Morning!

I've been working since 7.30 am but for some reason my uni laptop won't go online, so I've had to switch my other laptop on just to be able to check emails (and, erm, to mess around online!). Very annoying. But it does make me realise how often I take a break by going online - something I should knock on the head really, it takes up too much time and isn't a proper break from the screen anyway.

Oh well. I'm off out this afternoon, friends visiting from Wales, so I want to get as much done as I can before then. I'm sorting out my SPSS data files - each variable needs programming, it's taking ages but if I can get the first of the three files finished today I'll be happy.

Well done, Skig. Hope you managed to sleep through the caffeine though!

And good luck with the lecture, Sneaks.

Yesterday, I drew up a detailed plan of what I'd do every week for the next year (submission in 12 months), at the request of my supervisors. And nearly had a heart attack when I saw how difficult it's going to be to fit everything in. But it's given me some impetus to really get on with stuff, which is good I suppose!

Anyway, goals for today:
1.) Finalise year plan (try to make it more realistic!)
2.) Send off proposed title for conference paper
3.) Contact co-author of journal paper about the comments she still hasn't sent me
4.) Sort out 3 SPSS data files and get ready to clean data

Morning everyone

I overslept this morning so have only just got to the computer, and still am not showered or dressed. And I have no food in the flat so have to go food shopping before I do anything else. Hmm, that suggests today may not be that productive!

Oh well. Once those tasks are done, the plan for the day is:
1.) Come up with a title and broad idea for content for conference presentation
2.) Work on detailed plan of data analysis and other actions over next six months
3.) Start working on creating hypotheses to test

Hello everyone, it sounds like you're all deep into it at the moment - hope you all get through the work okay!

Today, I need to write up notes from this morning's supervision meeting, sort out some admin bits and pieces, then write a detailed plan of the analysis I need to do over the next six months. Fun.

Also done. Looks like it will be interesting, good luck with it!

Morning everyone!

Skig, I am relaxed actually, feeling lazily unconcerned about everything, not sure that's a good thing but I'm enjoying it! I hope your stress lifts, that's not a nice feeling.

Yesterday I achieved about half of my goals, plus a couple of things I didn't actually write down as goals. I'm away for the weekend for my partner's mother's birthday party, so not intending to get into anything too complicated today. Goals:
1.) Download references identified while at conference
2.) Think about abstract and title for conference symposium I've been invited to take part in
3.) Look at comments received on rejected (ouch!!) journal paper and think about rewriting
4.) Prioritise some reading for the next couple of weeks

Good morning!

I've been having something of a lazy week so need to actually knuckle down and get lots done today. Goals:
1.) Write detailed to-do list
2.) Write plan of work for whole year
3.) Download journal articles identified while at conference
4.) Start on most urgent things on to-do list!

Oh, that does look quite interesting/useful. Read a few of the blog entries and they fall into the category of 'kinda obvious when someone says it but useful to have it vocalised', if you know what I mean... Thanks for the link!

Hi Sparkles

You sound so like me! I had all those insecurities so often, and certainly felt that a lot in the first year of my PhD. There just seemed such a clique of PhD students, with some of them so loud and domineering that I often felt overwhelmed. It worried me at first - what was wrong with me, that I felt so awkward around people? Then I realised that it didn't matter - they weren't my friends, I just needed to have a working relationship where it was required.

Now, I don't make extra effort to mix with them, although I am friendly when our paths cross, and I chat to them if I bump into them by the photocopier or whatever. But I feel much happier now I don't have that pressure on myself. I've also realised that the clique isn't as strong as I thought it was. Stepping back has let me see that they aren't a big solid block who all know each other - a few do because they share a house, a few others go to the pub together or play five-a-side football together, but mostly, they're just PhD students who are just as isolated and occasionally lonely as everyone else.

I think the key is to find a social group of your own that's away from the department, to get a break from PhD life but also to take some of the pressure out of the PhD situation. It's easy for people to feel isolated, especially if they've moved to a new place or if previous (e.g. undergraduate) friends have moved on. The best thing for me is to have friends who I meet up with down the pub or wherever, who aren't doing PhDs, and who keep me grounded and give me proper perspective on things. It also means if people in the department are winding me up, I can just laugh it off, because my proper mates are the ones I relax with and whose company I really enjoy.

I agree with Sneaks, it seems to vary a lot. In my department, the more technical ones tend to be a little shorter and the more social sciencey ones tend to be slightly longer, and they tend to be anywhere between 50,000 and 80,000 words. I think having a maximum limit is useful, though - short and tight seems like a good aim, but covering everything means (unless it really is a discipline that can be very short, like maths) most people are likely to be looking for ways to edit down their thesis, rather than worrying about it being too short. (Or is that just me, being all wordy an' stuff...?)

Hi RLD1984 - I was lucky enough to be awarded a grant for the conference - my university is in a consortium with two other universities in my region to focus research on one particular topic, and the consortium has a handful of conference travel grants for PhD students. My university also has a central fund that PhD students can apply to, once during their PhD. And people whose PhD is part of a particular project tend to also have some funding in their project for conferences too, though I'm not part of a project like that. You just have to keep your eyes open for funding really, it's not always easy to find.

Hello everyone, I'm back! The conference was great - met loads of people doing research related to my own, heard lots of v impressive talks by people I've cited a lot, and even managed to get through my own presentation and the questions afterwards without messing up. It was such a good experience. (And the few days in Amsterdam afterwards were a lot of fun!!!)

Today, I'm going to catch up on emails, send 'nice to meet you emails' to people from the conference, and then start to plan out what I think I need to do following the conference. There's a few papers mentioned by other people that I want to read, and then I want to plan out the work I'll do over this final year.

Presentation finished, handout finished, laundry nearly done, packing planned... I think I'm nearly ready for the conference! Just got to rehearse the presentation a few times tomorrow before I leave on Sunday. And catch up with my partner tonight and tomorrow cos he says he's going to miss me!

Good luck with all the work everyone, I'll be back in just over a week....

Hi Clovercloud

Sorry you feel this way - the PhD process can be very tough, and even more so if the relationship with the supervisor isn't working well. I'm glad to hear you are trying to look after yourself, and the therapist sounds like a very useful thing too. I would just reiterate what others have said - everyone feels at least some of what you're going through at some point in their PhD. You're not alone in this!

I was wondering about the research question thing - do you have any opportunities to go to any seminars or conferences where people from your field will be presenting? I went to a series of seminars last year organised by a society for my discipline, quite small events really with maybe fifty people attending, and the presentations and discussions there really sharpened my awareness of where the current debates in my field are, and what questions are now forming in people's minds. I found this really useful for making my research more relevant to current debates, and they also enthused me about my subject and allowed me to meet people doing lots of really interesting work at other universities. If you could find some similar events to attend that might help to focus your thoughts and reading in a direction that will turn into a strong research question.

Good luck with it, and I hope someone else comes along and gives some more advice about dealing with how you're feeling and the supervisor relationship.

Thanks Cindrella, I'm feeling almost ready for it now!

And Emmaki, good luck with getting to the work, must be such a struggle to find time!

Today, I'm finishing my presentation (just need to tidy up content for one slide) and rehearsing for timing, and sending it to my supervisors before lunch for final comments. Also other preparation stuff, like washing clothes! And that's all....