When the conference was over, the reality of graduate school hit especially hard. I had worked a full-time job before re-starting student life, and I was used to doing what I wanted with my time – but the #phdlife dictates otherwise. My new life consisted of: class, lab, class, lab, exams, lab papers, lab, seminars, lab – with occasional socialization. I largely stopped blogging because I felt guilty for “wasting time”.