Silver Linings: Gratitude

Some time during my PhD, while the tension started to rise, I got into the habit of counting my blessings before falling asleep. Initially, I just used this technique to divert my thoughts from the entire list of Everything I have To Do Tomorrow. I noticed that it lifted my mood, helped me relax and sleep more easily. And this "technique" was very simple - I would simple think of the best 3 things that happened to me during the past day.

And then the wonderful world of the internet brought my attention to Gratitude Lists. I started to see more blog posts about gratitude lists, and see the pretty lists on Instagram. As always, I just had to hop onto the bandwagon and try it out.

Guess what? It's a win! As part of writing in my journal at night (a habit that unfortunately has suffered from my 2-continent wrestling), I add my personal gratitude list - my list of the 10 best things that happened to me during the day.

Some people simply write the best things that happened during their day - no fixed number of these, but I like having 10 numbers neatly beneath each other, and using a moment to reflect on my day. Usually, having 10 empty spots, helps me to think a little bit deeper. If I wouldn't have a fixed number of slots, I might stop after the first 3 things that come to my mind. But having 10 places to fill makes me go over my day a few times more - it helps me see more gold in my day, and going over my day already a few times prevents me from going over my day (and the next day) many times while I try to fall asleep.

For the coming week, I'd like to give you some homework:

At the end of the day (when you leave your office, or before you go to bed), make a list of the 4 best things that happened to you during the day.

There are many different things that can make it to your list:
- some progress you made at work
- beautiful weather
- something enjoyable that you ate
- sports you practiced
- your favorite song on the radio
- meeting a friend
- ...

Even when you had a day that was All Bad, push on a little bit, and think of 4 things you feel grateful for. If your day was really awful, you might still be grateful for, say, your ability to breathe, or the fact that you are healthy and have a roof over your head, plumbing in your house etc. Just to humble you for a moment and know that many things are really #firstworldproblems.

If you're ready to take your homework one notch up, try Personal Excellence's #GratitudeChallenge!

Have you tried it? What are your experiences?

Silver Linings: Hydrate yourself!

I recently came across an article that showed the metamorphosis of a 42-year-old woman who went from not drinking much water at all, to drinking 3 liters of water a day. She hopes to solve digestion problems and headaches, and ended up looking a couple of years younger.

That article reminded me of how important it is to drink enough fluids. Tea and coffee our soft drinks don't really count - and the rule of thumb is that you need a cup of water for every cup of tea or coffee you drink, to balance out the dehydrating effect of caffeine. By the same token, alcohol dehydrates you - ever noticed being extremely thirsty after a night out? Ever noticed how much less of hangover you get when you remember to down a couple of cups of water before going to bed after a few too many drinks? Dehydration can be unpleasant, to say the least...

One of the effects of not drinking enough water, is that you might feel tired. So next time when you try to read a paper and feel like dozing off, try a large cup of cold water - you'd be surprised to see how the fog disappears from your brain.

And the question remains: how much water should you drink per day? Well, as WebMD suggests - it depends. However, if you drink less than 1,5 liters of water a day, you might be missing out on the fun!

So, in short: Auntie Eva tells you to have a cup of water. Cheers!

Silver Linings: Binaural Beats for Study and Writing

For some time now, I've been using binaural beats to help me focus while I am writing. I am not convinced that the binaural beats themselves help me focus, but for some reason the ritual of putting a binaural track, taking my headphones and committing to finish something makes my productivity soar.

The "science" behind the effect of binaural beats seems to be incomplete at most, and very often fishy. Most likely, using a white noise generator would give me the same results - and I don't think I'm experiencing anything else than a placebo effect.

Nonetheless - when I really need to start cranking out a lot of words, and music makes me irritable because I start to listen to the lyrics or decipher the notes that every instrument is playing, I use these binaural beats to reach a state of elevated focus.

With that said, and -hopefully- convincing you guys that I'm not the person to take any spiriwiri mumbojumbo that has not passed some rigorous testing and that is back by Good Science, I would like to invite you to try out binaural beats and see if they help your study and writing too (or a white noise generator sound).

What are binaural beats?
Binaural beats result when two nearly similar frequencies are played in each ear when you are listening to headphones. Your brain will process this information, and you will "hear" a third frequency. For example, when one ear hears 100Hz and the other ear 110Hz, you will hear 10Hz as a result.

What do binaural beats do
According to the alternative medicine community, if you hear this 10Hz difference, your brain waves will increase by 10Hz too. Because there are different frequencies of the brainwaves, it is said that the binaural beat that you hear, can induce a certain state of mind.

Benefit of binaural tracks
Binaural tracks are similar to white noise generators, although they seem to have a little more variation to themselves. I quite like the binaural tracks that are combined with sounds of running water. Since most tracks on YouTube are either 30 minutes or an hour long, you can commit to finishing a certain task within half an hour or an hour, take your headphones, switch on the track and finish it before the track ends.
It's a trick you are playing on your mind, but one that you might like to try out and see if it improves your productivity, for example with this track"



Have you tried using binaural beats during study or writing? How is your experience?

Silver Linings: Little Book of Contentment

If you have an extra hour this Sunday, read the Little Book of Contentment by Leo Babauta. It's a free e-book, and it will leave you with a smile and some good thoughts to put into practice.

