Hey Walminski, I'm gonna be working over Xmas too, so we can commiserate together (altho we're about 11 hours apart). Make sure you build in lots of fun tho - I figure if I have to work, then I'm at least going to make sure that I catch up with friends and have some fun, before I get right back into sitting here for 500 hours a day.

======= Date Modified 01 Dec 2009 22:52:55 =======
I receive a scholarship, and it states that I can take 4 weeks of annual leave a year (just like in a 'real' job!), however I've never done this. Since starting my PhD I've taken a week off here and there, but now that I'm writing up I'll just take a few days off at Xmas and then will need to get back into it. I'm a bit of a workaholic - I never have a whole w'end off either. But then, I write slowly, so need to work this hard I think!

I haven't read anything by Robert Collier, but I have one of his quotes on my wall: "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out". Says it nicely for me.

Hi Crisrolinksi

It can be done! Recently I had to completely rewrite a journal article too, and I spent 3 16 hour days doing it, but that did it. And am right now reading the proof of it - it looks so beautiful (sob!)!

Hi Maxwell

Take no notice of the rude posting - welcome to the forum. Most of us here are supportive and very nice, and can provide you with advice if you need any. Good luck with your studies.

I like 'The Procrastinators' too. 'Doctored' isn't bad, but implies wishful thinking on our part!;) My bloke is also a sound engineer. And I vote we go for indie pop, a nice guitar pop tune.

I agree Jinkim!!

It does seem never ending!! And like Poppy, I wanted to have a draft thesis done by end of the year - miles and miles away from that...:-( Yes, March is not far off - is there anything you can strip back? Not do the conferences, cut back the social life to a bare minimum?

Breathe, make a list, and start. You probably won't get 2 chapters done in 18 days, but you could get one done, so just concentrate on that. Don't feel ridiculous - your anxiety is perfectly understandable. If you're really aware of time, turn that into a positive - use your anxious feelings to work faster, to propel you along. A little bit of adrenalin while you're working can make you speed up. But also exercise, relax, stretch and breathe - too much adrenalin and anxiety is not helpful.

It will finish. People have come through this! You will finish! It gets harder the closer to the end, but you'll get there! Good luck, and just keep chipping away at it!

Hi everyone

Thanks very much for your replies. I will give Endnote a go, and as suggested, spend a couple of days relearning and playing around - if I can't crack it then, I'll go the old fashioned route. If it works, it will at least make formatting and ordering easier.

Bonzo - hope your hangover wasn't too bad!
Joyce - yes, I expect this will take longer than I expect (doesn't everything in this PhD???). So am starting now, 6 mths out from submitting. Am planning to do this over Xmas, when things slow down a little, and I can have a glass of Christmas cheer while doing something menial...
Walminski - thank you for your kind offer - will pm you.

Thanks everyone else too, good information as usual!

Hi Jojo

You're getting closer then! Excellent! Am not up to writing the discussion chapter yet, but so far, I've written the case studies as stand alone chapters and highlighted the specific findings they're making each is making to the field - just a pointer to a more fulsome discussion in the discussion chapter. In the discussion chapter, I will be i)comparing the findings of the case studies with each other and 2) relating this back to the literature review, which will include a discussion of the framework and underlying theories. I imagine these 2 areas will need to happen simultaneously, and won't be separate, altho I'm going to try keeping them separate when I start writing.

I'm also going to skim all the lit again to see if there's anything I missed in my first reading which has now turned out to be relevant. But then, I need to rewrite my lit review, so need to do this anyway.

I think Sre's idea of looking at theses in your department is useful too - have also done that with some chapters and found it really useful. I also have my supervisor's thesis to look at. And do talk to your sup about structure - you're close to your work and they can add some objectivity and come up with a solution. Good luck!! Wish I was as close as you! :-)

I think that would be OK to do - editors tend to be busy people, and this one might need extra chasing up. You might want to frame your question so it doesn't sound like you're automatically expecting a positive response tho, just in case their responses aren't positive...

Hi Cookies

Yes, you do need to resubmit with the correct data - it would damage your reputation, and your supervisor's, if you publish an article with incorrect stats which are then picked up by a reader. You don't want that! You say that your sup is also a co-author - if I was you I would draft an email for your sup to send to the editor with the revised article, explaining that on closer examination some of the results of the data need to be amended slightly (don't mention you made a mistake), but that they don't change the discussion. The editor may not send it out again to the reviewers - this doesn't sound like such a big deal, and if everything else is good, they might just accept your revised stats. It's not so bad!

Hi Notime

Don't give up!!!

You are so close - keep going!!!! Extend your candidature for another semester, you'll feel a lot better if you know you have more time. Send an email to your supervisor saying you want to extend, and you need their help to finish.

Keep going, one day after the next - it's not worth giving up now, and it you leave you'll regret doing all that work and not finishing. Yes, it gets worse the closer the end gets, but just keep going.

And Jojo, sorry to hear you're stressing too - hugs!

Hey, great that you're finishing so soon!! But sorry to hear about your stress. Couple of suggestions - do you have friends you could stay with for a couple of weeks while you sort yourself out? If that's not an option, what about your uni's accommodation service? My uni has ads for student lodgings, like hostels, maybe you could see if these types of rooms are available? If you think you can manage to save up a month's worth of living expenses, that's great, and as Walminski says, try and organise any sort of temp work before you get back.

This must be awful for you. If you don't get your postdoc application done, don't beat yourself up - it just wasn't meant to be. Something else will turn up. Concentrate on what you need to do at the moment - finishing your thesis and then re-establishing. Worry about the career later. Lots of PhD students take some time out after submitting, 6 months of doing whatever, while they consider options. There will be other options! Don't add more stress onto yourself. Good luck!

Hi folks

I've committed the cardinal sin of not referencing as I've been going along - except for my lit review which I did years ago, and used Endnote for this. And now I have a mass of chapters which I need to reference. Am wondering if there's any value in using Endnote? Am tempted just to make a bibliography in word - would this be so bad?

Other reasons why people use Endnote - such as being able to export references to share with colleagues, or for changing the style for journal articles - don't convince me. I'd have to reteach myself Endnote, do not want to learn any other system, and from what I've heard people have problems combining Endnote libraries etc.

Advice? Go the easy old-fashioned route, or use Endnote? Many thanks.

At my uni it's usual to have 2 supervisors - one is the main supervisor who I see regularly, and the other is an associate supervisor who has expertise is some of my areas but not all. I occasionally have meetings with both of them. The lines of supervision are well delineated, which helps to avoid confusion. The associate supervisor has also assisted me when the main sup has been unavailable over an extended period. Works well.