Hi Eddi,
recognise a lot what you are saying. I think it is common, if not the norm, that students feel ythat a lot of time is wasted, progress is minimal and set goals are not met. I found this intially very frustrating, as I am used to working in environment where there is very specific planning and a need for achieving goals (or at least try to). I learned that in academic circles everything takes ages, this is partially based on the need for reflection, partially on this particular culture. I found it useful to keep a log, this really help to see that you have made progress. Also putting in the date as part of the file name of each document written helps to monitor your achievements.