The central idea of the book is about finding contentment, right now, right where you are in life. 
Yes, it's perfectly fine to strive for improvement, but it's so much more rewarding if you start from a place of contentment, and then enjoy the process of improvement. Babauta puts it as follows:

"Contentment actually is a much better place from which to start making changes (self-improvement) than an unhappiness with who you are"

"If you start from a place of wanting to improve yourself and feeling stuck, even if you're constantly successful and improving, you're always looking for happiness from external sources. You don't find the happiness from within so you look to other things."

"... And in that way, you can offer yourself to the world and do great works in the world, but not necessarily need that to be happy"

One of the key ideas comes in the very beginning:

"Worst of all, with the attitude of "you can be content because you're successful", is that people who say this are dismissing the path of contentment... when it's something they can do right now. Not later, when they reach certain gals or a certain level of financial success. Now."

The lack of contentment has it's cause in two problems, according to Babauta:
1. You don't trust yourself.
2. You judge yourself badly.

Many of us can't find contentment because we are holding onto anger and disappointed from the past. Or we get upset easily, which ruins our day, and we feel as if some terrible wrong has been done to us. The book expands on anger and frustration:

"... But when we get frustrated, disappointed, irritated, or angry with other people or ourselves, that's a sure sign we had a fantasy that didn't come true"

Along the same lines, he writes:

"If someone behaves rudely and you get angry with him, the problem isn't the other person's actions... it's your reaction. Or more accurately, it's not even your reaction, but your action based on that reaction"

One way of turning a negative reaction around something I learned in a meditation course some time ago. If someone behaves rudely, you can simply tell yourself: "There I go, behaving badly again". The key idea here is that we all have our bad moments an our flaws, no need to get upset about that (an certainly not about someone else having one of these moments).

One of the key steps to find contentment, is to rebuild our trust. We should realize that failure is not a reason to judge ourselves.

"Failure is simply an indicator that something in our method needs to be changed"

I'm wishing for all of us perfectionists to read and re-read this piece of wisdom over and over again. We stumble, and fall, and that's how we learn - nothing to be embarrassed about.

Next, Babauta explores the concept of happiness. He analyzes what happens when we find happiness from external sources, and what a difference turning inwards, and starting from happiness within makes to our perception of the world.

Another interesting concept in the book is about our relationships (with friends as well as with partners). When we get upset, there's a lot to learn about ourselves, and our perception of the other person; more than about the relationship itself. We don't need to depend on the other person to find our worth and value. As Babauta puts is:

"Realize you already have everything you need to be whole - you just need to let go of the insecurities, and realize how amazing you already are."

The book ends with a list of suggestions to practice self-acceptance, as well as Babauta's answers to questions from his readers.

The Little Book of Contentment is a beautiful read that reminds us to smile, slow down and accept our position in this place, at this time. Highly recommended.

Silver Linings: Creating Nurturing Morning Routines

For some of us, our morning routine includes nothing more than jumping out of bed, into clothes and rushing out of the door. Others wake up a few hours before heading out to work, and take their time to drink tea, read the newspaper and ease their way into the day.

I, too, have gradually started to take a little more time in the morning to get ready for the day. One year ago, I've blogged about my morning routines, and how I am constantly trying to fine-tune what I do before I get out. As I put it then (and this still holds true):

The ultimate goal is simple: I want to be energized, ready to dive into the day, and with as little friction and time-loss as possible.

Last Spring, I started to wake up earlier to meditate first thing in the morning. I also started taking more time to cook breakfast. After many years of eating cereal (or sometimes oats) for breakfast, I've decided to ditch the sugary stuff and treat myself a balanced breakfast of protein/fat and carbs. Sometimes I have eggs and sweet potatoes, sometimes toasted sprouted bread with avocado, sometimes a breakfast smoothie, sometimes a porridge, sometimes oatbran protein pancakes... all these things take a little more time to prepare, but they work wonders to my energy.

Recently, I've started to practice yoga in the mornings, and finish it off with a longer meditation. That means that I need an extra hour in the morning, and that means waking up around 6am (I'm still using the SleepCycle alarm clock, that's why I mention "around" a certain time).

At the moment, I'm working from home and waiting for getting started on my next employment. That doesn't mean I am staring at the wall or sleeping in every day. My current morning routine looks like this:
6:00 - wake up, brush teeth, drink water, etc.
6:15 - yoga & meditation (typically 40 minutes yoga and 20 minutes of meditation, but times are variable according to how I feel)
7:15 - shower and get dressed
7:25 - cook breakfast
8:00 - start working

Have you paid attention to your morning routines, and how it affects the rest of your days?

Silver Linings: Bikram Yoga

When I was still in Belgium, I tried out a bikram yoga class in Antwerp. In Pittsburgh, I had tried a hot yoga class, but I was still very curious about bikram yoga.

So, I decided to see what all the buzz is about. Even though I had to drive half an hour 40 minutes to get to the studio and take out an entire Saturday afternoon for this adventure, I decided it was time to make this decision and explore something new, instead of strolling through my hometown, checking out the stores -even though I hardly ever buy anything- and then heading for a tearoom to indulge in pancakes, icecream or waffles. Why not opt for something slightly more healthy and certainly more invigorating?

