Single Handed PhD!

Recently I have been struggling with some motivational issues to do with my PhD. These were primarily due to my frustration with the slow pace of the speed of my work (nothing new here for a PhD student). Now however I face a new barrier to my PhD. I have broken the third metacarpal in my right (writing) hand. This has been quite a frustrating experience so far but in some ways it has also acted as a catalyst for reffirmation of my motivation to get over my past frustration and to focus my frustrations on several more productive avenues, both academic and non-academic.



At the time of the incident I was unaware that my hand was broken. Despite some incredible swelling I was assured that it was unlikely that I had broken anything. I proceeded to work as normal, albeit with some discomfort. I had a busy upcoming week with both marking and testing neither of which I wanted to cancel on. I want the experience of marking and I need to test as many participants as I can before Christmas. Even though I was in pain, I was sure that I would be able to do both things.

Sure enough it was difficult to do both of these but they were both completed with little alarm. Speaking with my primary supervisor after finishing the testing, I joked that if my hand was broken it would be a legitimate reason to have time off. My response was greeted with a laughter which signalled, " No you're not!". So off I went to the hospital with my swollen hand, sure enough I was told that I had indeed broken my third metacarpal on my right. I was told that I would be in a cast for approximately 6 weeks.

Casts: Reapplying PhD mojo everywehere since 2013

After the hospital visit I was able to realize a few things:

1. Having a broken hand was not enough to deter me from getting my work done when I needed to do this. If my motivation to do my PhD was as low as I thought it was then I wouldn't have got it done. This has inadvertently served to confirm my latent passion for my PhD and to push on during the rest of my second year.
2. This was the first time I had ever broken a bone.
3. None of my jumpers could fit the cast through their sleeves.
4. I would not be getting any time off.

There is now a renewed focus that has been missing in the last few weeks. I don't think that the positive effects of this can be underestimated. Yes it is more difficult and takes me longer to do things, and this can be frustrating, but my broken hand only limits me in accomplishing as much as I let it do so. Now testing is finished for the year, it is the perfect opportunity to catch up on reading.