Writing together

Last Spring, PhD Representative for the International History and Politics (IHP) department, Naomi Samake-Bäckert, organized and facilitated dedicated writing and reading retreats for the department's PhD candidates. These retreats were facilitated with Pomodoro-inspired principles to help maintain PhD candidates’ motivation and productivity. They aimed to create a supportive working atmosphere where PhD candidates could discover and define working habits that help them achieve deep focus, develop tools to set realistic and manageable goals, and foster community connections across cohorts within the IHP department. The objective was to create a space where all PhD candidates, regardless of their research stage, could benefit.

Like the Pomodoro Technique, candidates were asked to define realistic and manageable goals and break these down into smaller tasks. PhD candidates who were experiencing writing blocks, motivation slumps, or feelings of being stuck, were able to overcome their barriers through this approach. Many shared that these dedicated writing and reading retreats helped them fine-tune sustainable working approaches. Others celebrated the milestone of writing their first chapter. Breaks between each working segment were filled with exchanges of food, coffee (for some, tea), and learning about one another's work and research interest. At the end of each retreat, community activities were organized to celebrate and properly close the productive work day. Activities included guided yoga sessions, a community walk through the beautiful Geneva greenery, among others.  

Thanks to the IHP department and GISA funding, these retreats were able to take place in harmonious and controlled spaces, like the beautiful and well equipped Grand Morillon conference rooms. 

Please note that these retreats are only for IHP PhD students.

Have questions or concerns around attending? Or interests in organizing a similar intervention? Contact Naomi Samake-Bäckert.