Unfortunately, the first Saturday class I was planning to attend got cancelled as not enough students showed off. Next Sunday, I tried my luck again - and could experience a bikram yoga class for the first time.

Unlike most yoga classes that I have tried in the past that were mostly vinyasa flow classes, in bikram yoga the asanas are held for a longer time. To learn the asanas correctly, I do think holding them for a longer time, and having the teacher tell you to move your hips, knees and whatever, helps building the correct technique.

Other classes that I've taken are based on the teacher showing what to do in the front, and occasionally walking around. At bikram Antwerp, the teacher continuously talks, and walks around the class.

To my surprise, bikram yoga does not do downward dog poses. No shoulder stands or head/hand stands or armbalances either. A little less of focus on breathing (in my experience, although that could be because I had to concentrate really hard on the movements themselves).

One of the main advantages of bikram yoga, is that it follows the same sequence - every time, regardless where in the world you might be. As I'm mostly on the go, being able to practice the same routine, and improving that routine, regardless of where I am, is a major win.

However, I really couldn't pick between bikram yoga and hot yoga, vinyasa-flow-style. Both are lovely, and I hope to see more hot rooms pop up wherever I travel.

If you too are interested in bikram yoga, I'd advice you to read this guide to your first bikram class - and, well, spend some time on the Self Help Hipster blog, because the way she writes about bikram yoga makes you want to go and try it out. And it might have been related to my eagerness for trying out bikram yoga.

Have you tried out bikram yoga, or another form of hot yoga?

20 Tips for Surviving your PhD

PhD studies are the highest level of education, and the road can be frustrating and exhausting at times, but the final result (your dissertation) is at the same time a major achievement in life, and a very rewarding event.

Whenever you feel like you keep on working on the same problem, with no way out, remember that blocks and friction are simply part of the creative process that is research.

When you feel like your world is limited to your lab, your bed and the library - know that there is no shame in taking a break and refueling yourself.

In the 3,5 years of my PhD research (no coursework), I've spent about 40 to 80 hours a week on my research. Sometimes, I was in the lab from 8am to 4pm, and then making calculations for the funding organization from 4pm to 10pm. Major deadlines always tend to fall around the same time. Other times, I left the office at 5pm and spent the entire evening relaxing.

Some people say a PhD costs you a kidney and a lung, other people say it's just like a 9-to-5 job. I say, the truth is somewhere in the middle, and you have the freedom to determine how much time you really want to pour into your work. It's not a linear process, at all - and it's different for every student.

With these precautions in mind, I'd like to share with you my 20 best tips for making it through the PhD, in a time-efficient way:

1. Don't work too hard

It's a PhD, not a Nobel prize - and in this context I'd like to remind you of your sole purpose of your PhD: finding a way to answer your research question, in a novel way, showing that you are an independent researcher.
Everybody has loose ends, but if they are only remotely related to your research question, cut them out and leave them for later (or put them up as an idea for a MSc thesis student).

2. Know when you need to do some extra effort

When major deadlines collide, go into bunker-mode. Don't stay in that mode for too long, but know when you need to put in that extra effort to push things through. It's just a temporary thing, never stay bunkered or hermiting for too long.

3. Take enough breaks during the days

Don't skip your lunch break, for the love of the Flying Spaghettimonster. Browsing the internet does not count as a break. You know what I mean - get some fresh air, talk to a colleague or go and grab a coffee with a friend.

4. Make friends in your department

If you're a foreigner, befriend a local to whom you can turn for advice on the non-written rules in the society you landed in. Make friends with your fellow PhD students, and have fun together. I contribute the "success" of my PhD by and large to being in a great research group, and working closely together with the bestest lab tech and awesomest daily supervisor in history.

5. Go to conferences

If you can find funding, get out of your institution and learn from the rest of the world. Conferences have been my eye-openers, my trial-stages and the place where I made friends within the research community on my topic.

6. Reach out to the industry

Especially true for a PhD in Engineering, which will always keep at least one finger at the pulse of the problems of the World Outside. Try to go to conferences that are attended by industry players, or attend workshops/meetings/... where practitioners of your field come together.

7. Don't forget the bigger scope

When you get frustrated with a detail, remember the bigger scope, and if you're a little on the idealistic side, remember what the Greater Good of your work is: are you making sure the roads/bridges are safe (my case), or protecting baby hearts, or improving water purification? Connect to that feeling of pride and importance on being able to contribute to the greater problems of society for a meager salary.

8. Work up a sweat

After sitting all day behind my computer screen, you need to get your body tired too to be able to get a good rest at night. Try to move your body for at least 15 - 20 minutes a day; and try to find time for 3 to 4 longer workouts per week.

9. Pick up a hobby

Get a hobby that absorbs your mind fully, so that you can concentrated on something completely different than your research. The options are plenty: musical instruments are a great way to clean your mind, but gardening, handiwork, cooking,... all work equally well. Just find something that touches a *dzing* within you.

10. Get your finances sorted out

Avoid financial stress during your studies. Get a good overview of your finances, know in how much debt you will be getting over your studies (if any), and always always have an emergency fund ready in case shit hits the fan. Don't overspend. If need be, roam around in clothes from thrift stores and eat from a discount supermarket. Been there, done that, stayed out of debt.

