On navigating the last year of your PhD (or overcoming the final year blues).
The last year of your PhD is a rollercoaster.
It is filled with possibilities.
On the one hand, you are excited. You are going out on the job market, getting a taste of independence, & (with some luck) landing the job of your dreams.
It is filled with obstacles.
On the other hand, you still need to finish. Your advisor remains your advisor, you still have projects to finish, & you will (with some effort) defend your dissertation.
To make it through the final year, you need to collect your thoughts, manage your time, & make a final push.
To do so, I encourage students to think in terms of two compartments.
One compartment must devote attention to finding job.
You must be invest time in preparing materials, sending out applications, & giving job talks.
You must set aside time to work on those tasks.
One compartment must devote attention to finishing.
You must make sure that your papers are far enough along that you can (a) convince a search committee that you will finish and (b) you can convince yourself that you can finish after landing a job.
This requires focusing on deliverables - be it the literature review, the theory, the research design, or gathering data.
Often, you will find yourself doing these things at the same time.
So how do you manage two very different, yet very important compartments? Without falling into a funk?
First, recognize that everyone struggles to cope their final year.
If you don't have a friend, a family member, or committee member to talk to, find one.
A supportive shoulder makes the job search more manageable.
Second, recognize that final year requires planning.
18 months before you plan to graduate create an integrated roadmap - for writing your job market materials & finishing your disseration.
Your CV, your research, your teaching, your service, & your diversity statements are short, concise, technical statements that you are likely not well-trained to write. They will take time.
Your dissertation can be segmented into sections - literature review, theory, method, and so on - plan key activities - note which are flexible and which are not. This will require talking to your advisor.
The key here, is not whether the roadmap is realistic; It should be a living document; what matters is that you understand what remains to be done to secure a job and graduate.
Third, schedule your time.
You can not work all of the time.
Find a rhythm that lets you do mechanical work when tired, creative work when most productive, and downtime to refresh your mind.
I found the job search mechanical, the method in my dissertation mechanical, and the remainder of my dissertation required creativity.
I found time wandering the Florida Panhandle magical.
More than at any time in your career, you will need to find balance.
If you manage your time, you will not get the final-year blues. It just takes a little planning.
Best of luck.
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