Possibly unpopular opinion: PhD students are expected to finish their degrees within a particular time frame. Most struggle with this not because of time management or some other inadequacy but because of piss-poor structural support.

People would actually finish their PhD within the timeframe (3-4 years in Europe, 4-6 in North America) with the right resources which would keep them motivated/provide protections from burnout. PhDs are challenging but challenges can and should be far more structurally supported

The argument against higher stipends in many places is that people would treat the PhD as a “real job” and “take forever to finish” if the pay is good. NO. PhDs ARE a real job and higher stipends are only part of what would improve completion times.

If “productivity” & “completion times” are the metrics for PhD program success, shitty pay and isolation do not work in your favour. From personal experience, my productivity is highest when I’m motivated by rewards and social settings (i.e. workshops/conferences/informal hangs)