11. Make time for your friends and family

There will be times when you bunker down and don't call anybody. But make sure you find the time to catch up with your friends and family every now and then. They are what truly matters in the end.

12. Find a routine that works for you

Nobody ever told me to come to campus early, but I've always started some time between 8am and 8:20am at the latest. Having a routine of certain evening/social activities throughout the week, designated cleaning/laundry days and batch-cooking evenings, can greatly help you at getting into a routine that makes sure you get fulfilled in all your needs.

13. Lead your own research

Become the CEO of your own research-enterprise. Take leadership of your project, and come up with ideas. Don't depend too much on your supervisors, make sure you know what to do when they are unavailable for a month or longer.

14. Present wherever you can

Practice presenting your work as often as you can, and for as many audiences as possible. Try giving a TEDx Talk, talk at an industry event and present at as many conferences as possible. Get your face out there, and practice practice practice.

15. Write, write and write some more

Write as often as you can, as much as you can, so that by the time you write your dissertation, you will have become a fluent academic writer. Writing is your single most important task, so make time for it. Practice makes perfect (or at least - experienced), so ask for ample feedback.

16. Get the right fuel

Say goodbye to grilled cheese sandwiches and instant tomato soup, and get yourself some decent food. I'm talking veggies here, as well as quality protein, some good grains and healthy fats (avocados ftw).

17. Read outside of the borders of your research topic

Read as widely around your topic as possible. Having broad peripheral knowledge has helped me in two ways: 1) by teaching me how to think out-of-the-box, and 2) by having a basic understanding of a broader field so that I can more easily follow conference presentations and have chitchat with other researchers.

18. Make time for deep work

Get a good slot of time to do your deep work, as this is the time when you get to push your project forwards. Dedicate an entire morning or afternoon to unraveling one tiny subquestion of your research question.

19. Teach and supervise students

Teaching is incredibly rewarding, and so is supervising thesis students. If you're in a program that does not comprise coursework, it's easy to get fully bunkered down into your small topic. Teaching helps you to regain a broader perspective of your field.

20. Remember why you started this PhD journey in the first place

I have my own reasons why I decided to pursue a PhD, and yours my be very different - but remind yourself from time to time why you started this in the first place. Remember the greater goals you have in mind, and know that it was your personal choice to start.

What is your best advice for surviving the PhD? What keeps you going when the going gets though?

Silver Linings: the Ecuador adventure

Today is the very day that I leave Europe and fly to Ecuador to become an assistant professor at Universidad San Francisco de Quito. It's not the most common choice for someone having received a PhD in Western Europe to move to a developing country. The main reasons for going there, though, were related to the possibility for both my husband and I to find academic jobs without having to live thousands of miles away from eachother - and it helps that he is originally from there.

Having lived in a number of countries prior to this adventure, I know that it doesn't really matter to me where I am. As long as I like what I do, get enough sleep, my veggies, music and some sports, my basic needs are covered.

But Ecuador is beautiful, and I will show you five of the things that I most looking forward to enjoy in my new environment.

1. The Andean highs

CC licensed image by Flickr userAinhoa Bilbao

Quito is located right in the middle of the Andes mountains, so hiking should be among my new hobbies.

2. Pacific ocean

CC licensed image by Flickr user Carlos Adampol

 Although I'll be 4 hours away from the beach, there should be an opportunity every now and then to go to the beach and warm my bones.

3. Visiting the Galapagos

CC licensed image by Flickr user Ndecam

 On a previous trip, I didn't get the chance to visit the Galapagos islands, and it's still very high on my wishlist.

4. Fruit overload
 

CC licensed image by Flickr user A.Davey

One of the things that struck me most of all during my previous visit to Ecuador, is the cornucopia of fruits. There's a juicer in our container - we'll be using it!

5. Roses
 

CC licensed image by Flickr user godutchbaby

Even though roses are associated with English gardens, the roses from Ecuador are famous worldwide (my wedding bouquet contained nothing but Ecuadorian roses).

Silver Linings: Resources for yoga on the go

When you are traveling for conferences, having a very busy time in the lab or simply don't feel like coming out of your house, a virtual yoga teacher can provide you with the stretches and relaxation your body is craving.

By all means, I'm not advocating for you to drop your regular yoga class and roll out your mat between your bed and desk for the rest of your days.
Practicing yoga in group and with a teacher who can correct your poses is still a superior way of learning.

Once you have some practice, however, you can use a virtual yoga studio to take your sun salutations anywhere.

Previously, we've looked at how a quick sequence of standing yoga postures can get your blood running again after sitting too long, or simply can give you a lovely break in between pomodoros.

This post gathers a number of resources for you, to practice wherever you have access to the internet, some time and some space.

