I have got 1 qual analysis done :-( I just can't concentrate. Everythings gone rubbish and haven't got enough time to get anything my sup wants done and running out of excuses! (down)

Oh dear Sneaks. Would hubby (and twilight) allow you an evening off to catch up? Sometimes find I can kick-start myself just by working at an unusual hour.

well I managed to get 3 done in the end. I want to get 5 or 6 done today but also think about my results for my previous study which sup thinks I have nearly written!

I will report back at 12!

good morning folks! well, after having 2 nice things happen in the past few weeks, it seems thats all the good stuff used up for January cos now I'm totally losing motivation :( I'm doing my phytoplankton cell counts and the more I do the more confused I get when identifying species, which is really starting to p**s me off and it's taking AGES! booo!
So today's plan: track down awol supervisor and finalise methodology with him & secondly, to finish todays sample and set up one for tomorrow....
joy! good luck everyone :) (up)

good luck Algaequeen! The twilight thing has a hold on me. I have never smoked but I think its the same feeling - I am going to have to give myself 'twilight breaks' so will read a chapter after every analysis to give me motivation to get it done!

thanks sneaks! I got my counts done, after finding the missing supervisor he's happy with me doing a less intensive way of counting so it's going to be a bit quicker now, yay! as for twilight, I've been there! the first book I didn't think was v good but for some insane reason I persevered and ended up getting sucked into the whole lot of them! a good idea would be to get hubby to take the books to work so you literally can't read them during the day and he only gives them back to you if you've done enough work that day...that's what I had to do in the end! A word of warning...if you've never read the His Dark Materials Trilogy, don't start until you have a good few weeks holidays! Those books are amazing, as soon as I finished the last one I was actually gutted that there was no more left to read. I mean actual real sadness, like you get when you find someones eaten the last bit of chocolate you had saved for a special treat.... :-)

I have a meeting today and therefore will spend most of the day travelling there and back. My throat has started to go mental - think its a nasty illness, which is typical as I have a full day of lecturing on thursday and 4 hours on Friday - can't wait to croak my way through that! My Aims for today

- walk the dog
- sort out my bag
- prepare for lectures
- go to meeting
- 1 qualitative analysis section

Hi sneaks,
Hope the throat is feeling better today and the meeting went ok.
I'm having a good week so far - I'm doing my final chapter drafts for my supervisors. Am nearly done with them though I'm currently putting off correcting the stats in a chapter.
I got some good news from my supervisors - I've got my first choice examiners and my intention to submit form has gone in. So at the worst I've only got 5.5 more weeks of changing bits in my thesis. :-)
Target for this afternoon finish altering figures on my 2nd experimental chapter.

I'm so jealous yellowtreble :-( I have so much to do. I have been absorbed in practical work recently which my sup just doesn't value because for her it doesn't have any 'real' output, so although its necessary, it comes across like I haven't been doing anything because I haven't produced the all important WRITING. SO she has demanded writing, of which I have none, I only have today to put something together out of some old stuff, and then possibly the weekend. TBH I don't see the point in rushing the writing because it will be 3 days work to produce somethng that is rushed, and not going to be in the final thesis. Anyways, today....

- prepare for tomorrow lecture
- check something for a student
- phone the plasterer for my house!
- plan out what I want to write about and where
- get on with writing.

ok, I have done

prepare for tomorrow lecture
- check something for a student
- phone the plasterer for my house!

da daaa, notice not writing though, so really need to do that!

ok just writing today, I HAVE to get this done today and send it off so have broken it down into about 5 paragraphs to write.

tonight I also have to put together a load of reports.

I also have to phone plasterer again!

Hey Sneaks

Good to see you're still plugging away. I think I may need to mytomatoes it today, seemed to help me write last night (although it's slightly demoralising to see how few words I clock up per section). Today I'm balancing lab and written work, never makes for an efficient plan of action in my experience but so much needs doing.

Houses are such a terrible drain on your time aren't they? My head hurts just thinking of what needs doing back at mine :s Hope your plasterer behaves.

Plasterer is here today, so will undoubtedly spend all day having to make tea :-(

Had a huge meeting with supervisor - the first in about a year! and we have basically planned out the write up over the next 6 months. She thinks I have probably finished data collection which is good and means I can just get on with writing. So this week I am doing 1 lecture and spending all the other days writing (around trying to put in a new kitchen :-s )

I have also got this woman pressuring me into running a workshop - a workshop that has nothing beneficial in terms of CV/PhD opportunties, a well thought of professor has already said the whole thing is a waste of time essentially, and I think it may damage my reputation if I do actually do this. I have told her I am unable to do it because of writing up - which is true, yet she has just emailed another request for me to do it and asking me to pass on the slides from my research for her to use with other presenters - erm no, the clue is in the 'my' of 'my research' :-s
I hate letting people down and never usually back out of committments, but realistically I think I have made the right choice, but feel like I was bullied into considering doing it anyway

Stand your ground Sneaks, it does indeed sound as if you've made the right decision (that said, I can imagine the awkwardness of repeatedly saying no).
And I can sympathise with you on the tradesman-induced-guilt as well, despite paying such people to be there I always feel extremely uncomfortable and as if I must flap around offering them constant tea and sympathy for their task.

I got up with the husband at 5am today and am on my third breakfast and fourth caffeinated drink of the day already, oh dear. I plan to finish this experiment, do another and then having everything prep'ed for what should be last last experiment of its kind tomorrow! My writing has totally floundered recently but I'm kidding myself that once the lab work is clear I will be able to focus and write like the wind.

Right, I have been way too distracted recently. I have had a new kitchen installed, so have had workmen wanting tea constantly and lots of disruption. my sup gave me until 22nd to write my whole first study up and you guessed it, I'm starting today! ARRRRGH!

So I need to be focused, dedicated & tied to my desk. My aim for today is....

- plan out introduction
- write at least the sections from the literature I already have
- plan out section of intro I haven't got any literature for (as sup changed what I should be writing about!)

My tomatoes will be used and I liked the idea of your word count thread teek, so will keep an eye on that.