just a myth or an achievable goal?

The nine-to-five PhD is an increasingly elusive goal: many candidates aspire to it, but few end up achieving such an impressive work-life balance. NatureGlobal PhD Research 2025 found that 50% of self-selected respondents identified a culture of long working hours at their university. This is fueling dissatisfaction, and those who spend more than 60 hours a week on their PhDs are significantly more likely to report feeling dissatisfied with their PhDs (21%) than those who spend 30 hours or less (16%).

Analysis of more than 26,000 PhD applicants from 14 UK universities between 2006 and 2017, from the online PhD information platform DiscoverPhDs.com, found that one in five fails to obtain a Ph.Dmostly due to the premature exit of the programs by applicants. another longitudinal study showed that time pressure was associated with dropout rates¹.

It is not just applicants who would benefit from making PhDs more sustainable. According to a review published in 2024PhD holders are more likely to be employed in high-skilled jobs than undergraduates, and having people with PhDs on teams boosts the productivity of their non-PhD counterparts. PhD holders in industry also help promote collaboration with academia and investment in research and development, especially for smaller businesses².

Here, 13 former and current full-time PhD students who say they spent or are spending an average of 40 hours a week or less on their PhDs share their advice and observations.

You’re in charge, enjoy the flexibility

“Remember to take time off to make up for overtime: You often don’t have to work the same hours every day or the same hours as other people. And when you’re waiting for feedback from someone, treat it as time off! Don’t be afraid to have a flexible schedule.” — Victoria Crozier, a fourth-year doctoral student in ecology at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada

“Avoid working long hours continuously. My health informatics research project includes structured phases—especially during field data collection—which makes time management more manageable. During proposal writing, I typically worked three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening. During fieldwork, I typically spend seven hours a day in a health facility conducting interviews and observing how people use health management information systems. After each field visit, I spend an additional one to two hours in reviewing notes and audio recordings Although these periods are time-limited and predictable, it helps to prevent the work from expanding uncontrollably. Bigten Kikoba, a fourth-year PhD student in health informatics at the University of Dodoma in Tanzania

“I usually work Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 7:00pm, but I take half a day off every week (usually Wednesday morning). That way I can work all week and not come to the weekend exhausted. I can organize my work better because I can concentrate longer and make sure I get my full days done. I can also be more relaxed in his free time.” — Claudia Pizanti, second-year physics PhD student at the University of Bologna, Italy

The sounds of science: how music at work can refine your research

“The type of research I do – in a branch of functional analysis known as operator theory – greatly favors flexibility, so it’s easier for me to maintain a nine-to-five schedule than it is for people in many other fields of study, particularly those that involve being in the lab. The only equipment I need is my computer plus some pens, paper or chalk and a board, so I can do research anywhere. In fact, I often work from home if I can’t get in in the office.” — Julio Enciso, a second-year PhD candidate in mathematics at the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico City

“Many of my experiments span two weeks, so I plan exactly which days and times I’ll be in the lab before I start. This helps me work out the rest of my schedule, such as meeting slots, without overloading myself. The same principle applies to computer-based work: if I have several experiments planned, I deliberately lighten the load on tasks like writing. Conversely, if a major deadline is approaching, I avoid scheduling experiments during that period. There will be times when you have to push yourself hard and others when things slow down and you have more time to breathe.— Sarah McPhedran, a third-year PhD in immunology at the Deeley Research Center in Victoria, Canada

You may work 40 hours a week, but not necessarily nine to five

“The eight-hour day and the 40-hour week are made for factory work, where every day is the same, not for academic work, where every day can look very different. I don’t stick to a nine-to-five schedule even for a little bit. I’ve never been a morning person; my body prefers to get up later and work later. During my master’s degree, I tried to work a nine-to-five, but I found that I was wasting time and sitting at my desk pretending to work because I was always so tired. Victoria Crozier

“Fieldwork tends to defy normal working hours, especially when it comes to multi-day trips that you want to make as cost-effective as possible. Also, the conferences and science fairs where you present your work don’t always follow a standard schedule. Sometimes working outside of the nine-to-five routine is a positive thing, especially when I’m researching a new, interesting topic: I read paper after paper out of sheer curiosity late into the night.” — Kateřina Bezányiová, second-year zoology PhD student at Charles University in Prague

Know your limits

“Know when to stop working: Avoid answering non-urgent emails late at night or on weekends. Instead, set aside time for those administrative tasks. However, if there is something with a long deadline and you have excess energy, then you can start working on it. Using the half hour it takes to get the result of a PCR experiment in the lab can save you sleepless nights of frantic work before a deadline.” — Katerina Bezaniyova

“I like to refer to my department’s policies regarding work hours. My department has specific statements recommending a 40-hour work week. So even if my colleagues are working longer hours, I know I’m meeting the department’s expectations.” — Karen Arevalo, a fifth-year candidate in kidney cancer biology at the University of Toronto in Canada

“Developing the ability to say ‘no’ is an essential skill in graduate school. Setting firm boundaries not only saves your time and mental health, but also often earns you respect from others. Saying ‘yes’ all the time can lead to overextending or taking advantage of it.” — Sarah McPhedran

Be organized

“It all comes down to time management. If you go into the lab without a plan, you’ll procrastinate and eventually find yourself working overtime to catch up. If you know something will take you a whole week to finish, plan accordingly. I use Gantt chart to plan my PhD as precisely as possible and to set realistic deadlines. It helps me keep progress by feeling like I’m ticking things off a list.” — Luke Nel, a second year paleoecology candidate at Nelson Mandela University in GkeberhaSouth Africa

“Put small milestones throughout your project. Finding a dedicated place at university to do non-experimental tasks like writing and reviewing helped me cut down on my hours. It also helped me avoid bringing work home.” — Leo Maya do Amaral, who has a Ph.D in Engineering and Materials Science from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

“Plan from the beginning. Look at your submission deadlines and plan backwards from them. Each day plan to write a certain amount of words and try to stick to that figure.” — Sandra Kissling, who holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of Staffordshire in Stoke-on-Trent, UK

How to get the best night’s sleep: What science says

“Know your priorities and how long it will realistically take you to complete your tasks. I often work with samples that are easily degraded or contaminated, so I have to carefully plan my work in advance. I know what my top priority is and what would be great to get done. But I’m willing to wait if something takes longer than expected.” — Katerina Bezaniyova

“It can take time to optimize, but find out which schedule works best for you. I do my most intensive work in the morning and early afternoon. After about 2 p.m., when I start to feel exhausted, I rest. I often return to work in the evening and use those evenings when I’m tired for mindless administrative work or routine data analysis.” — Sarah McPhedran