In this PhD study vlog, I’m taking you along for a realistic study day where I’m doing research work and note-taking, but also letting myself have a bit of a break by watching Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I’m a third-year PhD student in accounting at the University of Waterloo, so my weeks are usually a mix of reading papers, organizing ideas, and trying to stay consistent with deep work—this video is very much that vibe: study time, then a little reset. A big takeaway I want to emphasize is that productive PhD life isn’t just grinding nonstop. I’m trying to build a routine where I can focus, take decent notes, and still have something fun to look forward to so I don’t burn out. If you’re also working through papers and feeling stuck on how to capture the key points, I link my “how to take notes for research papers” video in the description—because having a system for notes makes the whole process way less painful. I also include my filming setup (Canon SL2 / iPhone 12 Pro Max) for anyone curious about how I record these week-in-my-life style study vlogs.