Things are finally starting to improve with this paper, thank goodness! I tried switching to handwritten and managed another paragraph, then I got really angry with myself, then I got so frustrated I thought I might cry, then I went and sat in the loos and banged my head against the wall (metaphorically, that is). Now I think I've got past the block by starting from a slightly different place in the literature! Oh dear, ridiculous! It's taken me 2 full days to write 680 words! And now I have a thumping headache and want to go home :-(

Actually, that's not a bad idea, pink_numbers, thanks! Not sure why I didn't think of that - I did open a new word doc so I wasn't trying to write onto my notes about the structure of the article (which usually helps but this time doesn't seem to have). I'll give that a go and see if it improves things.

First two goals of the day done, and now I've just decided to scrap the 365 words I worked so hard to write yesterday! Gah. But the new version will be much better. I hope.

This paper is killing me to write! I don't even know why really, it should be straightforward. I think maybe I'm getting too anxious about it and over-thinking it. Maybe I need to just bash it out and not worry.

Stopped off at the library to renew some books on my way in, so I'm a little later to sit down at my desk than I intended. Oh well. Today, I am going to blitz the work and make real progress.

Goals for today:
1.) Renew library books - DONE!
2.) Send 2 emails about upcoming event
3.) Continue writing draft journal paper - would like to finish the lit review section and make a start on the next section

Sigh. My chili is on the hob and smells good, and I should be working again, but I just can't do it today. I'm up to a massive 365 words now. I'm planning to get the early train to campus tomorrow and be at my desk and working by about 8.30 am, so maybe I'll let myself knock off work and do a few jobs before watching crap on TV for the rest of the evening!

I'm not going to feel guilty about lack of progress! No, really, I'm not.... :$

Gah, I've spent most of the day trying to work on my journal paper and ending up surfing the web instead. I just can't seem to settle to it today. So far I have re-written the opening paragraph about 5 times, and now have a grand total of 261 words written. Rubbish! :$ I just wish I had more time and didn't feel so under pressure. But then, I did have more time, a few months ago, and all that happened was that I didn't write the paper then either! Gah.

I'm going to slog away for a little longer, then cook myself a nice big pan of veg chili (food for the whole week), then come back to work again later.

Hope you're not feeling too stressed pink_numbers - sometimes just going aaaaaaarrrrggghhh can really help! And we all have days like that. Take a deep breath - it will all get better :p

I'm really not achieving much at the moment. Must get back to work! Must make myself do something!

Sorry, only have access to that journal from 1995 onwards. With something that old, it might be an inter-library loan for a paper copy, I'm afraid!

Oh dear, Pink_numbers, is something wrong?

Hi Chococake

I usually look at the titles/abstracts and try to work out which ones are likely to be the most general, to give the best overview when I'm starting out. Then I'll look for any recent review-type ones that might be in there. Then I'll look for the ones that seem to be most closely conected to whatever it is that I'm trying to get from the articles (e.g. if it's a particular aspect of a theoretical approach, or a particular method or setting for the research or whatever). If that doesn't get me started, I'll read the most recent, then start from the earliest and work forwards. But often my reading starts with the PDFs I've already downloaed before moving on to PDFs I can get easily and then finally the tricky ones that are hard to track down that I might not need to read after I've read everything else!

Yikes, that's really not a good way for them to react, Sneaks! I hope none of mine end up like that. Yes, I was going to do all the things you suggest, but thanks for reminding me anyway - I always have this nagging fear that I'll forget something really basic and obvious! Anyway, the interviewee just replied to my email saying it's all fine, they understand, so I was stressing about nothing!

Hi Stephanie

I agree with everything Ady said. I work on campus 2 days a week and at home the rest of the time, and it is a different way of motivating and organising your work to being on campus every day. Sometimes when I'm on campus I see everyone else sitting quietly at their desks, heads down, and it feels like I'm the only one who struggles to keep motivated. But I also know that the people in my office who work on campus every day spend a lot of time chatting, and sitting around having long lunch breaks, as well as all the times they're head-down working. I really don't think it's that different.

Comparing your own progress to that of other students is always dangerous.... :-) I felt like I was behind schedule for ages because two people who started on the same day as me were already collecting data for scoping studies when I was still doing my lit review, but now the two other students are back to writing methodologies while I'm about to start my main data collection! Everybody else's work always looks more advanced than my own from the outside, I think!

The motivation thing is difficult. Everyone has off days, and I think it's important not to get stressed out by them. The odd day here and there is nothing to worry about at all - it's just human nature to jhave days when we're not as up for it! When I have longer periods like that, though, sometimes it's a sign that I need a break, sometimes it's a sign that I need to think something through a bit more, or that my approach isn't quite working, and sometimes it's a sign that I'm nervous or lack confidence about the next thing I need to do and will do anything at all to avoid getting on with it! I think half the battle is working out why I'm feeling unmotivated (and another big chunk is allowing myself to be occasionally!)

Sneaks, I would find that seriously annoying - in fact, I'd be furious if my other half reacted that way! So it's okay for you to spend your weekends helping him but you can't spend time on your own work? That's rubbish! I hope this is only a short-term situation...

I just had to write a really awkward email to someone I'm interviewing next week. They asked me to send them details about what I'm going to ask, so I sent them a summary outlining the main areas we'd talk about but not going into enough detail to compromise the integrity of the interview. And then they started demanding to see the actual questions in advance! So I've just had to email them tactfully explaining that no, I won't send them the actual questions in advance, because if they have time to think about the things I'm asking that mkight change their answers, and anyway, it's not a test, they can't fail it... I have a nasty feeling they're going to pull out of being interviewed, even though I was as tactful and patient as I could be. Oh well! :$

That's a couple of goals dealt with, anyway. Now onto the big one - writing my journal article.

Morning!

I need to have a productive day as well today, I'm feeling under pressure with everything I have to get done in a short period of time.

Goals for today:

1.) Finish drafting interview schedule for next week's initial interviews
2.) Email interviewee who wants more info
3.) Make a lot of progress on draft journal article
4.) Sort out bits and pieces of non-PhD stuff

I agree too. My supervisors tend not to specify a time but are always happy as long as it reaches them by the end of the day. A couple of times one supervisor has said 'lunchtime because I need to print it and take it with me on a train'; once or twice I submitted stuff at 7pm when they'd finished work for the day and they didn't comment on that. So I would go with end of the day unless they specify!