Home2024-08-19T14:09:37+00:00

If you’re writing a PhD you have come to the right place!

I’m Amber Davis and I can help you finish your PhD in a couple of focused hours a day. I believe productivity and self-care go hand in hand, especially so in the academic world. I teach an online programme and provide coaching to get you out of any PhD slumps you may be in.

Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed and behind, and are spending long days staring at your screen without making much progress. Perhaps you are unsure whether your work is ‘good enough’, and ‘far enough ahead’ (whatever that means). Maybe you are stuck with a particular chapter or article. There are always difficult stretches along the way. It is part of the process.

The Stress-Free PhD 6-Week Programme to the rescue! It will help you get back on track and write your PhD (almost) effortlessly. Join me for 6 weeks of focus, productivity and self-care.

While you are here you can also read the blog, download the ZenAcademic Worksheet, and check out the other free resources.

If you are wondering why I do what I do: check out my story. Please do get in touch if I might be able to be of help. (In het Nederlands kan ook: ik ben Nederlands/ Engels.) I would be delighted to hear from you.

Hello, I’m Amber Davis. Let me help you write a more inspired, productive and happier PhD. Get started right now! Get access to my free resources including the ZenAcademic mini course by leaving your email below.

    COURSES & E-BOOKS

    6-WEEK PROGRAMME

    The Stress-Free PhD

    Does your PhD need a boost? What if focus became a habit, and you could leave worry and PhD guilt behind? In this six-week course we will be developing essential productivity and self-care habits for a stress-free PhD.

    Read more

    COACHING

    Coaching Sessions

    Feeling stressed, demotivated, or overwhelmed? Maybe your progress has come to a halt. Difficult stretches happen to everyone on the PhD path. I offer coaching sessions via Zoom or in-person in Amsterdam to get you back on track.

    Read more

    FREE E-BOOK

    Finding Your
    Academic Voice

    My e-book Finding Your Academic Voice covers all the familiar topics: developing your core argument, research design, using the literature, finding your place in the field, the writing process. It just does it differently.

    Get your copy

    ENCOURAGING EMAILS

    The Nudge

    Does your academic workday seem to be never-ending? It doesn’t have to be this way. You can work shorter hours, get more done and feel better too. Sign up to receive a week of free daily email guidance to shorten your workday.

    Get started!

    BLOG

    Are You Overthinking Your PhD?

    Earlier this year I ended up in a strength assessment workshop for professionals in a social club in Cape Town. Think tennis courts, bowling and croquet greens (really!), a cricket pitch, a ballroom, a swimming pool with a view of Table Mountain, a sushi bar, palm trees, the works! I was invited by my friend and Cape Town host Gen. After a fantastic visit in 2023 I am trying to make my trips to Cape Town a regular feature, and this year I succeeded and I was back in town. A place had opened up in this workshop she was [...]

    September 30th, 2024|

    8 Lessons from Academic Failure

    When my former EUI colleague and friend Andrew Glencross asked me whether I'd be interested in co-authoring a piece on failure and derailment in academia my answer was an immediate yes. That was two years and endless revisions ago, and last weekend we finally received the email to say our article has been published! Our contribution is part of a forum on "Dead-Ends, Disasters, Delays? Reflecting on Research Failure in International Studies and Ways to Avoid It" in 'International Studies Perspectives' and you can find it here. In the article, we reflect on our own academic journeys and the pivotal role [...]

    September 4th, 2024|

    Pick the Right Supervisor

    Do me a favour? Pick the right supervisor. It is THE power relationship that matters when you are writing a PhD, and its impact not only on your work and career, but also on your wellbeing should not be underestimated. If you are looking for a PhD position, don’t just start with the university, the reputation of the department or the field. People matter, and academia is built on personal networks. Being part of the right ecosystem so to speak, is everything. I’ll tell you a story to illustrate. I thought I had all this supervision business covered when I [...]

    February 23rd, 2024|

    ‘How to Write a PhD’ with Cassandra Frear

    I met Cassandra when she was part of the first round of the Stress-Free PhD programme, where we met weekly online with the group. She is based in Philadelphia, and I remember all too clearly the culture shock: when I introduce the idea of writing a PhD more efficiently by working fewer hours, it tends to be a leap even for Dutch or other European PhDs, but for a US PhD candidate to embrace these insights about the importance of being idle is next level! A few months ago she wrote me to say she’d be reviewing the course materials [...]

    January 19th, 2024|

    LIBRARY

    Free Resources Library

    I have compiled some free resources for you to download. An e-book, a short course with encouraging emails to nudge your writing productivity alive, and a worksheet with a mini-course to create an effective and very zen work routine.

    Leave your email to get access.

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