anyway....

Sneaks - how do you manage to read in bed? That gets me to sleep in about 5 minutes....

Dunni - how's it going? Any tips for evening working? I am trying but just feel too tired after all the kids are in bed. I can't even use the excuse of being a twin mummy as you seem to be doing it alright! They are really tiring me out at the moment though. Any energy boosting ideas?

Hi Timefortea - good to see you are trying to make time for your studies around the twins.  It is very hard to get back into the commitment and it takes some time to establish your PhD routine. My twins and toddler tire me out during the day but come bedtime (7pm) it becomes 'me' time.  I always cook and eat with hubby before starting my PhD at 7.30-8.00pm. I put in 2-3 hours of work which is easier once you get immersed in the work.  Meanwhile hubby watches tv! To start with I got organised, made a schedule of chapters to write with subheadings.  A timeline to complete each task by. Then set small goal, easy writing first then as I got more involved adding depth to the writing.  My desk was set up with my work ready to go so didn't waste time getting it all out. By doing this most evenings it became 'normal' and I looked forward to being the 'academic' me and not just the 'mummy' me.  The things that motivated me were 'I have come to far to give up', 'I am self-funded so it would be a waste of money to give up', 'my chair doubted my abilities to complete once babies were born (he has twins arghh)', 'I hope my PhD journey will inspire my children to do their best'. It does get easier but if it has been a bad day with the babies then take an evening off.  I now work mon-fri evenings on this and have sat and sun to relax. The children go to childcare one afternoon a week for my sanity and my PhD!!  Hope this helps, you are doing very well in a demanding situation (up)

Thanks! Mine don't go to sleep until 9pm and by then I am ready to hit the sack! I am loathe to change the bedtimes though as they sleep so well at the moment - and in Italy all the children go to bed then or later. Also, a big problem for me is the only place I can have a desk is in the lounge so can't really work there while husband watches tv. Good tips though - you are right it is all about discipline and setting up a good routine. I also tell myself that I can't throw away the work I have done up till now (also I am being funded by work and if I don't complete I have to pay back the funding - don't think about that too much as just too scary!)

I think I might have to leave this thread and aim for an early morning approach instead.... I do also have a babysitter most mornings so I do most of the work then but I think it is not going to be enough as I am so slow at writing.

Hi TimeforTea

I have four children, two of whom are also twins, though now are 13 so I'm past the baby stage. I did my degree and masters though when they were younger so I remember what it's like. Although my house no longer reverberates to the sound of babies crying, it's full of raging teenage hormones - not sure which is worse??

My advice pretty much mirrors Dunni's. If yours head to bed c9m then realistically that is too late for you to start hitting the books. Do they sleep on in the mornings? It's hard but if you get a quiet time, maybe then abandon the housework and give your PhD a couple of hours. Remember when the babies were tiny, people used to say 'when they sleep, you sleep'? Well maybe now it's 'when they sleep, you study'?

Dunni's advice about having the workspace ready to go is good. I do that as well so at least it means that when I do get a few hours, I am not wasting it searching around for this or that.

It's not easy but for me, leaving the little matter of theory aside (sic!) this PhD has been as much about project management as anything else.

Good luck with your studies (up)