The spirit of Ramadan in research

As we approach the end of Ramadan, Sophia Butt, a PGR in the Department of English Language & Linguistics and the School of Social Policy, shares her thoughts on the parallels between being a successful researcher and observing the Islamic holy month.

When I was invited to write a blogpost about my experiences of being a PGR observing Ramadan, one of the first thoughts that came to mind was the many parallels between the prerequisites for success during this Islamic month, and the fundamental principles of being an effective PGR. Ramadan is a time for mindfulness and spiritual reflection to strive for lasting personal and societal betterment.

Sophia’s photo of Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) masjid (mosque) in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

Similarly, the Researcher Development Framework (RDF) helps PGRs realise their potential to develop credible academic and professional portfolios. Its four domains of:

1. knowledge & intellectual abilities;
2. personal effectiveness;
3. governance & organisation; and
4. engagement, influence & impact

and its 12 sub-domains emphasise the skills and behaviours which also underpin the spirit of Ramadan, i.e.:

Month of Ramadan	Skills	PGR Success
adhering to specified times for daily fasts	Time Management	committing to regular research activities to meet deadlines
enhancing theological knowledge through reading & listening to spiritual sermons	Intellectual Development	sourcing & interpreting multi-modal materials to develop subject knowledge
thinking beyond rituals by critically engaging with values that underpin desired behaviours & norms	Critical Thinking	evaluating sources, findings & assumptions to reach effective conclusions
being cognisant of actions that feed misconceptions, and avoiding these through positive deeds	Cognitive Awareness & Problem-Solving	recognising & isolating problems in research to seek solutions for the same
exercising willpower, patience & determination to achieve goals	Perseverance	overcoming procrastination & obstacles to meeting aims
introspecting & developing self-awareness to become a better version of oneself	Self-Reflection	identifying strengths & weaknesses as a PGR to capitalise on the former & address the latter
spreading positivity & facilitating the enactment of good deeds	Engagement & Influence	adopting a collegial approach to peer engagement & knowledge sharing
understanding & enacting the principles of moral behaviour	Understanding Governance	applying the codes of ethical & legal practice throughout studies
conducting oneself in a manner befitting of an ambassador of Islam	Professional Conduct	adhering to institutional & departmental expectations of academic practice & integrity

Until my teens, I had a rather rudimentary understanding of ‘sawm’ or fasting. I thought it was simply about nurturing God-consciousness and spirituality while abstaining from food and drink from dawn till dusk. But with maturity, I realised that the month of Ramadan also instils self-discipline, steadfastness and refraining from behaviours that are harmful to oneself – and society. It encourages empathy, humility, and charity by urging reflection on the lives of the less fortunate and those enduring perpetual adversity.

Additionally, it accords opportunities for physical, psychological, and social development: scientific studies have shown that intermittent fasting purges the body of toxins, thereby enhancing physical and mental wellbeing. Hence, mindfulness during Ramadan serves as a reminder of how to secure year-round gains.  This philosophy can also be applied laterally to achieve PGR success whether by adopting a positive mindset with determination; overcoming challenges by avoiding harmful distractions; or helping struggling peers.

And so, as this month of Ramadan draws to a close, I look forward to the rewards of my endeavours…

2023: Happy New Year!

Welcome back after the Christmas break – I hope you had a restful one, and are feeling refreshed. Have you chosen your New Year’s Resolutions yet?

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

It’s traditional at this time of year to resolve to make positive changes to our lives – or at least, the media would have us believe this is what we “should” be doing. We’ve talked before about setting achievable goals, simply focusing on milestones, and how wellbeing is the bedrock of successful research resolutions. This year, I’d like to think a bit about deadlines.

One of the reasons I think New Year’s Resolutions are both so appealing and so intimidating is the timescale – you have a whole year for this. “I’m going to re-decorate my whole house” seems totally manageable when you’ve got 12 months to complete it (despite you knowing full well you didn’t manage to find the time or inclination to re-decorate any of the rooms last year). On the flip side, “I’m going to do full meal planning every week” quickly seems like a mountain when you realise you’re going to have to keep it up for 52 consecutive weeks.

This illustrates nicely the power of taking timescales and deadlines into account when you’re planning – whether that’s putting together a short or longer term research plan, or thinking about changes to your lifestyle or wellbeing. Be realistic about what you can achieve and set yourself clear timescales with interim deadlines to help you monitor your progress. Ideally, share those deadlines with others so you can be held accountable, or make sure you establish a monitoring process to hold yourself accountable (don’t break the chain!).

So whether you are a keen resolution-setter, or a reluctant research planner, take your time to set realistic, achievable goals with clear timelines and accountability to help keep your 2023 on track.

Or maybe the most appropriate approach for you is to timetable another date on which to think about these kinds of things, when there’s a bit more light in the sky and fewer chocolates in the house.

#AcWriMo: why take part and what’s happening?

Natalia Hartono is a PhD student in the Mechanical Engineering Department. This time last year marked the beginning of her third year, and tons of to-do lists! Here, she shares how #AcWriMo 2021 helped her. And read about how you can get involved with #AcWriMo 2022.

Natalia writes

I signed up for AcWriMo in November of 2021. I’ve been a member of PGR Shut up and Work ever since the pandemic, and the first one I attended was conducted online. To me, attending these sessions, whether they are held in person or online, is a fantastic opportunity.

The announcement of AcWriMo 2021 made me happy because I gain a lot from these meetings. Shut up and Work only takes place once a week, but in the month of November, it happened three times a week! I’m glad there were more schedules to join in because November was a busy month for me. I’m trying to balance my time between studying, meeting deadlines, working as a PGTA, and taking care of my child.