1. YouTube
YouTube has a virtual endless number of yoga classes available.
The following YouTube channels offer a good number of enjoyable (short) yoga workouts:
Psychetruth (never mind all the conspiracy theory talking and the ugly fonts on their videos, the yoga by Jen Hilman is lovely)
Yogatic - or the YouTube channel of Eckhart Yoga by Esther Eckhart.
LiveStrong Woman has great, short instruction videos by the glorious Tara Stiles.
YogaDownload contains a few slideshow sequences that are clear and easy to follow.
Sarah Beth Yoga also contains good information on how to do certain poses.
Ali Kamenova - power yoga that leaves me dripping from top to toe
eFit30 - a fitness channel with also yoga videos
Yogea ArtFlow Yoga - offer, well, something called artflow yoga
HolmTVs channel - yoga sequences at the beach: pretty to see
YJ Mag short for yoga journal magazine
Danielle Walsh - besides some cheesy astrology stuff, she offers great yoga classes
Yogajan06 or in the flow yoga
BeFiT offers workout videos and some yoga videos

2. Dedicated online websites
My Yoga Online - offers a 10-day free trial of their service. This website is currently my go-to resource.
GaiamTV - not a free website, and I haven't tried it, but the reviews are positive.
Yogayak sells DVDs, and also offers some free yoga instruction classes.
MyFreeYoga has lots of resources, but runs horribly slow
YogaGlo - again, not something I've tried as it is a paid service, but the reviews are positive.
Do yoga with me offers free classes.
Eckhart yoga - again, a website with rave reviews, but I haven't tried their paid-for service

3. Smartphone apps
Yoga for Weight Loss - I have the free version of this app, and the breathe cues are very good
After trying out a number of iPhone apps for yoga, I realized I simply don't like trying to see what's going on on that tiny screen. Also, most apps might come free, but then require a payment to obtain a class.

4. DVDs
An option I haven't really explored yet, but why not browse your local library for a yoga DVD that you can borrow for the time of your conference, or in that extremely busy week?

Have you been taking your yoga along with you?

Silver Linings: On becoming totally unmoved by stressful situations

The final months of writing my dissertation, preparing my work for publication and defending my research could have been really stressful months, but I choose not to run on the hamsterwheel and keep my head cool.

I haven't always been so cold-blooded. As a student, I used to be quite anxious for exams - sometimes up to a state of paralysis where I couldn't study because I was worrying so much about not having enough time to study, and consequently didn't really do great on the exam itself.

Over time, I learned how to plan my time, how to study for my exams and what effort was necessary to do great - it gave me confidence, and a sense of control over the situation. If I pour in X hours of concentrated studying, I'm sure I'll get >80% on the exam.

At the beginning of my PhD, that sense of control and "knowing how to do things" were completely gone. Even though I knew how to study, I still had to learn how to research. I was the novice again, and -admittedly- was falling back into patterns of worry and wondering how to assess my work. When is it good enough? How do I even do this?

But by failing, learning, improving and testing the waters, my confidence grew again. I traveled that learning curve faster than during my studies. By the time my nerves had to stand the test against the dissertation, they were as strong as a concrete slab.

Of course, my heart beat went up as I saw the long list of comments from the committee, or when I couldn't get a hold of my supervisor when he had to sign the paperwork. But overall, I just kept calm, figured out what needed to be done, and planned for it. Piece of cake.

I didn't totally overwork myself - yet I did stay in for Saturday and Sunday when necessary, or until later in the evening. But, overall, I had enough time to sleep, do sports, eat my veggies, meditate and write for fun.

You, too, could keep calm and carry on. Ditch the drama, roll up your sleeves and move forward: one edit at a time; one graph, one cup of tea and one paragraph at a time. That is all it takes. It is simple, but not easy.

Silver Linings: For the love of reading, and my Kindle

As a child, reading was one of my favorite pass-times. I bonded with one of my best friends as we discovered we both liked the same author. During the summer holidays, I could easily sit in the garden all day long,reading a book.

And then I went to university, and something I called "letter-fatigue" struck me. After finishing reading in a course book, my eyes were tired of seeing letters and I couldn't bring myself back to reading. I'd only read during a week in summer, and that'd be all for a year.

I gradually started to pick up the pace again during my time at Georgia Tech, and afterwards, as I was flying back and forth between Europe and the US more frequently. I started to trade in the in-flight movies for books. I discovered some contemporary satire that I deeply enjoyed. I started to track my reading in Goodreads, and browsing for suggestions.

And then, about 4 months ago, I got my Kindle. At first, I was planning to only use the device during trips abroad in airports and during flights. I'd still carry paper books for the part of the flight during which electronic devices can't be used.

However, I started reading tons on my Kindle: fiction, papers, my own writing as a second screen now that I am only using my laptop, e-books and more. My Kindle is hands-down one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. Not just for my personal enjoyment, but I comes in useful for my research too.

I love books. I love the smell of books, having paper in my hand - and I was terribly skeptical of using an e-reader. My fear and scepsis turned out to prove me wrong.

For us researchers, reading is almost as important as writing - and you can't have one without the other. I've stated it before: reading sparks creativity. Or as my favorite tweet of a few weeks ago mentioned:

@evalantsoght @NSRiazat @lifehackorg @writtenbykrissy The best way to become a better writer is to become a better reader.
— U.S. Dhuga (@USDhuga) August 8, 2013

 One of the best features of a dedicated e-reader as a Kindle, is that it basically is just meant for reading. Unlike a tablet pc where you might want to hop from app to app, the Kindle keeps your attention to your reading. Some critics might fear that we'd hop from book to book and lose the ability to get lost in a fantasy world while reading, but my experience is that I get as much engrossed in a paper book as in a digital book - the story is what matters.

Also, since the Kindle is small, it fits my smallest purse, and I've been dragging it along to many different locations. You can spot me in waiting in line, engrossed in the Kindle.

