E-mail your supervisor and ask if they can give you a timeframe for feedback. Ask them to give you a date so that you can arrange a meeting to discuss the feedback. Each time you submit future chapters ask for a timeframe and a date for a meeting. Meanwhile though start on the next chapter - you'll feel better about your progress and it'll take your mind off things. Good luck!

Sorry fat fingers! Pressed 'Add message' by mistake in my last entry. How to get invited? - The painstaking way - by becoming known in the field, presenting at conferences that the 'editor to be' has seen you at, maybe through contacts e.g. knowing your supervisor etc etc. I may be wrong but I don't think you can actively pursue an invitation as such - it happens in time with actively promoting your work. This has been my experience - others may have had different experiences.

The usual process is to be invited for edited books (at least in my field it is). Not sure about encyclopedias.

Many thanks for all the tips everyone! Have done a few hours solid work today - doesn't sound like much but given the little I've been able to accomplish recently, it's a start and I'll be powering on into the evening. I'll keep cracking on with small goals and lots of treats as bribery! Thanks again! Good to know that I'm not on my own with this problem ;)

Definitely just one library - it'll make your life much easier. I have one gigantic EndNote library (copied over from an existing subject library that had loads of the same references that I need) and use this for everything - all documents, presentations etc. Good luck! EndNote can be a bit of a pain at the start to set up but great in the long run.

Thanks UFO! I'm hoping to get the 'least interesting' chapter written this week and then hopefully I'll be more motivated for the more interesting chapters (?). Write-up really is some kind of prolonged tortorous endurance test!!

I'm seriously struggling with PhD motivation. Any tips on how to get back into writing when it's the last thing you want to be doing??? I've had a break over the past couple of weeks as I was completely exhausted. Now it's time to get re-started and I just can't summons the motivation. What works for you??

Massey is a very good university for certain specialist areas, e.g. agriculture, some sciences and social/tourism business areas. Not sure exactly what your area is. The campus at Massey is a few miles from the city centre (Palmerston North)- so Massey is set up as kind of a psuedo city, great for undergraduates and very social. Not sure about for postgrads. Palmerston North is ok but very small and not very lively - it's also a distance from other cities. Transport around NZ isn't great unless you have a car. Friends that went there though had a nice time as undergraduates. One thing to be conscious of though - many people walk around the campus wearing gumboots (Wellington boots) and big farmers jackets! At least they did when I visited which was a few years ago.

If you're not interested in academia, I would think that an MBA would be enough to get a reasonable job? This is not my area though so maybe others on this forum can better advise.

I'm from NZ and it's a nice place to live and study but scholarships are very hard to come by. I think you would need to be sure that a PhD would be of benefit to you careerwise before embarking on this.

Which uni and subject area?

alicepalace, I'm the same. For me the guilt of not working during the day pressures me to do work at night but then like you I often have to work 9-5 weekdays in my job. It may sound a bit sad but to 'force' myself to do work in the daytime I'm setting a timer for 1/2 hour with the internet conenction off. Then I give myself a short break, search the net etc before starting another 1/2 hour timed session. It's a bit military like but maybe it'll work for you??? Good luck!

Badhaircut - while I sympathise, we make our own decisions in life and have to take responsibility for them. There are always opportunity costs for decisions that we make. Live with it! It's sunny outside, the cricket is on. Why such negativity? Surely your energy would be better chanelled elsewhere? Sorry to sound so harsh but you just seem determined to be argumentative and negative. Take responsibility for the choices you've made and get out and enjoy life.

Good luck Verdy. Hope your supervisor is sympathetic and has good advice. Had so much energy in my 1st/2nd year. Where's it all gone? Think you're right - it must just be the stage we're at. Hoping we'll get back that PhD loving feeling soon.

I know how you feel Verdy. I'm in my 3rd year too and trying to write up (not as advanced as you though - only have 1 draft chapter) but have no motivation and keep procrastinating and taking breaks. I can't seem to get re-started after Easter and seem to no longer care about PhD & am finding it really boring! Hoping to find some motivation this afternoon!