Hi Sneaks, good luck with getting your draft off today. That's quite a mile stone...

I sent my chapter to my sup last night, so am having a day off - I worked right through the weekend, so reckon I deserve it. Going shopping later.

Hi Folks, It's pretty quiet around here today, is everybody busy?

Yesterday I worked really slowly, just finished typing up the re-draft and then printed it - I think I needed a down day. Today was faster, I did four hours of editing of the re-draft (with a big break for yoga in the middle). I have now found loads more work that needs to be done on the chapter so won't be sending it off today. I have written to my sup promising to send it on Monday though, so I will have to work really hard over the weekend to get it done by then. I bet he finds loads more work in it too...

So I hope the silence is a good sign and things are steaming ahead for you. X

Hi Mumbler, I live on my own too and I can also relate to your 'hermit' comments. I am now in the habit of making regular arrangements with people for coffee etc through the week, so that I don't start growing a beard and living in a deep, dry hole... I also pop over to my local cafes where I chat to the owners quite a lot. I find that breaks up the day. My situation has it advantages though: I can write where and when I want (I've finally settled an all white space I've made in my tiny hall); I can wash up etc when I want; choice of TV - or not TV - is mine; and I just really like the feeling that this is my space, my home. For the duration of the PhD this is the best situation. No distractions. I can be completely selfish. I think if I had more sociable work, where I saw people every day, I'd be all right, no need to bend the ear of local cafe owners. I speak on the phone quite a lot too.

Hi folks, just a quick note to say - I finished the two hours, but not my re-draft. I still have five (four and a half, really) pages to go, so it's a bit frustrating to be so close to the end and have to leave it until tomorrow. But I guess I can do that and pick up the fiddly bits of research I need to do after teaching in the evening.

Must dash as I have to get ready - and buy more fizzy drinks and chocolate to replace what I snaffled earlier. Ho Hum... Good luck X

Hello dear one goal forum friends, Good luck with goal 2 Batfink, sounds terribly technical! And Sneaks, it seems you are taking over the world - another project off the ground; finish the thesis and write a module, all this week in between teaching, blimey, I'm dizzy just thinking about it... Remember when you used to fall asleep in the dog basket every afternoon???

Anyhow, I haven't done any solid PhD work since this morning, just looking at job vacancies - which are practically none-existant in my field at present. I have been marching about from the local cafe to the park and to the shops in a rather manic, hyper, getting it all done fashion - only not actually doing it... I think I'm over excited about a theare trip tonight, so have been getting ready for that and buying goodies for me and my possee. I have also scoffed many of said goodies, including a bag of Thorntons chocs, oh dear.

Now I will settle down to edit again until 5:30 -45 when I need to have dinner and get ready. So another two hours, I feel as if my brain has re-charged enough.

Good moring Batfink! It sounds as if you're getting through tons of work, all very technical too... so well done for that.

I've done three hours of editing this moring: an hour between 6:30 - 7:30, a break for an hour during which I watched a very surreal kids programme and a hilarious episode of Father Ted ('Hell') and then two more hours of work between 8:30 -10:30. Am going to cut some slack, maybe in an hour or so of rest, and then get cracking on the remainder. Just need my brain to power up again.

I finished editing the first half of my chapter, and hope to finish editing this draft later today. So see you later and have a great day. Esk X

I'm proably closest to 6, but I don't want answers. I just want to be able to engage with my subject for the rest of my career, write about it at a high level and teach. I think some people might think I am an eternal student, but my experience of PhDing has zero in common with the undergrad experience - which I hated anyhow. I wish I were an 8!

Hi Batfink and Sneaks, sounds as if everyone is working really well today... more people here than on Friday.

I did another half hour, so not the two sessions I'd planned. But I did finish typing up changes to my introduction, which is what I aimed to do. I hope to finish the whoe chapter draft on Monday. We will see. I expect it will be just rest and sleep tomorrow as I rose at 4:30 today and am going to two massive social things tonight - one with a very late night. None of this will be condusive to work though, so I will almost certainly see you on Monday.

Good luck folks. I can't believe how focussed everyone is on a Saturday. We all so deserve a reward!

Glad allis sorted Emmaki! I did 1 hout 40 mins this morning. Am having a break for a couple of hours - I may dye my hair and go out for some milk - and will then crack on again. Am watching that super-camp and silly hairdressing comptetition programme.

I'd liket to get at least another two wrting bouts in today. So see you later. X

Hi Hailey, I have three chapters of 20k, but not one of 30k.

Are you on schedule for January 5th? Good luck!

Hey Batfink well done for getting throug all your goals, and Emmaki, good luck with fendng off the parents and getting yours done.

I did mine too! So I am really pleased. I have finished the paper edit of my chapter, and am ready to start typing it up tomorrow. That usually takes a while, but am hoping to get it done by Monday night, ready for either another edit or sending to the sup.

Hi Batfink, good luck with your schedule - I'm sure you will do it even though you are tired.

I did another 1 hour 50 mins before lunch, and am up to page 29 of 55 so am having a half-way-break. Have had lunch, am watching a bit of crap telly and may go out to the park for a walk and a coffee. But need to do another 3 hours or so later today. So see you later. I'll be back at work at 2:30pm.

Hi Folkes, thanks for the good wishes - my teaching did go really well, and I hope you enjoyed the show Emmaki.

I've done an hour of editing this morning, and am now havig a break. So will do another hour after Fraisier... (ooops) eeuurrgh just saw a trailer for Jeremy Kyle by mistake :(.

I took a day off yesterday, just bought printer ink and printed out my chapter and mooched abotu after yoga. Will have to work on Sunday to compensate - although given my plans for Saturday night that's unlikely. So maybe working on Saturday morning is a better plan.

Some of my writing looks good, but my introduction seems really scrappy and I'm not entirely sure what should or should not be in it. I hope to pen in an edit of the entire chapter today, ready to begin typing it up.tomorrow morning

See you later and good luck X

Hi all, I've prepped my PowerPoint. It's ok. Probably about 45 mins long if I speak slowly... Will plan their excercise on the train tomorrow, then PowerPoint it up in the evening - or in the hour I have before the lecture starts.

Hi Batfink and Mis Piggy,

Sounds like things are going well for you.I barely have time to write here, so sorry for not being more chatty!

After a great but knackering weekend I finally got started at about 11am this morning. I wrote and edited until 1:45pm, just one niggly reference to chase and this draft is done. Im going to leave it until the proof read later this week and concentrate on teaching stuff until Thursday or Friday. Now i have to prep a lecture for Wednesday eeeeek. I worked out that for what I'm getting paid I should do about 7 hours prep - I have th e rest of today and tonight and tomorrow evening as I am tutoring in the morning and travelling. So hey ho here we go...

First I need to read the weekly reading.

Then decide what the focus for the lecture will be. At present it's vague - I'm thinking of drawing on my masters dissertation, best to use existing stuff at this late stage I feel.

Then put a PowerPoint together, including whizzzo images they'll be impressed with. HHHmmmmmm. It needs to be about 50 minutes long... euuurrrggggghh. Will try and get that done tonight.

Plus a 40 minute researh excercise for them, which I will devise tomorrow nIght, I think.

So that's my planning done. I hope I manage all this...