The color of the screen doesn't seem to tire my eyes, I enjoy the option of highlighting text as I read and I appreciate the fact that I can increase the font - I am by far a very happy Kindle user.

Do you enjoy reading? Do you use an e-reader? And do you also use the e-reader for your research?

Silver Linings: Conferences, and Flying around the world

A few months ago, I did some crazy conference traveling: I flew from Amsterdam via Rome to Japan to attend ICCS 213. After that conference, I flew out of Japan via Minneapolis to Pittsburgh, to attend IBC 2013.
I shouldn't forget to mention that less than a week after touchdown in Amsterdam, I also had to defend my dissertation.

Traveling from one conference in Asia to another in the USA threw me from Central European Summer Time to GMT+9 in Tokyo, and then to Eastern Time zone in the USA (GMT-5). Of course, I also crossed the date line (although I have no memory of actually doing so, as I was asleep).

As you can imagine, by the time I arrived to Pittsburgh, I couldn't tell the difference between my toes and fingers, and felt as if my brain had stayed in Holland.

If you want my advice on this crazy conference traveling, I would say: don't do it.

If you must, try to find a day of rest somewhere during the trip to catch up on sleep.

In my case, I managed to put in 2 days of rest at the beginning of the Pittsburgh-leg of my trip. The first rest-day was literally that: I went to bed sometime between 9pm and 10pm, and only woke up the next day at 2pm (and that is because my husband walked in because he took half a day off from work). The next night, I had a head-splitting migraine, combined with being unable to breathe and having my limbs go numb.

Regardless of the fact that it was terribly exhausting, I did find a few ways to cope with the draining elements of travel, and enjoyed myself a lot.

Here's what I did:

1. Don't try to do everything
I needed time to prepare for my defense presentation, so I took time off from the conference, instead of working through the night on my presentations. It's OK to miss out on sections in conferences, as long as you "do your work" (the networking, the presenting, the learning, etc...).

2. Eat your veggies
If you do something as crazy as I did in terms of traveling, getting the right fuel is more important than ever. I went with green juices (from juice bars, or those Odwalla or Naked juices that are sold in virtually every gas station) to get some veggies. I ordered veggie sides to my meals, although I got some green beans that were swimming in butter at a certain point.

3. Exercise
Go for a run. Drop in on a local yoga class. Do push-ups. Pump some iron. Walk around a few blocks.
Whatever you need to work up a sweat, helps your body. If possible, work out outside, in the daylight, when you are jetlagged.

4. Bonus
Take this little piece of advise from my promotor: "Don't worry about the trip. You'll fall asleep somewhere, sometime, eventually."

Have you had a crazy conference-trip like this? How did you survive?

Silver Linings: Hormones and your health

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you might have seen that I occasionally share some of the work of Alisa Vitti, founder of FLOliving. Even though mostly aimed at women with PCOS and other hormonal issues, I think her work is valid and interesting for all women.

When she was a student at med school, Alisa was diagnosed with PCOS. Instead of going for a life of medication and more medication, she opted for going out in the wild and finding a way to a better health, by delving deeper into the science of food, genes and hormones.

The result of her studies is what she calls the "WomanCode" - a protocol that suggests which foods, skills, types of exercise and other elements of self-care you should emphasize depending on where in your cycle you are. The result is an organic form of time management, that feels more natural than other linear approaches to time management. Stop wondering why sometimes you feel outgoing and other times you want to stay on the couch with a book - you can fit both elements into a monthly planning.

Dealing with PCOS myself, I've been following Alisa's course over the past months, and I've been trying really hard to implement her recommendations into my schedule. Traveling to conferences and moving from one place to the other has been a challenge, but overall I noticed improvements in my energy levels. If you are interested in her work, but don't want to make the time and financial commitment to the course, you can check out her book WomanCode,

If you are interesting in her work, I recommend you to start by checking out her recent GoogleTalk here:

Silver Linings: Flowing through Conference Travel

Conference travel can be exhausting, and I for one always notice how tired I am after a conference because suddenly I need an alarm clock to wake up.

After preparing months for a conference, you shouldn't just shoo away from the place of action because you feel that it becomes taxing and overwhelming. Instead, try to support yourself as much as possible through these extra-busy days, so that you can benefit from it as much as possible.

Instead of wearing yourself out by placing extra stress on your body, make a few conscious choices that make you go those few extra miles before your gas tank runs dry:

1. Go well-prepared

Don't arrive to a foreign airport in a frenzy, trying to remember your hotel name and trying to figure out how to reach the hotel. Avoid late nights in your hotel room to finish up your presentation. Instead, just make sure you have all prep-work out of the way so that you can focus your concentration and energy on learning and networking.

2. Prioritize

Make a realistic schedule - you can't be sitting in lecture sessions from 8 am to 10 pm, meet people AND visit the exhibition. Before the start of the conference, take a few moments to list your priorities: Who do you want to meet? Which company should you visit on the exhibition? Which sessions should you attend? When should you hang out in the hotel lobby and catch up with your acquaintances.

3. Make a few conscious food choices

If possible, try to select a few extra nutritious meals from the buffet. Replace a coffee by a green juice or smoothie. Try to stock up on nutrients in a healthy way before you load up your plate at the dessert buffet. And then indulge in your favorite foods - a conference is not the place to put yourself on a strict diet. Just make sure you get what you need before you start with coffee, alcohol and sugar.

