Starting a research journal and crossing the Project Approval Form line

This weekend marked a quiet but important shift in my doctoral work.

The Project Approval Form is now submitted to the university Moodle, and the final version has been formally approved. My supervisors confirmation landed with a sense of relief. The framework is now in place. There is no more circling around the project. It has started.

Alongside that, I decided to begin a research journal.

Not a progress log and not a polished blog series, but a working journal. A place to note moods, energy, doubts, confidence, and the less visible parts of writing a thesis. I am increasingly convinced that how the work feels matters, not just what gets produced. Especially in a practice led PhD, where decisions are shaped by experience, judgement, and sometimes friction.

I spent time this weekend setting up tools and routines. I watched the university library instruction video and immediately found new and relevant literature. That moment reminded me how much structure and support exists once you actually engage with it. I installed NVivo, EndNote, and SPSS, and started using the Zotero Chrome plugin properly. Small steps, but they made the work feel tangible and professional.

What stood out most was my own state of mind. I feel motivated and energetic. Not rushed, not anxious, but ready. That feeling will change, I am sure. Which is exactly why the journal matters. It gives those shifts a place to land, instead of carrying them silently alongside the writing.

The journal is part of staying honest during a long process. If nothing else, it will help me remember that this research is done by a person, not just a method.

The work now moves from approval to practice. That feels like the right place to begin writing things down. 

A key next task is to write around 5,000 words describing my current professional practice. This is not analysis yet, but careful reflection on what I actually do, how decisions are made, where tensions sit, and what kinds of problems I spend my time working on. It feels both straightforward and demanding. Straightforward because the work is familiar. Demanding because describing practice honestly, without turning it into a success story or an academic argument, requires restraint and clarity. This writing will form the baseline against which later reflection and interpretation will happen.

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