PhD Motivation Crisis: Should you quit? Should you carry on?
What if you’re not making any progress with your PhD?
When you're deep in the PhD trenches, it's common to feel like you're not getting anywhere. Maybe you've been reading for weeks without writing a word, or perhaps your supervisors keep asking for changes. Then there's the self-doubt, whispering, What if I’m not making any progress? Should I just quit?
It’s a tough spot. You see peers submitting drafts, presenting at conferences, landing academic jobs - and there you are, stuck. You ask yourself, Why am I not moving forward? What do they have that I don’t?
Here’s what you need to know: PhD progress isn’t always visible, and it’s definitely not linear. What feels like stagnation is often where the real work happens. In this blog post, we’ll explore what progress in a PhD actually looks like, why it often feels invisible, and how to recognise and embrace those subtler, less tangible phases of your journey.
Progress - more than just a wordcount
Many PhD students equate progress with tangible outputs - pages written, data analysed, papers published. While these milestones are important, they’re only part of the story. Let’s look at other, equally valuable forms of progress:
1. Thinking time
Some of the most critical PhD work happens in your head. It’s in those quiet moments - during a walk, a shower, or a bus ride - when your brain is processing everything. This is where connections between ideas form and lightbulb moments happen.
Thinking time isn’t laziness. It’s a vital part of the research process. You can’t write meaningful content until you’ve allowed yourself to think things through. Remember, pauses don’t equal a lack of progress. They’re often where the magic happens.
“Pauses don’t equal a lack of progress. They’re often where the magic happens.”
2. Revisions (they don’t mean you’re getting things wrong!)
Ever deleted large chunks of a draft or started a chapter over from scratch? It’s frustrating, but it’s also progress. PhDs are iterative by nature - writing, revising, and rewriting deepen your understanding and refine your work.
Instead of striving for perfection on the first draft, embrace the process. Each revision gets you closer to the final product. It’s okay that you’re revising and developing things as you go. Everyone’s first draft is a mess - yes, everyone’s, even that PhD peer of yours who never seems to put a foot wrong.
3. Reviewing literature, and taking your time to do that
Sometimes, making sense of academic writing feels like decoding hieroglyphics. You might reread the same article multiple times before it clicks, and that’s okay. Understanding the literature is foundational - it equips you to summarise, evaluate, and build upon existing knowledge.
If you need to sit there with journal article on one side and a dictionary on the other, all good. You do you. (Or actually, I do me - that was how I used to read most academic papers because the language was so alien to me!).
Don’t feel bad about needing extra time to unpack complex texts. Progress isn’t about speed; it’s about depth.
Progress always comes with challenges
Challenges are inevitable, whether it’s a failed experiment, stinging feedback, or a rejected ethics application. These setbacks don’t mean you’re failing - they’re opportunities to learn and grow as a researcher.
Think about hurdles you’ve faced in life: relationships that didn’t work out, job rejections. While painful at the time, they likely set you on a better path. The same applies to your PhD journey. You got through those things, you can get through this.
So, why do you feel like you’re failing?
PhD progress often feels elusive because firstly, it’s abstract and long term. Unlike building furniture or crocheting, research doesn’t provide instant gratification. It’s like planting seeds: you can’t see the roots growing underground, but they’re there, laying the foundation for visible results. Twenty-first century hustle culture also has a lot to answer for. We live in a world obsessed with speed and productivity. A PhD, however, requires slow, deliberate work. It’s not about cranking out words but producing meaningful knowledge - and that takes time.
How to recognise and celebrate your progress
So how do you start recognising progress when it feels invisible? Here are some strategies:
1. Celebrate little wins
Acknowledge every step forward. Did you refine a research question? Discover a key paper? Organise your desk? These may seem small, but they’re part of the bigger picture. Celebrating these moments can shift your mindset from feeling stuck to feeling accomplished.
2. Document your ideas
Regularly write down your thoughts, breakthroughs, and frustrations in a journal or notebook. This not only provides a tangible record of your progress but also helps you see how your thinking evolves over time.
3. Shift your focus
Rather than fixating on external markers like word counts, reflect on your internal growth. Are you more confident in your knowledge? Are your ideas more developed than they were a month ago? Focus on how you’re growing as a researcher.
4. Trust the winding path
PhD progress rarely follows a straight line. Some weeks, you’ll feel unstoppable; others, you’ll feel like you’re moving backward. Trust that these ebbs and flows are normal and temporary.
5. Streamline, simplify and start saying “no” to things!
If you’re overcommitting - volunteering, mentoring, or taking on tasks unrelated to your PhD - pause and prioritise your thesis. It’s okay to say no to additional responsibilities to protect your bandwidth for research.
“Some of the most critical PhD work happens in your head.”
Final thoughts
PhD progress isn’t just about what’s visible - it’s about growth, learning, and the journey itself. Whether you’re revising drafts, wrestling with dense academic texts, or navigating setbacks, trust that you’re moving forward, even if it doesn’t feel like it.
Remember, the last thing to grow on the fruit tree is the fruit. Give yourself time to plant the seeds, grow the roots, and nurture your PhD journey. The progress you’re making now, even if invisible, is laying the foundation for success.
If you’re struggling with imposter syndrome or feeling stuck, check out my other blogposts on all things mindset by clicking here. You’re not alone, and there are strategies to help you move forward. You’ve got this!