4. Exercise

Bring your sports clothes, and exercise! After sitting an entire day, the best treat you can give yourself is exercise: running in the city you are visiting, trying out the hotel gym or pool or practicing a yoga sequence in your room - just try to make time for movement, at least 15 minutes every day.

5. Find some quiet time to read or relax

If you feel that fatigue and overwhelm are starting to creep up, then try to withdraw from the noise and business for half an hour to read, sit in the sun, take a nap or whatever feels right for you at that moment. Taking this one small action might be just what you need to keep going again, and might work better than a double espresso.

What do you do to avoid crashing down with exhaustion by the end of a conference? Please share your tips in the comments below!

Silver Linings: Listening to your inner circadian rhythm

Too often in graduate school we are running around as sleep-deprived, stressed-out zombies that just can't juggle all the tasks we have to fulfill and drop a ball here and there.

What if I tell you that I have never worked after 10pm in my entire PhD career (provided that you don't count a conference dinner as "work")? I've been tired and sleep-deprived at times, but eventually I have learned to honor my circadian rhythm and give my body the rest it needs. By now, I wake up early in the morning without needing an alarm clock, and I feel rested and refreshed.

Once I understood that my body functions differently over the course of a day, my productivity increased so much that I could go home most days before dinner, having ticked off all my tasks for the day from my to-do-list.

It takes some experimenting.

It takes some time to learn to actually listen to your body. If you're a researcher, chances are that you live from your shoulders upwards. But baby, there's a whole lotta wisdom programmed inside the rest of you.

It takes some guts to go against the flow and decide you are not going to live on tall coffees and little sleep anymore.

It takes some major prioritizing as well.

But if you're willing to take the leap, then start to tune in with yourself by paying attention* to the following:

1. Alertness during the day

When do you feel sluggish? When are you performing at your best? How can you schedule your tasks around these moments of the day?

2. Sleeping and waking times

If you don't put an alarm clock, when do you wake up - how much sleep do you really need? If you are completely sleep-deprived, it might take some time before your sleeping and waking times regulate themselves. But try sleeping earlier for a while - larks and owls are pretty much half/half of the world's population, but in graduate school, it looks like everyone is an owl. There are too many larks trying to fit themselves into an owl schedule!

3. Response to stimulants

Once you're clean with possible caffeine, sugar and fatty junk food addictions, you can tune into yourself and see how you really react to these stimulants. Most likely, you'll experience the rush and the dip that come with the change in blood sugar levels.

4. Response to exercise

If you've been in the lab until 10pm, is it a good idea to go for a run and then crash down into your bed? Most people get too energized from exercise, so experiment and see when you get the best results: early morning, in the afternoon, in the early evening or late at night?

*If you want to learn something from your body, you'll need to take it very very easy on the caffeine and sugar. Otherwise, you'll only see/feel the results of those spikes and drops in your blood sugar levels.

Silver Linings: Getting started with meditation

He often joins my meditation

Over the past two years, I've regularly written about my explorations in meditation and mindfulness on this blog. By now, I consider meditation as important for my mind as exercise for my health. Over time, I've developed this habit, and by now I simply meditate every single day.

The practice of meditation has made me calmer and more focused and productive, and it has had tremendous benefits for my research.

I understand that you might think that you don't have the time for it. But believe me, the additional mental clarity you build up will help you regain those 10 or 20 minutes that you spend in meditation very easily.

My path towards daily meditation has been on and off. Many times I've fallen of the wagon, but I've always come back and tried again. If you want to get started with meditation, these are my five essential points:

1. Try out different times during the day

Different people prefer different times of the day to meditate. You might like to try it out as first thing in the morning, during your lunch break, right when you get home or at night before you go to sleep.
It took me quite some time to understand that for me, meditating first thing in the morning (after brushing my teeth and washing my face to wake up), is the best way to make sure I make it a priority.

2. Try out different styles of meditation

Don't say "I don't like meditation, it's not for me". For sure, there will be some kind of meditation that you enjoy. Try out different styles (gradually, don't try to master everything at once), such as: body scan, breathing meditation, mindfulness meditation, walking meditation, visualization, guided meditation, meditation using binaural audio,... There are so many varieties that I am sure there will be something out there that suits you.

3. Start small

If you want to get started without getting discouraged, start small. Leo Babauta advises you to build the habit by starting tiny: 2 minutes a day. As long as you start building the habit, you will improve and start to enjoy. If you practice a sitting meditation without guidance nor mindfulness bell, then listen to your inner urge to get up. Resist this urge twice, and get up at the third time the urge surfaces.

4. Log your progress and process

Whether you make a wall chart to track your progress, tick it off from your to do list in your planner or use a habit-building app, tracking your progress and journaling about your observations and the entire process will help you ease into your new habit.

5. Be gentle on yourself

If you fall of the wagon, don't beat yourself up. Just start over and over again. I did my first meditation trials 13 years ago. Ever since then, I've been picking it up, trying to make it stick, and lose it again. It's an iterative process in the end, and its purpose is not to stress you out, but to help you grow into a more focused version of yourself.

Do you meditate? Would you like to start? Share your experiences in the comments section!

