It’s a student-eat-student world out there. Maybe. Or maybe it just seems like that sometimes.

Or maybe you just feel like you’re always in competition with your peers. Especially among graduate students, it’s common to feel like you always have to “keep up with the Jones'” by publishing more, teaching more, and otherwise out-dueling your colleagues. But Kaitlin Gallagher would like you to know that it’s just not worth it to think of your academic success in terms of how much more you’ve done than your cubicle-mate or lab partner. As Kaitlin argues,

There are benefits to checking in and seeing where you are at compared to others, but not to negatively comparing achievements. A shift in attitude can help to turn unhealthy thoughts into productive actions.

To find out how you can turn envy into something positive, read the rest of Kaitlin’s article on GradHacker here.