:-( My deadline for completing an empirical chapter has been blown again by arguments with my partner.

I am always amazed at how the clock ticks steadily on and an hrs break to sort things out turns into days of tense energy causing all kinds of blockages.

Today i will complete!!!

Hello all,

I thought I might try this out and see if it helps me, if you don't mind. I'm in third year, but my funding is for a four-year PhD so it might be similar. I've been reading this thread now and then for a little while and I'm quite daunted by how productive and efficient you all seem!

I don't usually have internet while I work but I'm at home at the moment because of a minor injury so I'm not being very productive at all. I've also had to pull out of giving a paper because I wasn't sure I was up to it for the same reason so I'm feeling bad about that too.

Things I need to do:
Revise chapter.
Re-do thesis outline/framework in line with new shape it's taking based on last two chs written.
Submit application for travel grant.

That's a bit vague but as I do some work I might be able to come up with more specific tasks.

Hello Fig,

Welcome to the thread, I hope it helps. It makes me laugh that people might think I'm doing loads of work, it doesn't seem that way to me at all! The beauty of this thread is that writing it down all the little things makes it look like a lot more, which helps to motivate :-)

Still not finished the bloody play and 2 more have cropped up! This is getting ridiculous. Ok:
1. FINISH Fulgens and Lucrece.
2. Map out mini lit review for MPP
3. Mark last 2 essays
4. Start re-reading 'Knight of the Burning Pestle'

Just started the 3rd year. Lab work almost done (no more than 2 months, more probably 5 weeks), need to write up.
I'm heading for a 3 years completion, even though I will have to waste 3 months (Oct-Nov-Dec) in supervising the project/master students. :-s

Hello EmaDaCuz.

Hmmm, I have left the second play I was going to read at home and can't find a decent one here, so instead will:

1.Write up abstracts for previous two chapters.
2. Finish all parts of chapter outlines grid I can do.
3. Start on timeline (for next year and a half, eek!)

1. FINISH Fulgens and Lucrece. DONE
2. Map out mini lit review for MPP DONE
3. Mark last 2 essays NOT DONE
4.Write up abstracts for previous two chapters. DONE
5. Finish all parts of chapter outlines grid I can do. DONE
6. Start on timeline (for next year and a half, eek!)DONE

A good day overall :-) Tomorrow:

1. Mark last 2 essays
2. Read 'Knight of the Burning Pestle'
3. Continue filling in grid.
3. Depending how long (3) takes read 'A Woman Killed with Kindness'

Hello to all the new people! Hope you find this as useful as I do.

Well one KC on reaching almost all your goals. You're a great example.

Sorry for falling off the radar there. Monday meeting was a minor disaster. I think I was just burnt out and didn't like how the work dynamic had changed. So a write off of a week almost, til I met sup again and now I've a writing task for the next while, with daily submissions almost. Will be good for keeping me on track. Though after that relieving meeting I had guests coming for the weekend so housework and hosting took over. Hoping to get some good work done tomorrow. My goals are pretty vague til I've a chance to break it down but for the next few weeks I must:

Write up the chapter
Prepare as a paper
Submit abstract for talk to April workshop
Submit abstract of paper to major September conference
Send my sup daily pages of my writing.

======= Date Modified 28 Feb 2010 12:38:14 =======
Hi Folks! And welcome to all you new people, it's good to see the thread so healthy. I haven't worked as much as I'd like because I've had a lecture to prepare for, given on Friday, and another to give tomorrow, and I have a job application deadline tomorrow. But today, I write! For a bit anyway, I have to write my lecture notes and set up clips and thngs later. I wrote yesterday and this is what I did:

1. 10 tomatoes, which I am proud of!

2. Typed up my pencilled in re-draft of my thesis outline. Got up to page 26 of 36. Whheeehayyyy. this includes writing a proper justification for including one of my films - I tend to write as though people know why aready, one of my gliches.

