Progrss is really slow on this journal article. How can something so short take so long to write?!

I agree that technique is probably one area where you could use some advice from people in your department. There is a very particular way of writing academic prose - quite dense, with tight structure and focus. Worth getting detailed advice within your department if there's someone who can give it to you.

I'd also say that yes, if you want a distinction you need to read more. It's difficult when you're working, so the most important thing is being focused in the reading, picking things that give the best value for the time. That may be focusing mostly on the assignments, but it is worth following other areas that interest you too, when you have the time - I found that some of my highest marks came from making connections between ideas from different areas, rather than sticking rigidly to the latest things I was coming across. And that made me a better all-round student (and now researcher) too.

But also, don't beat yourself up about marks! My marks were much lower at the start of my Masters than they were at the end - I've heard it described as 'exit veolocity', where you're getting better at your subject as you get further into it (and closer to the end). If you're coming back to studying after a long break, I think this phenomenon tends to be even stronger!

I agree with Walminski, it's good for their careers if they do it. Also, they can get their names as second or third author on journal articles or conference papers, which helps them too. And my supervisors are both supervising me because I'm cross-disciplinary - using the methods of one supervisor in the field of the other supervisor - and being involved with my research helps them broaden their areas of expertise, which is important for future funding bids etc. So, lots of reasons! I think many of them also just like being involved with new research projects, and want to support students the way they were once supported themselves!

Thanks both of you. Have a good weekend Sarahlouise - I took a long weekend off last week and really benefited from it. And Star-shaped, hope you're making progress okay!

Up early today and ready to get cracking. Unfortunately I have no food in the flat so first job is to go out and buy something for breakfast and lunch! Then I'm spending the whole day working on my journal article - I've reserved today and Monday for it, and that's all the time I can spare so I'd better finish it in that time!

Oh dear, a very quiet thread over the last couple of days! I'm sure that just means people are far too busy researching to be messing around online. :p

I've had a good day really. Achieved five out of my six goals, which I'm quite impressed with. Think I'll save the sixth goal until tomorrow and do something that involves slightly less brain power for now, I'm feeling quite tired! Maybe I'll go back to looking at my questionnaire.

Morning everyone!

Had a great day yesterday touring buildings at the organisation I'm studying. Lots of ideas and things to think about. I'm enthusiastic about getting going with this - was awake half the night with thoughts churning, so I went swimming first thing to try to burn off some of this ridiculous energy!

Goals for today:
1.) Go swimming - DONE
2.) Write up notes from building tour
3.) Think through implications for study and design of survey
4.) Go to brief supervision meeting
5.) Write up notes from supervision meeting
6.) Continue work on journal article
Actually, that's quite a lot for one day! Good job I still have masses of energy left...

======= Date Modified 23 Feb 2011 22:56:42 =======
Ooh, there's some good things on this thread! I really like the idea of doing a painting course in the gap between submitting and viva. And I have friends who work as translators who can each speak about five languages - I admire that so much.

I wish I was better at physical stuff - I've got arthritis so have to be careful about the physical activity I do or I end up unable to walk the following day, but I'm also overweight and completely unfit. It's unfortunate because the university I'm at seems to be sport mad - every patch of ground on campus is covered in sports pitches and the national teams for several sports train in the facilities here, quite apart from the student societies! When I was younger I wanted to do the round-the-world yacht race that complete amateurs can take part in, but the arthritis means I'll never be able to (quite apart from it costing about half a house to take part in!)

I agree - I'd take it. It's very hard to get that first bit of experience, and this is a great way in. I agree with everyone else about the admin side too, that isn't necessarily representative of the whole university so don't be swayed by that.

Yes, agree, supervisors don't always seem to be aware of what it's like out there for people who don't already have the permanent academic job! Anyway, who knows, this job might lead you off in interesting new directions that might never have occurred to you. I think more and more people are having careers that don't follow a simple straightforward line - that was the case before the current economic situation, and I think it's only going to be more true when people are so desperate for employment. So, go for it - anything research-related is a bonus these days I think! Good luck.

