Do your own thing and don’t compare yourself to others! Doing a PhD is an incredible opportunity to deepen your knowledge in a specific field. Everyone does it differently, and everyone’s experience is going to be very different. There is no right or wrong way to do a PhD.
Be prepared to fail, and that’s okay! A PhD often means doing something new, so you’re definitely going to make mistakes along the way. The main thing is to learn from these mistakes and to take constructive criticism on board to do better. I probably spent 60% of my PhD failing. But that means I also spent 60% of my PhD looking for and eventually finding solutions, and that’s so valuable!
Do not wait until the last minute to write your thesis. I’ll repeat for the people at the back. Do not wait until the last minute to write your thesis. Start right away, bit by bit. Writing 200-400 pages in one sitting in 3-6 months while being emotionally and physically exhausted after 3-4 years of hard work is going to be such a challenge. How are you going to remember the experiment you ran 2 years ago?! In my opinion, writing your thesis as you go gives you the best chance to finish your PhD on time (along with consistent and efficient work).
Do something else outside of your PhD (if you can). Whether that’s sports, volunteering, reading, knitting, or joining a club. Take care of your physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Make memories, not just results.
Enjoy what the University has to offer. It’s going to be your last years as a student (except if you feel like going for another degree), so make it count!