PhDForum Online Study Room

Our online study room is freely available to help your motivation and make progress with your writing.  

Some describe the experience as akin to being in a library; a silent space to work alongside others.

Our room is open 24/7 (with short resets of a couple of minutes approximately once every 20-48 hours). It is a mostly unmoderated and unstructured space.  There are structured sessions on Wednesdays and Saturdays. More information is available in the room. You can choose to follow the writing schedule on those days, or ignore. The space is your to make it work for you and your time zone. If you have difficulty joining, please do try using a different browser.

Our room's access code is available when you register using our Eventbrite link here 


Please:

Keep microphones on mute

Do NOT take picture of the room and post on social media

You can have your webcam on, or not.

Do use the chat box to introduce yourself and let others know where you are from and what you are working on. You will find other attendees very welcoming.


Make Time to Plan

We know that a ‘virtual’ retreat comes with distractions. Perhaps for this event you will find a different place to work, rearrange your desk or put up a sign ‘PhDForum Writing Retreat’. Change your email auto response you are ‘out of the office’. Make a contract with yourself and with us to plan when you will and when you will not access the internet.

To plan to succeed you need a plan. It doesn’t matter if you really know what is achievable or how this will work. Learning these things is all part of the writing retreat experience. Sharing goals is important – Tweet your goals to @PhDForum 


@PhDForum

Make Time To Write

Ensure that you have times allotted in your day when you can write. Even if you are only going to enter the portal for one hour a day – maximise your writing in that time. Sitting for four hours at your desk while surfing the net does not constitute writing. Be clear on your goals – tell others in the portal what you aim to achieve; report back on what challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

@PhDForum

Review & Recharge

We need to get away from a culture where time not writing is served with a side order of guilt. Taking time away is vital to your productivity, your well-being and to the scaffolding of an academic community where staff care and a balanced life is viewed as essential not desirable.

In your schedule plan for time to recharge. This is an essential part of your daily structure.

@PhDForum