I should be working on something, but wanted to procrastinate, so this will be short. Even if you do just get on with it, you have to leave some sort of trail for others to follow. Also, reviewing other potential methods can help you go 'oh, I didn't realize I could do it for this or in that way'. This way, there is less trial and error as the method is fitted to what is going on. I didn't write up the -ology stuff until after it was done, but the actual method, I have kept meticulous notes on. The catch is that you will find that you have to start using some methods from the start of the data collection, they are very difficult to incorporate mid-stream.
Now, I dash back to work before I am found to be 'goofing off'.

I've had a bit of a personal debate on this topic recently... a few times over. Yes, I am doing it in the UK, I am self-funded; I really only have to worry about visa extensions and how 'delayed' it is. I've got about a 6 month overflow period to either sit on it or turn it in 'early'. So I think it can be a reasonable topic on this forum. It just depends on how the person is prepared to view their PhD in the balance of should I stay or should I go.

Congrads!

One gadget I recently found useful is my e-book reader. As long as it supports PDFs and note taking (and transferability to the computer), the rest of the specs are up to you. This has helped cut down the weight and amount of paper I carry around on longer trips when I want to get some reading done. I am not going to recommend which one because that could accidentally turn into some sort of X vs. Y and 'yours stinks' type of thing.

Other then that, laptop and voice recorder are good ideas for previously stated reasons. But also see what your school is willing to provide you with, mine decided to get us all laptops as we went to hot-desking.

Congrads AQ! A renewed sense of hope for the rest of us who have yet to face the firing squad.

I haven't used it in a few years. However, I do remember needing to train it for quite some time. It was more on the order of days to weeks, not minutes. And that was just to get it used to my voice. When other people spoke, it wasn't the best at recognizing them. I eventually left it behind due to the training that was needed.

The microphone I used was a pretty basic thing, only about $5 from Radio Shack/Tandy Electronics. Nothing special to it, but it worked.

Good luck if you go for it, but I would be cautious unless you have a lot of free time on your hands to train it OR you speak with a very eloquent accent (i.e. enunciation helps a lot, but I tend to hide my words in my mouth at times).

Congrads on all three accounts Emmaki!

You are lucky Wal... we get one year free, then it changes year by year. It is a percentage of the full fees for years 5+.

Sneaks, you have no manner of luck when it comes to support from the uni.

Just remember about the lists you are making - keep it reasonable. This 'friendly reminder' isn't about the tasks but about the time. This just may be me talking about myself but if my list got long enough where I couldn't finish it in a reasonable time frame (weekly list or daily list), it would turn into a drag. Be thorough and reasonable about what activities are on there. If it is really that important, you won't forget.

(up) So it does end, eventually?

Doesn't sound like a good place to be in.

To your question: I am assuming you have talked to your supervisor about the situation already. I know that if I keep quiet on matters of poor supervision, the school would let me fall into that position. (Fortunately, I am not situated like you are.) I guess they figured that I got myself into that situation and I can either ask for help with supporting ideas or dig my way out. However, I do not always follow the established unwritten rules. I would probably start talking to other people in the department who are more closely aligned with my research interests, just to have somebody to talk with. If it felt like things were moving along well and they would be open to the possibility of a supervisor role, ask them.

Good luck with getting it sorted.

I can only re-iterate what has been said: think positive about the PhD to give yourself a fighting chance and spend time with your dad.
*big hugs* You have gotten this far with your will to PhD-it, you can push that last stretch!

WOOHOO! Congrads Sheena.

Have a muck about with it. If you are the type that just 'gets' computer programs, you will do fine. If you just don't seem to get on with them, you will want some training. I thought that the tutorial was more than sufficient for me learning about the program. But I tend to pick up computer programs pretty quickly.

I personally don't like it all that much because it puts me out of my comfort zone of how to do the coding. I found I was paying too much attention to the leaves and trees and not enough to the forest. However, I think that is more a personal mental issue I have. Give it a go and see what you think of it.

Because of its ability to group and put out some easy-to-read information about the codes (nodes in NVivo), I will likely copy the coding into the program as one of my iterations/checks of codes. Then I can let the computer do what computers do best (I hope).

Don't worry about if you are 'qualified' to do the PhD, as long as you think you are near the boarder. And it sounds like you are at that point. Put your best foot forward when you apply. The PhD process is more like an apprenticeship than your other degrees to date at university. Eventually you will be moving to a position of 'peer' with the academics at your university (and the world over), although I am still waiting to feel like that after 2 years down. Although, I do feel more equal then when I started.

Another tip: the lack of confidence, get used to that feeling. Ok, probably not the best way to put that. Get "used to it" as it will happen several times. If you are used to it, you will know when it is coming on and how you got out of it the last time. That will help you the next time you start to feel it coming on, and hopefully make the trough shorter and not quite so deep.

But push hard to get in. And it could be a good idea to know your super, but I hardly know mine at this stage and we work.