You won’t beat them by absolute number of hours. However, you can surpass your peers by having more focus, being more organized, and thinking outside the box.

You won’t beat them by absolute number of hours. However, you can surpass your peers by having more focus, being more organized, and thinking outside the box. Anecdotal evidence: PhDs with children often are just as productive if not more than those without. Most PhD students are inefficient due to not focusing and thinking they infinite time.