Balancing PhD and single parenting: small habits make a big difference

PhD student Priyanka Joshi is balancing her research degree with being a single mother and in today’s blog argues that small discipline and wellness habits make a big impact – her mental health blog helps others too.

Starting a PhD is often described as an intellectual challenge but when you are a parent - and, in my case, single parent - the journey becomes something much more layered. It is not just about research questions, literature reviews or academic milestones; it is about learning how to manage any uncertainty while balancing your child’s responsibilities and your own well-being.

I began my PhD at the University of Strathclyde in October 2025, so I am still very much at the beginning of the journey. I certainly don't have everything figured out yet but in these early months I have realised that resilience often comes from the smallest habits rather than big productivity systems or perfect routines.

Practising self-discipline and self-compassion

One of the things that has helped me the most is developing a sense of discipline. With so many responsibilities competing for attention, structure becomes essential. I try to dedicate around 30 minutes each day to movement whether it's through yoga practise, running or meditation. These practises help me clear my mind and regulate stress before the demands of the day take over. Alongside fitness, it is more about creating mental space to approach my day with clarity and staying mobile to move in my 40s.

Another habit that is surprisingly helped me is starting the morning with a cold shower; it may sound extreme, but it helps wake up my body, regulates my nervous system and mentally prepares me for the day ahead.

It is the little things that matters the most

Some of the best wellbeing practises can be the simplest ones. My 12-year-old daughter and I have a ritual of watching her favourite anime together. It helps us unwind and reconnect after a busy day, and it helps me to be present with my child rather than constantly thinking about research assignment deadlines and what I want to cook.

Also, whenever we get lucky with the Scottish weather, we try to go for short walks in the sunshine. These moments may seem small, but they create balance in life that can otherwise feel quite demanding.

Creating blocks for reading and writing

I try to create dedicated time for reading and writing, treating them as focussed work blocks rather than tasks to squeeze in between everything else. There are days when I fall off my practises when I am unwell or have low energy and I allow myself to rest. Writing in particularly has always played an important role in my life long before starting my PhD journaling helped me process difficult moments, emotions and reflect more deeply on life.

Over time that habit of writing gradually evolved into something bigger from simply journaling to creating “Sanity Daily” - a mental health blog and podcast - where I share reflections and practical ideas around well-being, entrepreneurial resilience and managing stress in demanding lives.  Even now alongside my PhD I try to set aside a dedicated hour each day to write blog post or create content for the platform. That time feels different from academic writing - it's creative and free flow, and it reconnects me with why I started writing in first place. It is my “Me-Time”.

One of the biggest lessons I'm learning in my first year of PhD study is that progress doesn't always look dramatic and it doesn't look same for everyone. Academic culture often celebrates big milestones, publications, conferences or completed theses which might look intimidating when we are beginning our research journey.

But if you are a parent balancing research while parenting, progress often happens in quite a ways; it might be a few pages you have read, book you have completed, an idea clarified or simply showing up to your work even when motivation feels low - these are all small wins and we need to give ourselves credit for that.

As I continue this PhD, I feel blessed to have great supervisors and the support of the university but still I know there will be moments of stress, uncertainty and exhaustion which is part of research and part of parenting too, and I remind myself that there will be also moments of growth and discovery. So, for now, my approach is simple - staying disciplined, prioritising, protecting the routine that supports my well-being, and focus on steady progress rather than perfection. For other parents navigating academia research, I hope this reflection post offers a smaller reminder that resilience often begins with simply counting one small habit, one small step, one day at a time. We can root for each other.

When you read this, it might look like I'm doing a lot of things in a day but once you start including these things in your daily life, it won't look like a lot; it will just become a part of your routine and it will help you so much.

About Priyanka Joshi

Priyanka Joshi is the founder of Sanity Daily, one of the UK’s leading and award-winning mental health blogs and podcasts, and author of The Therapeutic Journal, a guided mindfulness and wellbeing journal. She is pursuing PhD research at Strathclyde Business School, exploring how entrepreneurship can drive socio-economic empowerment for single mothers.