PhD Thesis Writing Got You Down? Here’s How to Handle It.

Some practical tips to survive the last and challenging part of the Ph.D. journey.

The years of experiments, analysis, and working overtime have culminated in something meaningful. Congratulations! You made it! Now comes the final challenge. Putting it all together. This could take the form of a manuscript to be submitted to a journal, a thesis, or both.

In today’s blog, I will discuss the writing phase, including the challenges and how to overcome them.

Why is writing so challenging?

Staying motivated

Managing the stress

Using the right tools

---

Why is writing so challenging?

Many of us underestimate how tough and time-consuming the last phase of the Ph.D. can be. I certainly did. Although I usually enjoy writing, crafting the manuscript began as fun, but writing my thesis became one of the most challenging parts of my journey.

For many PhD candidates, writing taxes both mentally and emotionally.  It’s far more than putting words on a page—it’s a marathon of endurance and determination, distilling years of hard work into a story that finally makes sense.

At such times, maintaining motivation is difficult. A common thought when writing theses is, 'Who’s going to read this anyway?' Imposter syndrome kicks in, and you question whether your work truly matters.

Writing is a cognitively demanding task, and a few hours of focused writing can deplete your mental energy. But tight deadlines require marathon sessions, leaving no choice but to chug coffee and push through.

To focus better, we shut ourselves in offices or libraries, away from colleagues and loved ones, for hours. This solitude, though necessary, doesn’t help our mental well-being.

On top of it all, anxiety runs high as submission deadlines loom large. At the same time, thesis submission signifies the end of an era. The uncertainty of what lies ahead also feeds into an already highly stressful situation.

Don’t fret—all is not lost! By acknowledging these challenges and taking proactive steps to manage them effectively, you can transform this period into a productive and even rewarding one.

Now that you understand these challenges, consider practical ways to manage them. Here are tactics that helped me fight stress and stay grounded. I hope they help you as you progress through this stage.

Staying motivated

While the steps I describe below are useful to adopt at any point in life, they become particularly important during this phase when motivation is running low. The overall idea is not to rely on motivation at all to get you through your thesis. If you cultivate these habits regularly, you will find it easier to maintain a steady pace and reach your goal.

Build routines: Don’t wait for inspiration. Define non-negotiable writing blocks throughout the day. Divide them into deep and lighter writing sessions. For example, dedicate 3-4 hours in the morning to drafting the introduction, and use the afternoon slump to look up references or make tables. This way, your brain learns to focus within set periods.

Creating an environment to focus: Creating an environment that fosters focus is also crucial. This can be a sunlit and quiet corner of your house, your work desk, the library, or a café. Try out different places to see what works best for you. Consider investing in some good noise-cancelling headphones if you cannot find a quiet spot.

Celebrate the small wins: don’t wait until the end. Recognizing progress maintains momentum. Finished a chapter, wrote two discussion pages, created a figure, or wrote for 2 hours straight—that’s great! Treat yourself: a coffee, a sweet treat, a walk, or an episode of your favorite show!

Managing the stress

There is no way to eliminate the stress in the situation, but you can take some concrete steps to better manage it. Here are a few things that helped me handle the stress:

Take small and frequent breaks: when defining your writing blocks, make sure to include a (10-15 min break) every couple of hours. Use this time to move away from the screen. Make yourself some coffee or tea. Listen to your favorite music or podcast, do some chores around the house, have a quick chat with a friend, or go outside for a walk. Give your mind time to reset, and this will help you maintain your focus for a longer time, too. This is especially important when you feel stuck on a particular section. Give your brain some space to ruminate. Otherwise, give it a break and work on something else for a bit. Sometimes the brain works on it in the background, and then later you will suddenly know what you need to do!

Social activities: Thesis writing can feel isolating, so it is essential to maintain social connections during this time. When I was writing in the institute libraries, I would join my colleagues for lunch. If you are writing at home, make it a point to meet people for coffee or dinner at the end of the day. You can also talk to your family members during your small breaks. While they probably cannot offer you any advice on your thesis, social connections do help reduce stress overall.

Physical activity: While your brain is working hard on your thesis, don’t forget your body! Sitting around all day is not good for your health, so don’t compromise on your physical activities. If you participated in sports during your Ph.D., continue to do so even when writing your thesis. If it is a team sport, even better! Physical activity is also a great way to reduce stress in the body and can alleviate many of the physiological symptoms of stress.

Break it down: Writing a 150-page thesis seems like an insurmountable task. To make it easier to tackle, break it down into bite-sized chunks. Define a reasonable deadline for each section independently and the sequence in which you would write each section. We often set overly optimistic deadlines for writing tasks. My general rule of thumb is to give yourself three times as much time as you think you will need, and then you will be able to meet your deadlines.

Using the right tools

There are many excellent tools, including AI, that can ease your writing journey. Many universities now have strict rules on using AI for scientific writing. Relying too much on AI can limit your critical thinking, and it often fails with nuanced arguments. Still, it is useful for editing text you've already written. Use the tools to correct grammar and sentence structure. They also help paraphrase sentences to be more concise.

I used many such tools for writing my thesis and continue to use them. In fact, I used many of them to polish this blog too! Here are my favorites:

Zotero: This reference manager is particularly effective for organizing citations and references. You can add a browser extension to save references directly, and then insert them into MS Word or Google Docs in your chosen format. Organize references using customized subfolders for each section of your writing.

Notion: Utilize Notion for comprehensive organization, including creating workflows with deadlines and to-do lists. It is also useful for building summary tables to track and access reference details quickly.

Elicit: Elicit is helpful for initial literature searches and summarizing research papers. While it excels at finding relevant papers on broad topics or specific questions, always supplement its results with your own searches to ensure complete coverage.

Quilbot: Use Quilbot as a paraphrasing tool to refine your writing. It can help simplify complex sentences, making your prose more fluent and suitable for your chosen style (general or scientific writing). Double-check any changes to ensure your intended meaning remains intact.

Grammarly: This is ideal for proofreading your writing. Beyond grammar and spell checks, it offers paraphrasing and stylistic suggestions. The paid version provides more advanced features,  like identifying passive voice and overly complex sentences.

A thesis is the culmination of years of hard work, and the challenges along the way are very real . But none of them are insurmountable. By being aware of the challenges and building a supportive environment around you, you can make it to the end without losing your sanity!