Perfectionism and the PhD with Jenny Mak
Dr. Jenny Mak is a writer and educator. Her work has been published in Entropy magazine, Read Me Anthology, and shortlisted in the 2012 InkTears Short Story Competition. Her PhD, from the University of Warwick, focused on embodied experiences of globalisation in contemporary world literature. She has taught English Literature and Creative Writing at LASALLE College of the Arts, Nanyang Technological University, and University of Warwick. In this episode we touch on a range of issues - from how PhD research can fuel creative work to learning to write within the PhD process - but we focus on how to manage perfectionist tendencies. We reflect on the urge to craft the perfect sentence/paragraph/chapter. We talk about why it is better to think in terms of milestones rather than deadlines. Jenny offers us her thoughts on how to break out of the perfectionism loop. We finish with a top tip that centres on community. You can contact Jenny here: Website: www.jennywhmak.com Twitter & Instagram: @jennywhmak If you would like a useful weekly email to support you on your PhD journey you can sign up for ‘Notes from the Life Raft’ here: https://mailchi.mp/f2dce91955c6/notes-from-the-life-raft