now my "Daemon" keeps telling me to DO SOMETHING! anything related to the big scary chapter that i have to write from scratch.

okay drastic actions have to be undertaken.

i am going to have to use my egg timer and bribe myself. lol

I will work in short time burts, and then reward myself with a snack lol ritz crackers with cheese

and report back here exactly what i have done in an hourly update. that's the only thing that will actually make me do something, if i have to update here.

so ignore my posts today please! drastic actions are required today.

i feel guilty that i have wasted half a day and have done nothing and now im writing about not doing anything lol i know how illogical it sounds! believe me!

okay deadline: 4pm

1. make a mindmap for the rest of the week.

2. make a mindmap for chapter 6 (aka scary chapter)

2. start making notes and collecting scraps of notes and rough drafts for chapter, from old reports, lab books scrap pieces of paper. anything... do it one step at a time. and not to worry about connection or logical order. just get it all down in one place.

i know why i am procrastinating, because it feels like a big mess of a mountain, and i have to go in and extract all the information and find it. and sort it all out.

okay will just start in one area and start making notes..

will report back at 4pm.
*Starts egg timer*

okay i got over "the fear".

just spent the past two hours, trawling through all my emails related to chapter 6. and came across alot of reports and stuff, i can use for my thesis.

the egg timer went off, but i kept going.

going to take a little break now, and then go through the rest of the emails and then start looking through my lab books. and old notes and stuff.

I'm feeling very lucky right now.. My dad just told me that one of his friends wife, HAS to submit by August 1st or she will fail her phd! so she only has one month to finish writing her thesis!!

and plus she has a full time job, and has children to look after, and works until really early in the morning, until she cant write anymore.

i really admire how calm she was, and she's just going to try her best and do the best she can and write as much as she can and submit it by august 1st.

compared to her, i am so lucky, i have 3 months to submit my thesis, and i can work full time on my thesis in my study room, with no commitments or responsibilities.

talking to her was such an inspiration! i really admire her. working full time and writing her thesis and looking after her children. and having the deadline within a month. wow! and still being all calm about it, that to me is true greatness.

spent the whole day until like midnight, going through all my emails related to chapter 6. like 5 years worth.

now i have some bits and pieces for chapter 6 and i have to start writing the zero draft.

cheer up Lara. print what you've done. and you'll be able to see the pile growing and you'll see that you're getting somewhere.

if its too bad, take a day off. otherwise you'll burn out when you least need that to happen.

we're all with you. Go Lara!

thanks Jojo!!!

well it got so bad, that i was literally starting at the monitor for hours and hours yesterday, avoiding it, and stressing and having no idea how to write the chapter, as it's the chapter i don't like.

eventually someone told me to just leave it. and work on the other chapters and come back to it after a few days. becuase i was stressing about the other chapters and how one is almost complete.

so yesterday went to work on chapter 3, that is "almost finished"...

so plan is spending the next 3 days, working on the other chapters. and coming back to the crappy chapter on monday lol

that way, by monday, i will have most of the other chapter sections done and psychologically feel better.

and Jojo, great idea about the printing!! i will do that. you're right psychologically will make me feel better to see it in my hand. and feel secure that its backed up in another format.

so leaving chapter 6 last night, actually worked. because taking a step back, this morning, when i woke up, i had an idea on how to start to write the chapter and how i should begin it, and i felt better about it....

so sometimes when you're really stuck and not getting anywhere, just take a step back and work on something else. and maybe after a goodnight sleep, whilst your brain is making associations or whatever, you will wake up with inspiration.

Lara, I think you work very hard this summer, take it easy and you will achieve whatever you want. Your spirit always encourage others, at least me.

awwwww thanks Irene, that's so nice of you to say and tell me that, it's really good to hear I really appreciate it!

it came at the right moment, i was just sitting here thinking, uh oh i don't know how to start on this new chapter. thanks Irene

Hi Lara,

I am really new to this forum but had to send you as message as your writing up post is really helping me. I am currently writing up my thesis which i am hoping (fingers crossed) to submit at the end of August/early september. I sometimes have lapses where i don't feel very confident especially as writing doesn't come naturally to me. I have been reading your posts which have really helped me keep going! Just wanted to say thanks and hope all your writing is going well. Keep up the good work and thanks again!!

Hello Tractorgirl!! nice to meet you and welcome to the forum!!

Thank you so much for the nice message, very kind of you, i really appreciate it It's really nice to hear that my diary helped you.

Please feel free to monitor your own writing progress in this thread!

good luck with your thesis! seems like we have a similar deadline! we can keep each other going

i totally understand what you mean, writing doesn't come easy to me either and i wonder whether any of its any good! but will leave the judgement for later

i am really happy to hear that my posts helped you to keep going, that's so nice to hear!!

you're very welcome!! good luck with your writing!

tractor girl, what's your time scehedule for writing? ie do you have immediate deadlines? how many chapters is your thesis and how much have you done already? sorry for being nosy

Hi Lara,

Hope you had a good day yesterday. Thanks for your reply and no worries about the questions!! It is nice to know there are a few of us all writing, especially as it can can quite lonely at home alone all day!! As for me, i am doing a science PhD and my first big deadline is to have a rough draft of all my thesis chapters by 7th July. I am getting a bit nervous as i still have quite a bit to do!!! I have 7 chapters in total and i haven't done anything on chapter 7 yet. This is my final discussion chapter but i am having problems getting it started. I find it quite hard to bring the whole thesis together, and talk about other future stuff i would have done! Monday night i am going to my parents house for a few days to try and get a change of scenery which i hope will help!!!! Anyway how are you? Do you have similar deadlines? Are you also aiming for submitting your final thesis around the end of August?
Hope your writing is still going well, and thanks again for the reply.

Hey Tractorgirl!! wow you sound like me! I too have a deadline of 7th of july!! to have a full first draft!

but wow I must congratulate you that you have all the other chapters done, that is brilliant!! and your working on your last chapter..i think your supervisor should be more than happy that you have 6 chapters done out of 7. that is really excellent.
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i have 7 chapters also! but i was aiming to have a first draft of the 6 chapters, (leaving discussion for later).