Being a student means juggling lab work, writing, meetings, presentations, coursework, all while trying to maintain a life! If you’ve ended the day unsure about what you’ve actually accomplished, this post is for you!

1. My Digital Brain: Google Calendar + paper planner
2. How I Organise my writing: OneNote is My Second Brain
3. Desk Set up
4. Lab Life = Chaos. Label EVERYTHING
5. The Study toolkit: Focus mode activated!
6. Reference manager = Sanity saver
7. Backups and Cloud Storage = Insurance Policy
8. Self-Care = Productivity Hack

1) My Digital Brain: Google Calendar + paper planner

Yes, I use both. I love using my Google Calendar; this is where I put all my future meetings and deadlines. But there is something about using a physical planner that I love! I use my planner to block out my day and track tasks. It’s like my analog accountability buddy! This method helps me feel like I’m in control, even when my experiments are failing left, right, and center.

I recommend the Productivity Planner, it’s sleek and structured, and it helps me plan my day without winging it.

2) How I Organise my writing: OneNote is My Second Brain

OneNote has become my hub for all my PhD thoughts. I create different notebooks for each project, with sections for lab meeting notes, experimental plans, and drafts. I even keep a section for supervisor meeting prep with questions and updates. I love that I can add images, PDFs, random bullet points, and chaotic scribbles, and it’s all searchable.

A PhD requires A LOT of reading. And keeping all your reading in one place is vital. In one section, I create a summary table, with these headings. This way I have a summary of everything I have read, for whenever I need it!

Paper Title: Makes it easy to search for specific studies later.

Link: For quick access, without having to search through my browser history

Primary/secondary: It is good practice to classify papers as primary or secondary sources

Short Description: Here, I will summarise the key findings or hypotheses of the paper in a couple of sentences. This gives me a quick overview of the study at a glance

Interesting techniques: If the paper used any interesting or novel research techniques, I note them here. These methods could apply to my work. It’s a great way to keep track of methods I want to try in the lab

Full Summary: Lastly, I include a more detailed summary of the paper’s methodology, results and conclusions. This section is handy when writing up my thesis or planning experiments and need to refer back to specific data.

Paper Title	Link	Primary/Secondary	Short Description	Interesting Techniques	Full Summary

If you’re trying to write a report, or just gather your scattered brainwaves, OneNote is your best friend

3) Desk Set up

Some days I’m not in the lab; I’m either reading or analyzing data. If I’m going to be staring at my laptop for 8 hours, I need my workspace to not feel like a punishment. A good desk setup can make or break your focus. I swear by a laptop stand, a warm desk lamp, and noise-canceling headphones that block out ALL distractions!

Tools I love:

Adjustable Laptop Stand – this will improve your posture. And trust me, your future self will thank you

LED Desk Lamp – it’s pretty and practical!

Sony WH-CH720N Headphones – Because silence is productivity

Desk Organiser – because let’s be real, it’s hard to focus in a messy area

4) Lab Life = Chaos. Label EVERYTHING

This tip is specific to everyone who works or is going to work in a lab. Working in the lab can get chaotic. Between ten samples all looking the same and tubes that all have the same colored liquid, it’s wild. I have learned the hard way that labeling everything is an act of self-love. If your lab doesn’t have one, I suggest buying a label maker for your supervisor, but permanent markers will also do.

5) The Study toolkit: Focus mode activated!

Some days, my productivity levels are at 100%! Other days, I reread the same paragraph for hours. Staying focused is essential in a PhD, especially as there are not a lot of set deadlines, so we must rely on self-motivation! These tools help me find focus: a Pomodoro timer for structured breaks, highlighters that make reading a bit more exciting, and sticky notes to externalize my very full mental browser.

6) Reference manager = Sanity saver

The secret weapon to stay sane while writing? A reference manager. I honestly don’t know how I did half of my undergrad without one! Tools like Zotero, EndNote, or Mendeley keep all my citations in one place and let me insert references into Word with one click. It’s boring, but it’s lifesaving. You can store hundreds of references, attach PDFs, and tag them by theme, experiment, or even urgency.

👉🏾Combine a reference manager with a second monitor, and suddenly writing a thesis chapter feels 10x more manageable!

7) Backups and Cloud Storage = Insurance Policy

Losing your data is every PhD student’s worst nightmare! Months or even years of work can disappear in seconds if you don’t have a backup plan. That’s why I back up everything: lab notes, drafts, presentations, figures, and even raw data in at least two places. I use OneDrive/Google Drive for cloud storage so I can access files anywhere, but I also keep an external hard drive just to be safe!

8) Self-Care = Productivity Hack

Organizing isn’t just about keeping everything pretty and color-coded, it’s also about keeping yourself functional. For me, this means scheduling downtime, hitting the gym, and setting boundaries with work. A burnt-out brain isn’t productive, no matter how pretty your planner looks. Self-care is often dismissed as optional, but it’s a productivity tool in disguise.

For example, I block out time for exercise in my Google Calendar just like I would a meeting. I also keep a reusable water bottle at my desk, so I don’t forget to hydrate, and I use blue-light blocking glasses for those long screen-heavy days. I also recommend a yoga mat for quick stretches, candles for the aesthetic, or even a posture-support cushion for your chair.

Remember: taking care of yourself is part of your PhD strategy. Rested you > overworked you.

Final Thoughts

PhD life is messy, unpredictable, and often overwhelming. But the right tools and systems make it manageable. From planners and digital tools to desk setups and self-care essentials, every little bit helps. Organization won’t make your cells grow faster or your supervisor reply quicker, but it will make you feel more in control of the chaos.