Doing a PhD can feel like wandering through a forest with no map. You’re constantly questioning whether you’re smart enough, working hard enough or heading in the right direction. If you’re feeling this way, you’re not alone. More importantly, you’re not broken. The PhD is designed to push you to the edges of what you know and can do, so feeling lost is practically part of the job description. (And ssh, don’t tell anyone but that feeling of being in a deep fog continues with every new research project you will do)

But you don’t have to wait until you submit your thesis to feel proud of your work or confident in your scholarship. There are practical, everyday strategies that can help you build pride and self-confidence along the way. Not toxic positivity or fake-it-till-you-make-it, but approaches that help you to see your own growth. Here’s nine ideas to start with.

1. Reframe what “progress” means

One of the biggest confidence killers in PhD life is focusing exclusively on the massive end goal. Whether you’re weeks or years away from submission, it can be hard to feel like you’re making any progress at all. But progress isn’t just about moving closer to the moment you press submit, it’s also the good paragraph you wrote yesterday, the methodology you finally figured out, the intimidating paper you now understand, or just showing up to work on a particularly hard day.

Try keeping a “ta-da” list alongside your to-do list. At the end of the day, write down what you actually did. Write even the mundane things like “replied to supervisor’s feedback,” “fixed those citations,” or “read for 45 minutes.” PhD work is so long term that we often forget we’re doing stuff every day. This simple tada practice makes your effort visible to you. No-one else needs to see it but you. Over time, you’ll have concrete evidence of how far you’ve come.

You might even go a step further with a weekly “evidence session.” Spend just 10 minutes reviewing your ta-da list, re-reading a paragraph you like, or reflecting on a concept you now understand. Say to yourself: “Here’s proof I’m making progress.” This might sounds simple, but deliberately collecting evidence works against any tendency you have to make yourself feel like you’ve accomplished nothing.

2. Start each day with a win

Before you check your email or dive into the overwhelming mass of things you need to do, accomplish one small task. Do ten minutes of reading, write a single sentence, or go for a brief planning walk to think about how your day will go. Starting with something completed puts you in a “capable” mindset rather than a reactive one. You begin the day as someone who finishes things, not as someone swirling in a mist and/or drowning in deadlines and obligations.

3. Remember that confusion usually means you’re learning

When you feel lost or like you don’t know enough, that’s often because you’re working at the edges of what you know and can do. The fact that something is hard for you doesn’t mean you’re failing, it means you’re doing intellectual work. Think of your undergraduate self who would be gobsmacked by what you now consider “basic” knowledge.

And know that successful academics experience self-doubt too. But they keep going. Your self-doubt doesn’t mean you don’t belong, it often means you’re thoughtful enough to understand how much there is to learn. That’s actually a sign of growing expertise, not a lack of it.

4. Use the “good enough” tactic

Perfectionism is toxic to PhD work because nothing ever feels finished or good enough. Try this as a counter measure: work on something for 25 minutes, then step away. Whatever you produced in that time is good enough for now. You can always revise later, but getting words on a page (even imperfect ones) is infinitely better than staring at a blank document feeling inadequate. And know that the Good Enough approach isn’t about lowering standards. No, it’s recognising that first drafts are supposed to be rough, and that progress matters more than perfection at every single stage.

5. Compare yourself to your past self, not to others

It’s incredibly easy to look at other researchers and feel inadequate. Someone just published three papers, someone else got a prestigious fellowship, another person seems to have their entire thesis planned out perfectly. But everyone’s on their own timeline, dealing with their own challenges that you can’t see.

Instead, look back at where you were a year ago. What can you do now that you couldn’t do then? What questions can you ask that you wouldn’t have known to ask before? What papers can you read that would have been incomprehensible to you back then? And please, limit comparison scrolling. When you find yourself on academic social media feeling terrible about others’ achievements, close it. Set a timer if you absolutely must engage. Other people’s highlight reel isn’t your reality.

6. Move your body

No I’m not offering you a fitness or productivity hacks. Moving is about breaking the cycle of sitting, doubting, and ruminating. Just 10-15 minutes of movement daily can reset your system. Take a walk, stretch, dance to one song, whatever feels doable. Getting out of your head and into your body can interrupt any spiral of self-doubt.

7. Practice tiny acts of self-compassion

When you catch yourself thinking “I’m so stupid” or “I’ll never finish,” pause. Take a breath. Try saying out loud (yes, out loud), “This is hard, and I’m doing my best.” Or words to that effect. Of course, this feels a bit silly and awkward at first, but it interrupts the downward spiral and reminds you that you deserve the same kindness you’d extend to a friend in your position.

8. Protect one thing you’re good at

Maintain one “competence activity” outside your PhD. Cooking a meal, tending a plant, helping a friend, playing an instrument, completing a craft project, whatever. Just find something where you can see a tangible result that will help you remember that you’re a capable person. When research feels like drowning, these other activities remind you that you can complete things and do them well.

9. Share your work

Talk about your research with friends, family, or fellow students who aren’t in your exact field. When you explain your work to someone else and see their interest or understanding, it can remind you that what you’re doing genuinely matters and is interesting. You don’t need to wait for conferences or publications to talk about your ideas. Being part of a writing group provides you with a group of peers who are all in your position, and are willing to share and listen.

The bottom line

None of these strategies will magically make your PhD easy. That’s not the point. The point is that confidence is something you can build slowly, day by day, through small practices that help you see your own growth. The key is consistency over intensity. Doing something small every day matters more than occasional big efforts. Pick one or two strategies out of my suggestions or come up with your own. Your strategies just need to be something that  that feels doable right now.  Try them for a week and see what happens. You might be surprised.