I’ve been contemplating what my first article on the site would be since losing my job as an editor for TheGamer. With my time free’d up, I wanted to start giving regular attention to my own website again. But what?

At first, I considered a trendy little humor piece, but it came out forced and unentertaining. After some more thought, I realized that what I needed, and what this site should be for, is genuine expression. This isn’t some major gaming publication with profit margins, ad systems, and executive management. It’s a blog.

And with all the chaos of these last few weeks, months, hell the whole year, one particular mantra has helped me the most:

“I’m Getting My PhD In Doin’ Things”

Where Did This Come From?

I’m half embarrassed to admit it, but this mantra is actually a misremembering of something from YouTube. Popular video game letsplayer Markiplier was playing Lethal Company, a horror-centric co-op roguelike where you collect scrap on dangerous planets for a profit. He was playing alongside channel regulars (and respective content creators themselves) Bob and Wade.

During one scene, Mark had died, and was spectating the other two. After hearing Wade calling out to Bob, Mark switched his view to see where he was. He was safe and outside with some valuable scrap. Mark had also switched over just in time to hear Bob tell himself, “Got my Master’s Degree in doin‘ things.”

Link to the clip, for the curious.

What Does That Even Mean?

Every year, instead of a New Year’s resolution, I like to give myself a motivational phrase. It’s usually something small and repeatable, used as a mantra-style reminder of how to handle my problems as the year progresses.

For 2025, I chose “I’m Getting My PhD In Doin’ Things” because I originally intended to use this year as a way to put in that extra work, buckle down, lock in, and tackle the things that need to be done.

I wanted to apply the college study mindset toward general accomplishment. So whenever I felt like I didn’t have the energy or focus to do something that needed to be done, I would remind myself that I can’t get my PhD until I, well, do things. And if I did something and felt unsatisfied or unsuccessful, I would remind myself that it still counts toward my PhD, and I can find comfort in that.

How Did That Work Out For You?

Terribly, if I’m being honest. From January to now, I’ve encountered more problems in my day-to-day life than I think ever before.

I’ve been mulling over the idea that this might have been the worst year of my life. Maybe this is a sign of how fortunate my life has been, all things considered.

I can’t go into the details of half of the problems, because I am contractually obligated not to discuss such things until October 2030. But here are some of the things I can share:

  • In January, my turtles fell ill while also bearing eggs. It was a very scary process that resulted in me completely renovating their enclosure and moving them into my office to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
  • In February, my grandmother died.
  • In March, one of the neighbors cut down all the trees and shrubs along my back fence. The nature scape back there is very important to me, so this was tremendously invasive and upsetting. Not to mention the complications regarding insurance and police reports.
  • In April, while trying to resolve the backyard thing, I was inflicted with severe poison ivy. So the entire month was nothing but pain and discomfort.
    • Also taxes, which any freelancer knows how awful they are.
  • May was pretty good, tbh. I got a motorbike so I can get around since my car broke down.
  • In October, I was let go from TheGamer, my main source of income.

Some of the dates in this timeline might be skewed; my memory isn’t amazing, but it gets the point across. I didn’t do most of the goals I had set out to do. All of my effort this year felt more like just trying to hold on.

Was It A Good Mantra Then?

Actually, yes! It was originally intended as a motivator. But as hard times kept coming, it became a stalwart reassurance. These problems were scary, frustrating, and difficult, but they were all things that I did anyway. It also provided some relief from the tension of it all. Recontextualizing my problems with a goofy sentence helped to make them less intimidating.

And even now, it’s the right phrase for the job. I’m transitioning back into full and proper freelance journalism work; I have a thousand avenues, ideas, emails, and opportunities ahead of me, I just gotta do things to get them. And with enough effort, I’ll find something better in the end. Even if I don’t find something better soon, I can breathe easy in the idea that I won’t look back on this year thinking, “I should have done more.”

So every day, I sit down at my desk and get to work on my PhD in Doin’ Things.