Silver Linings: What I learned from "Stoppen met Shoppen"

From April 1st 2012 until April 1st 2013, I joined in the "Stoppen met Shoppen" challenge. While the organization promised inspirational e-mails to keep all participants motivated, they only once send a half-baked apologetic mail to tell us that they lost their listserver database, and apparently the website of the challenge is not existing anymore either. In the face of this organizational fail, I kept my spirits high and completed the challenge.

The idea behind "Stoppen met Shoppen" was plain easy: not buying new clothes for an entire year, except for underwear and socks.

First, I need to make a few confessions:
- I bought shoes for my wedding (I think that sin can be forgiven)
- I bought some new underwear and tights (but that was OK, note that I didn't even buy new socks)
- I bought a new bikini because my previous ones had literally come apart
- I bought a sportive swimsuit because the doctor ordered me to go swimming after the accident in which I broke my shoulder
- I bought on March 30th 2013 the clothes for my thesis defense

All in all, I think I did very well, considering that I used to spend a good amount of time hunting for treasures in thrift stores or scoring sales in the US malls when visiting my husband.

For me, this year of clothing-shopping-abstinence helped me to reframe and focus on what truly matters to me.

When visiting my parents, I still went to walk through the shopping street of my hometown, and I even walked into stores, and entertained my mom by commenting on what I was seeing. The first few times I felt the itch to go and get myself something, but later on, I just shrugged my shoulders and said: "I'm not buying clothes this year".
The best part of such an afternoon is being out with my mom and sister, not getting things. It's about the good laughs and catching up.

I still read my favorite fashion blogs, and get me a Vogue every now and then, but just for the sake of enjoying the pretty pictures. The need to own the same stuff is completely gone.

As I started to wear out some of my t-shirts, I developed a 3-step cascade system. T-shirts that aren't good enough to wear on a regular basis became my gym t-shirts. Once wearing them at the gym further stretched them out or made the color too sad, they entered their final phase: sleepwear (no need to buy pajamas anymore).

Moreover, I realized how much clothes I actually own. I rediscovered clothes that I have had for more than 10 years and that I had never worn until now. I got a few more hand-me-downs from my mother and sister. Never I felt like I didn't have the right clothes for the occasion.

The result is that I don't feel like buying much at all anymore. Yes, as I land a job after my PhD, I probably will invest in some quality pieces that can help me grow from grad student to young professional. I will replace some of my worn out t-shirt and polo-shirts by colorful tops. But I feel no need at all to hop onto the next new trend, as I always used to do.

I've saved a good deal of money, and know that buying less is a friendlier way to deal with our beautiful planet's limited resources.

Have you tried to consciously buy less consumer goods?

Silver Linings: Favorite Flashmob

With its more than 10 million views, you must have seen the Sound of Music flashmob.

But I'm sharing it here:
- because it always makes me smile when the thesis hits me in my stomach
- because it comes from home (my home town is 20 minutes from Antwerp, and I went a few years to school to Antwerp, passing through that very train station)
- because I love the architecture of that massive entrance hall of the Antwerp Central station
- because the Sound of Music is the shiz

Have fun watching this!

Silver Linings: Podcasts and the Love of Learning

One of the things I enjoy most as an academician is the ability to learn all the time. As I read new publications and get acquainted with new test results or new theories, or try to read about a related field that I haven't explored in depth yet, I feel it very rewarding to see how knowledge grows in the mind.

But besides my field of study, I find it important to keep learning continuously about other aspects of our world.
One of the challenges I imposed on myself for 2013 is to learn something new every single day.

There are several ways to learn something new. I enjoy reading books, ebooks, blogs and follow online courses. But one of my favorite ways of learning is by listening to podcasts while I am cutting vegetables or having dinner.

My absolutely favorite podcast is 15 minute history from UT Austin. I am interested in history, but I have only taken an elective in music history during my engineering studies in Brussels. My barriers for entry to understanding the work of historians are fairly high.

The podcasts from 15 minute history are accessible, thought-provoking and a noob like me is able to follow the contents and actually learn from it. After every episode, I think to myself: "Now that is interesting, I really learned something in these past 15 minutes."

If you want to spark your joy for learning and go outside of your field of study, I recommend you listen to the episodes of "15 minute history."

Silver Linings: The PhDcat(s)

If you find yourself procrastinating and watching lolcats or kitty pictures online, it might be time to get yourself your own furry friend.

Petting your cat, walking your dog or playing with your hamster are all incredibly valuable and relaxing activities - the type of activities that you simply should build into your busy daily schedule.

The simple presence of having a pet at home, has some major benefits for your health.

However, you might think the time and cost spent on a pet are too much when you are preoccupied with your PhD research. But then again, if you need to postpone all lovely things in life until after your PhD, you're missing out on too many things, and probably feeling grumpy for that reason.

Another issue you might worry about is the cost of taking care of a pet. If you don't go crazy in the special pet candies and toys, the expenses for food, litter and the annual veterinary checkup are very reasonable. By all accounts, the cost is negligible when compared to the joy of having a sweet little creature around you.

I've written the whole story of me and my beloved Pasha in an earlier post.

Here, again I would like to put things in perspective, and convince you that -if you like pets and have no allergies- it could be very beneficial to take a pet.

Do you have pets, or would you like to wait until after the PhD?