexive Thematic Analysis explains how to code, construct themes, and write up with clarity and confidence.
How to restart your qualitative PhD after a break (without spiralling)
Stepped away from your PhD and now unsure how to begin again? This post walks you through how to restart gently, rebuild clarity, and regain momentum after a break.
PhD writer’s block? How to write your qualitative thesis even when you don’t feel like it
Staring at a blank document and avoiding your thesis? This post explains why writer’s block happens during a PhD and how to start writing again, even when motivation is nowhere to be found.
Struggling with IPA in your PhD? A practical guide to analysing and writing up Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Collected your IPA interviews and now unsure what to do next? This post explains how to analyse, interpret, and write up Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis with clarity and confidence.
PhD guilt: Why you never feel like you’ve done enough (and how to stop the cycle)
Worked all day on your PhD and still feel like it wasn’t enough? This post unpacks why PhD guilt shows up so often and how to stop it running your life.
Is qualitative research less rigorous? Debunking the myth in your PhD
Ever wondered if your qualitative PhD is “rigorous enough”? Let’s unpack where that doubt comes from and what rigour actually looks like in qualitative research.
“Am I doing my PhD right?” What to do when your research feels all over the place
If your PhD feels messy, confusing, or “wrong,” you’re not alone. Here’s why that doubt shows up and how to stop it derailing your progress.
Writing a PhD research proposal? Use these three sentences to make it clear and persuasive
If your PhD proposal feels vague or overcomplicated, these three key sentences will instantly make it clearer, stronger, and easier to approve.
Struggling with qualitative research? 4 common problems and how to handle them
If your qualitative data feels messy, contradictory, or impossible to write up, you’re not alone. Here are four common struggles and what to do about them.
3 sentences to strengthen your qualitative PhD discussion chapter
Stuck writing your discussion chapter? These three sentence templates help you connect findings to literature, show criticality, and explain what your results mean without rambling.
The myth of the perfect PhD morning routine (and how to create one that actually works)
If 5am PhD routines make you feel like a failure by breakfast, this post will help you design a morning that actually fits your life.
I’m guessing you’re here because you’ve chosen to do a qualitative study for your PhD but things have started to feel a bit… slippery. You like how qualitative approaches value people’s lived experiences and you’re researching something you genuinely care about so that’s why you felt drawn to it. However, recently you seem to have unlocked a whole new level of confusing and it’s all gone a bit Alice in Wonderland.