Good luck Sneaks! That seems like the right way round to me anyway - the RA work seems to expand to fill whatever time you have available, so why not limit the time you give it....

Today I need to make substantial progress on the journal article I was supposed to have finished at the beginning of this month. It's feeling like an impossible task but if I can blast out a load of words and make significant progress maybe it won't feel as bad. I also have two small but urgent tasks that need to be done today. And a short seminar I don't want to go to but can't avoid because one of my supervisors organised it and knows it relates to my work! So, goals for today:

1.) Finalise and print question sheet for tomorrow's site visit to one of host organisations I'm researching
2.) When I get reply from funding administrator, sort out rest of application for conference travel grant and email to supervisors
3.) Attend supervisor's seminar and get away as quickly as I can!
4.) Make significant progress on journal article

That's good news, Sneaks, hope you manage to make good progress on the PhD this week!

I've written up notes from my supervision session, prioritised my to-do list and made a start on the most urgent jobs. The to-do list was more than a little bit intimidating - looks like I have a stressful couple of months coming up - but if I stay on top of it I think it'll be manageable. And next month I have the added treat of a trip to Paris - I'm giving a presentation there on the Friday afternoon then get the whole of the weekend and half of the Monday to myself in Paris! That's quite an incentive to get this work done!

Shivering cold today though. Back to putting on gloves and extra layers while I work - can't afford to keep the heating on all the time. Oh well, at least it works so I can turn it on if it gets too cold!

I agree with everyone else, go for it! You'd really kick yourself if you didn't go for it and the person who actually got the job was at a similar point to you, and it'll be good experience for when you go for future interviews. And who knows, that feeling of not having enough experience might actually take some of the pressure off and help you to perform really well in the interview - that happened to a friend of mine, she went for a job thinking she stood no chance at all and ended up landing it - doubled her salary and increased her job status hugely in one step - they said they liked the freshness of her approach and that she was upfront about still having a lot to learn but being willing to put the effort in.

Morning everyone! Hope you're all feeling refreshed and ready for a week of work.

I'm feeling less stressed and pressured than I was last week - a weekend without thinking much about the PhD has done me the world of good. Goals for today:
1.) Think through all work I need to do and draw up prioritised to-do list
2.) Write up notes from Thursday's supervision session
3.) Do the highest priority jobs on to-do list
4.) With any time left over, return to writing journal article

======= Date Modified 17 Feb 2011 14:43:08 =======
Hah, yes, academics do move at a much slower pace - last summer my supervisor said he'd have a paper for me to collaborate on in October, but he's still putting the finishing touches to it now, five months later! Every meeting he tells me it's almost ready.

Thanks for the nice comments about the presentation, everyone!

I'm feeling completely exhausted still today, and even admin work is painful. I think I need to recharge my batteries after working hard for a few weeks, so I'm going to take tomorrow off and have a long weekend where I try not to think about work once!

Hi everyone. Thanks for the best wishes for yesterday's presentation - it went really well. The academic I was co-presenting with was really apologetic about how last-minute it had all been, and even said that if someone had done the same thing to her she'd have hung the phone up on them! Yeah, that's kind of how I felt, but didn't do!! Anyway, came away with some new contacts and the possibility of future collaboration on journal papers, so I guess it was worth the stress!

Afterwards, I was so tired I actually struggled to walk the 15 minutes home from the railway station. Physical and mental exhaustion. I flopped down on the sofa and just could not move. So I just stayed there all afternoon, watching crap on the TV, and then hauled myself to bed at 9pm and slept in until 8 this morning. And I'm still exhausted!

I'm going to take it reasonably easy today. I have supervision at 11, which may well be brutal as we're looking at the latest draft of my questionnaire and they hated the last draft. Other than that, I'm going to do admin-type stuff and write up a few notes, and leave brain work for tomorrow.

Hope everyone else is feeling on top of things! Sounds like there was quite a bit of stress for people around the forum yesterday...