PhDwell
Justine by Justine Dickhoff, PhD

Hi, I'm so glad you're here.

My name is Justine. A few years ago I was exactly where you are today — a PhD student in Groningen, navigating all the challenges that come with it. I know the stress, the self-doubt, and the feeling that everyone else has it figured out except you.

I created this app to give you what I wish I'd had back then: simple and efficient tools to help you finish your PhD while actually enjoying the journey.

Because this is exactly what I would wish to have done more — just enjoy every step of this marathon. There will be an end, and it comes sooner than you think.

© Justine Dickhoff, 2026. All rights reserved.
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🌿 Today —
© Justine Dickhoff, 2026. All rights reserved
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🌿 "One step at a time"
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Morning Check-In
How are you doing today?
Mood 🙂
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Energy 🙂
Low5/10High
How did you sleep?
What's on your mind today?
Your thesis today
one small intention — tap to open
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© Justine Dickhoff, 2026. All rights reserved
📊 Week
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© Justine Dickhoff, 2026. All rights reserved
🎯 Focus
25:00
🔔 Sound on
Focus for 25 minutes, rest for 5. After 4 sessions, take a longer break. One tomato at a time 🍅
🧠 Justine's tip — Park your thoughts:
"When I started doing this, I noticed that almost everything I wanted to stop my work for was not actually urgent. My brain was just looking for an escape. Write distracting thoughts here instead of acting on them. After your session, look at the list — you will see that most things could wait. Over time, this really builds your focus muscle."
Not everything is equally important. Use this matrix to decide what actually needs your attention today. Tasks that feel urgent are not always important — and the most important work is often the least urgent.
Do First
Urgent + Important
e.g. Submit abstract, fix analysis error
Schedule
Important + Not urgent
e.g. Write chapter 2, read key papers
Delegate
Urgent + Not important
e.g. Reply to admin email, book room
Eliminate
Not urgent + Not important
e.g. Reorganise folders for the fifth time
To Sort
Most PhD progress happens in the Schedule quadrant — Important but not urgent. Protect that time.
10–30 minutes of preparation can make all the difference. You've got this.
New meeting
Past meetings
🎵 "Music can really make an impact on your focus. Sometimes you have to try a few things to find your beat — but when you do, it is a game changer." — Justine · the two tracks below are her personal picks for deep work
© Justine Dickhoff, 2026. All rights reserved
© Justine Dickhoff, 2026. All rights reserved
🌱 Wellbeing
🌱
Seedling
0 breathing sessions completed
Before a supervisor meeting
Box breathing — inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4. Supervisor meetings can feel high-stakes. Two minutes of box breathing will calm your nervous system before you walk in.
2 minutes
When you're stuck
Long exhale — inhale 4, exhale 8. Stuck for more than an hour? Your brain is full. This breathing pattern activates your rest response and helps you think more clearly.
3 minutes
End of day wind-down
Slow rhythmic — inhale 5, exhale 7. Transitioning out of work mode is one of the hardest things about a PhD. This helps your mind close the day.
4 minutes
Almost every PhD student feels like an impostor at some point — and I can tell you from personal experience that I felt this way at many points in my own life and PhD journey.

What really helped me was writing down everything I had already achieved. When I did, I realised I was not doing too badly at all. And I can assure you: doing this more and more often will genuinely change the way you think. Once you start truly believing that you are doing a good job — and you are — everything starts to feel a little lighter.
My achievements
Look how far you've already come
Evidence I belong here
Your reasons, in your own words
A letter from someone who believes in you
Words to come back to
Meditations & movement
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop. Here are some of Justine's personal favourites.
🧘Meditation & affirmations→ 🧘Guided meditation→ 😴Yoga Nidra — full body relaxation→ 🌊Daily Calm meditations→ 🧘Yoga with Boho Beautiful→ 🧘Yoga with Tim Senesi→
Books
📚The Art of Happiness — Dalai Lama
📚Supercommunicator — Charles Duhigg
📚Ikigai — García & Miralles
📚The Science of Happiness — Stefan Klein
📚21 Days to Unlock Affirmations — Louise Hay
📚Energize — Simon Alexander Ong
Online resources
🌐Free mindfulness course (with certificate)→ 🎙️The Happiness Lab podcast — Laurie Santos→ 📋Stress management guide→
© Justine Dickhoff, 2026. All rights reserved
📍 Groningen
A PhD can feel lonely. But Groningen has a lot to offer — here are some ways to connect and get support.
University support
🧠 PhD counselling at the RUG 👥 PhD student organisations 💬 Peer Group Coaching (Intervision)
Social & community
These are some great ways to meet people who are also open to new connections.
🗓️ Meetup.com — social events 🎨 USVA — drawing, improv, music courses
🧗 Sports clubs — climbing, dancing, tennis, fight sports
🎲 Board game nights — Groningen has several clubs
🗣️ Language exchange groups — great if you're new to the city
As a PhD student it can be hard to meet people outside of your department. The activities above are specifically good because they are regular, they require you to show up consistently, and they naturally create bonds over time. Board game nights, sports clubs and language exchanges are especially good for this.
© Justine Dickhoff, 2026. All rights reserved
🗺️ Journey
Plan your PhD in one place. Fill in your PhD period, then add your Big Stones — papers, chapters, your defence, or any major goal. Each stone appears as a bar on the timeline. You can drag a bar to shift its dates, or drag the right edge to change the deadline. Use the ✏️ button on a stone to edit it, and the status buttons to track where things stand.
📅 Your PhD period
Timeline
Drag a bar to move it · drag the right edge to resize
Your Big Stones
© Justine Dickhoff, 2026. All rights reserved
© Justine Dickhoff, 2026. All rights reserved
🌱
Breathe in
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