If you have a really bad head cold might you not be better to spend a couple of days away from the lab/work? It might help you recover better. Also prevents spreading the germs around ;-)

And don't think you can't afford to take a break. What you can't afford to do is to burn yourself out with constant pressure.

Could you maybe speak to your supervisor about this?

But do allow yourself time to recover from the bug.

I accidentally switched on the TV when it was on and caught a scene I really wish I hadn't :(

Good luck!

I, too, went through a state of paralysis, in my case about 8 months before submission. I couldn't see how I would get there, was totally terrified of what would come next. But I got through it, by - as the others have said - focusing on smaller goals. Once I got into the final stage of the writing it got easier. And I took things one step at a time.

And last week I submitted and now await my viva date. And I'm less scared by that prospect than I was 8 months ago! So it can be done.

Good luck.

How's the preparation getting on Jateet? I've just heard who my internal + chairperson will be, which makes things seem that much more tangible. No firm viva date yet, but because all the examiners have now been appointed it's just a matter of fixing up a when next.

I've been taking a little break since submitting my thesis last week, but plan to resume gentle viva preparation (reading the book I recommended) this week. I'm also planning to meet my sup for an informal chat about what to expect in the viva. And I'll be thinking about general issues that might be raised by the examiners, though I can't prepare by tackling a long list of potential viva questions due to severe memory problems.

My husband briefly looked at job hunting away from academia years after finishing his PhD. It wasn't encouraging. He was typically told he was too highly qualified (despite being a programming-based computer scientist, and so well able to do a high responsibility software programming job), and had to persuade them to even consider him. Luckily a research opening appeared, just as he was losing one academic job. And 8+ years later he's still there, though I always wonder for the future of his job, given the current economic climate.

Good luck.

It might not be a webpage but the PDF must have a web address. Just cite that, as you would a web page, and give the date accessed.

It's the second, because it's the instructions that are doing the confirming, and because they're plural the confirm form has to be as in "they confirm" rather than "it confirms".

Thanks everyone :-x