Thank you for your well wishes Hugh :) Illness never comes at the right time!

How many chapters do you have left after this one? My initial aim was to have this one I am writing submitted but giving myself two extra weeks to finish it and carry out my 'combing'!

Hope you feel better soon, Zutterfly! I had time off sick recently and although it's not ideal, I found it was much better just to take the time and recover than to try to work through it.

Hi Chickpea and Hugh, thank you for the reply and tips :)

I updated my timeline at the weekend, even if I worked 12 hour days for the next 5 months, I wouldn’t be able to submit by the end of my funding (September), so now I’m trying to focus to complete before Christmas- really don’t want to be writing the thesis in 2017! Also I struggle to work longer than 8 hours, as I stop being productive.

My writing is slowly improving (Feedback from supervisors is no longer about writing style). Plus I will finally be able to submit a paper for publication, which has taken me some time to write (as the methods are so complex).

I find if I work slower, I write better- but it can take me about 3 weeks to finish a draft chapter. The chapters I’m currently working on are the hardest in my thesis, so once I come to the study chapters hopefully I’ll get faster.

I know most focus on a word count or breaking down the number of words to write per day but for now I’m just focusing on getting the chapters done for the two deadlines I have May. I give myself 2/3 sections to work on in a day, often this may involve re-reading my notes or paper sources, to clarify the points I want to make. My supervisors have said for me to get all my chapters done in draft and to resist the urge to start editing when they give me feedback, as this can be done once I have all chapters written. Hence why I don’t think September is feasible for me. Editing can take me weeks- as often I have to re-write chunks.

How are you both manaing the data collection, analysis and writing all at the same time? I also work part time so I have to factor my shifts in. I’m lucky at the moment if 4 days of my week are productive. I’m trying to get this to be 5/6 productive days. On days that I’m struggling with writing and analysis I try to work on my figures and tables and checking my references are up to date etc. I will be scheduling data collection for 2 days per week (hopefully will be done by the end of May).

I find the combination of data collection, analysis and writing a big challenge, MS86. To some extent, analysis and writing can fit together (especially in qualitative studies), but on data collection days I struggle to do anything else at all, as my data collection involves going out and about and meeting people and I just feel there's so much 'dead time' in travelling! I've discovered I'm not very good at juggling different types of task, and am so looking forward to there being only writing to do.

It does sound like you have a good system - three weeks for a draft chapter is not at all bad! I'm also aiming to hand in by the end of the year.

Chickpea, I agree, data collection and writing up at the same time is definitely more challenging. Data collection takes up so much time and energy.

I think we also need to go easy on ourselves. I don't know anyone (except one person) who actually submitted their thesis on time. Every one I know goes over 3 years, and I know someone who submitted after 5 years full time.

Hi, have you all decided on your PhD title and main research question? I have the research question I think but I'm struggling with the title, any advice? Thanks :)

I'm leaving the final wordings of my research questions and title til near the end, so that they fit well with the overall feel of the thesis.