*NOTE: This interview was conducted March 2015.<\/em><\/p>\n Patterson, who is in the midst of the coursework phase<\/a>\u00a0of his PhD, also has a full-time job and a church position on the side. The weekly requirements of coursework necessitate careful advanced planning. Patterson\u2019s typical week begins on Monday morning at 6 a.m., when he \u201ccalendars\u201d his week: \u201cI plan out every hour of that week, so I know exactly where everything will fit,\u201d he explains. A typical doctoral studies week, after his day job, takes about 25-30 hours and looks like this:<\/p>\n Monday:<\/strong> Complete the required reading and article research. If an assignment is due this week, begin draft.<\/p>\n Tuesday:<\/strong> Hone in on the discussion questions. Patterson notes that in his field, it\u2019s usually one question per week per class, but sometimes there are two. Revisit assignment draft.<\/p>\n Wednesday:<\/strong> Write answers to the discussion questions. Finalize assignment draft due on Sunday.<\/p>\n Thursday:<\/strong> Finalize and submit answers to the discussion questions.<\/p>\n Friday:<\/strong> Read other submissions. Students\u00a0are required to respond to at least two submissions, but Patterson often prefers to read more. \u201cThe other learners can bring a lot of new ideas to me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Saturday:<\/strong> If an assignment is due Sunday, then complete final revisions and rewrites. Research for peer responses and begin intensive study for future assignments. \u201cOthers may start future assignments much earlier in the week, but I can\u2019t,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is the schedule that works for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Sunday:<\/strong> Finalize assignment (proof and validate reference list) and submit. Review peer responses and respond as appropriate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gray, on the other hand, is through the coursework part of her PhD program and well into her dissertation writing. She notes that this phase is quite different from the coursework phase. \u201cCoursework has a lot of little deadlines to meet\u2014discussion questions, responses, papers, all through a 10-week quarter,\u201d she says. \u201cBut the dissertation is much less structured. It\u2019s up to me to set aside time every day and stick to it.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked how much time she puts into her PhD program during the week on average, she says: \u201cPeople won\u2019t believe it, but I work about 6-8 hours a week.\u201d But she also notes that she\u2019s strict about putting that time in. \u201cI rely on Google Calendar,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m a terrible procrastinator. It\u2019s hard for me to get organized and concentrate. So I prioritize working smart over working hard. I schedule things hour by hour and stick to that.\u201d While Patterson does his calendar work on Monday mornings, Gray does hers each night for the following day. The end result is the same: carefully planned days with tasks that need to be completed to move onto the next day\u2019s work.<\/p>\n Both Patterson and Gray agree that time management is critical to staying on track, no matter which phase of the PhD process someone is in. \u201cRemember that your work is a continuous thing, not just a once-a-week class,\u201d advises Gray. \u201cI worked with a dissertation coach who taught me how to break things down into little chunks. You don\u2019t sit down to write a dissertation chapter, because that\u2019s intimidating. You sit down to work on a couple of pages.\u201d<\/p>\n In short, the PhD process has many variables, but the bottom line is: put time in, just about every day, every week, to keep the momentum going.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Robert](\"http:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2015\/09\/Robert-H-Patterson.jpg\")
<\/a>The Coursework Phase<\/h4>\n
The Independent Research Phase<\/h4>\n
![\"Laura](\"http:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2015\/09\/photo-e1442413348896-172x300.jpg\")
<\/a>