Productivity and motivation together? Try Kanban.

A couple of weeks into the first lockdown, in 2020, I started keeping a list of the things I had completed each week and e-mailing it to my manager before I shut down my computer on a Friday afternoon. The reasons I started doing this were created by lockdown, but I’ve carried on doing it ever since because it had a rather glorious side effect; it is motivating.

Instead of trying to make progress through a to-do list which never seems to get shorter, I am now measuring my achievements through a “done list” which gets steadily longer over the week. Sometimes it stays stubbornly short for the first few days, if I’m working on a longer task, but then I get to add something substantial to it, and it starts to grow again.

I’m not the only one who thinks a done list is a good way of doing things, but if you can’t quite see how it would work for you in isolation, then you might like to try a technique called Kanban. Kanban comes from the Japanese for signboard, and is a way of visualising progress, including what you have already done.

A simple Kanban board
Photo credit: Kanban Tool

Step away from the screen

I have a friend who routinely gives up social media for her Lenten sacrifice. While I would find it a bit extreme to give up all social media (either temporarily or permanently), I do find myself admiring her ability to switch it all off a little wistfully. Some days it feels like I spend the whole time simply switching from one screen (laptop) to another (phone) to another (TV) before sleep, only to start again with another screen first thing the next morning. And when there’s so much distressing news coming through all online channels, we can all be prone to a bit of doomscrolling, even though we know it’s not helping (us or anyone else).

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

So maybe this is a good time to think about changing our habits to get away from the glare of the screen and/or the distractions which come with being always connected. No doubt both our eyes and wellbeing will thank us! Here are some actions I have found particularly useful for this.

Helen writes: #AcWriMo productivity vs procrastination

Writing Skills Advisor Helen Williams continues her occasional series during #AcWriMo with her thoughts on ways to deal with a tendency to procrastinate.

I recently read this column in The Guardian on procrastination – most likely when I should have been doing something else – and started thinking about the relationship between productivity and procrastination. When I speak to students about procrastination, they often seem to think they need to change a lifetime of habits, how they approach their work, and even the type of person that they are. Of course, this in itself becomes a mammoth (and impossible) task. Much more effective, as the article says, is to start changing the smallest possible habits that you can. If you’ve been taking part in Academic Writing Month (#AcWriMo), you may already have started to form a few new habits that can help with productivity, but if not, here are a few suggestions.

Baby steps: start by making small changes to your habits

New year, new lockdown

Happy New Year! This isn’t where we’d hope to be at the start of a new year, but there is relief in having got through 2020 and in knowing that vaccines are on their way. While we wait, 2021 will have to be about being kind to ourselves, leveraging the self-knowledge we have gained in 2020 to cope with local restrictions, protecting our mental health, and taking steps forward with our work.

England is in the process of entering a third national lockdown. Those of us living on or near campus must stay at home except where necessary (necessary activities include work, grocery shopping and exercise). We’ve done this before, and the familiar rhythms of daily exercise, meal planning and Zoom calls are already established. Think about what worked and what didn’t work for you during previous periods of restrictions and use that knowledge to get through this one as best you can. If you’re not in England, check your local restrictions.

Virtually the same – communal productivity at home

In this post, Sarah Chung, PGR in the School of Education and Westmere Scholar, tells us about the value she finds in running and attending Virtual Shut Up and Work.

As a mother of two young children, who was working as a full-time primary school teacher and school governor, I very enthusiastically started my part-time PhD in Education in 2018.  I planned to work in the evenings and at weekends, only venturing onto campus as needed.  On a regular basis I would receive e-mails which would tell me all about the opportunities that were available for PGRs and one always stuck out – Shut Up and Work.  As an initiative, I thought it was great but I couldn’t join in as I was at work.  It made me realise that there was a lot I couldn’t attend as a part-time PGR.  When I became a Westmere Scholar in 2019, I had the opportunity to attend the Shut Up and Work sessions organised by the PGR Community Engagement Officer (then Eren Bilgen) and I immediately noticed how supportive the environment was with everyone sharing goals and next steps. I also noticed how much more productive I had been!

Reflecting on the session, I realised that it would be great if we could include other PGRs that were part-time, distance learners, PGRs with parental/caring responsibilities or even a combination of all three!  Eren and I discussed how we could do this, and we decided to offer an online version – ‘Virtual Shut Up and Work’ – via the Westmere Facebook group for distance learners and part-time PGRs.

Being remotely productive

In this post, AlAnood Alshaikhsaad, a PGR from the Department of Theology and Religion, shares their advice on remote working from their experience as a distance learning PGR.

AlAnood’s home workstation

To me, remote working is all about time management and prioritizing your tasks. What people tend to miss after jumping from their on-ground non-stop jobs to remote working is the predictable tasking structure a corporate or institution provides. While the flexibility of remote work is one of its most appealing benefits, people are used to a certain routine, and routine can still exist within that flexibility. For example, waking up at a consistent time, getting dressed, fixing a pot of coffee, running through your to-do list, breaking for lunch at noon, scheduling virtual meetings in collaboration with fellow peers or supervisors. Once you define your routine more clearly, stick to it.

Mapping your ideas for planning, writing and more

When you are faced with a blank page, consider creating a mind map.

Photo credit: Fernandosca

A mind map is a visual way to capture thoughts and ideas as they occur to you, and to indicate relationships between those ideas.  Because they do not need to be created sequentially, they are ideal when you are just getting started and your brain is full of stuff.  Examples of when you might find a mind map particularly useful include: writing a new chapter/article; project planning an activity for your research; and creating your to-do list.  There are many more examples of PhD researchers using mind maps on Twitter.