Today, I will finish the re-draft of the outline and, thus, get it to my sup tonight and make the deadline of today. I ahve one tomatoe already!

I also have other stuff to do for my lecture and job application, but have decided to use this and the tomatoes thing for the PhD only, it's a way of separating things and focussing completely on the PhD.

Hello everyone, I've just sent my outline to the sup. There are some references missing from a chapter outlin, but I'm not sure how to handle them so we can discuss that when I see him. Did it in 3.5 tomatoes.

Now I am free to prep my lecture, write out assessment forms, catch up with other assessment admin, registers and write an application form :-( Oh well! At least I can do that with Radcliffe and Marconie on... Am off to tescos for my weekly milk supplies, some packed lunch and a well earned mooch.

Have good, productive days, all of you X

Thanks for the welcome everyone.

Well, I have only done one of the things I identified last week. So far this morning I have done some necessary admin. I'm going to try and break down the other two things that were on my list.

Here's what I'll work on for revising the chapter for now:

Re-read chapter
Sketch out a new outline/structure
Edit theoretical part

Well done to everyone on their progress!

(From last week)
Things I need to do:
Revise chapter.
Re-do thesis outline/framework in line with new shape it's taking based on last two chs written.
Submit application for travel grant. DONE

That's a bit vague but as I do some work I might be able to come up with more specific tasks.

Hi everyone,

Fig it seems like you have a clear idea of what you need to get done, which is half the battle in my experience. Last week:

1. Finish marking essays, add final comments and have moderation meeting (if it's meant to be this week- need to check) Will be done by the end of today.
2. Finish reading text, research and teach. DONE
3. Have worked out which sources I'm going to use for next 3 chapters and vague idea of what I'm going to do with them. Almost done.
4. Continue gathering ideas for journal article. Not done.
5. Work out how to claim expenses for conference trip. Not done.

Well, I did think I'd had a good week last week but apparently not! So much to do at the moment...must keep plodding on. This week:

1. Research, plan lesson, teach.
2. Complete and send off draft MPP documents to sup by Wed including outlines of possible chapters.
3. Have conference meeting, chase up lady who is supposed to be doing our website
4. Start working on journal article.

Hi everyone,

Keep_Calm you sound like you achieved a lot, even if not everything on your list. Hope last week went well.

Sadly I'm still working on my aims:

Re-read chapter DONE
Sketch out a new outline/structure DONE
Edit theoretical part - in progress

I'm trying to wrap the last one up as quickly as I can and send it to my supervisor for feedback as I'm a bit stuck. So the structure and the draft will no doubt need huge amounts of work but that might at least get me moving. I'll report back when I've done that with some new aims hopefully.

Hi all! Hope everyone is keeping to their goals!

Unlike me!

Ended up being sick most of last week. Still made it in to meet sup but unfortunately that made him think I was well enough to work. Been away from work for 9 days now and finding it really tough to get back into it. Always a big problem for me if I lose momentum. Still working on the
'write things up' part of my previous goals. This week I need to:

Type up the bits I've written.
Write &type the half prepared bits.
Prepare, write and type the really awkward stuff.


That should keep me busy! If I could only get stuck in!

Ugh ! I'm onto the really awkward stuff and it's proving exactly as expected. Dragging myself through every tomato, trying to follow a line of enquiry sup suggested but very tempted just to throw all that away and try it my (probably far more difficult) way. Well I'll keep at it for now anyway - perseverance will conquer all! Going to parents for dinner later, will be so nice to have real food. (turkey)

Well I finally finished what I set out to do (two weeks later), but I spent a lot of time procrastinating by reading things that weren't helping me do what I needed to do. I also avoided checking in here because I felt guilty, but that means I missed the point of accountability I think... I've sent the revised draft of the chapter off to my supervisor, so in the next week or two I am working on revising my thesis outline and writing a paper for a conference, and I will try to check back within a fortnight about those aims.

I hope everyone's work is going well (and that I didn't kill this thread by butting in!).