hello. late start today.

my aim today is :

to finish the results section of chapter 5.
no dinner until i have finished the results section! *glues myself to the chair*

I think you guys are doing a PhD whereas I'm doing a Masters... the difference here is that I only have 4 months to get my thesis done and dusted.

I felt vaguely guilty therefore for having done nothing on it at all today, just de-cluttered my life and sorted out my financial situation.

Ah, well. Maybe this evening...

today has been tough to keep going - too many other stressful things in my life currently! But chapter 1 is finished - yeah! And 2 other aims are done. Going to try and do the last now before I get dinner and give up for the day. Hope all is going well with everyone. Chat to you tomorrow.

hello folks! just taking a wee little break.

having some food at my desk whilst i work on my results. i am not allowed to leave this desk and have a proper break and dinner, until the results section is done!

i am being strict with myself today lol. sometimes it has to be done!!

still plodding away at my results, getting there slowly.
so far today have written 516 words. still have about 3 figures left to do, and maybe a couple of more sections.

K_Hopwood, don't worry, the point is to do "something" even if it's just 15 minutes on your thesis.

don't feel guilty, trust me, there have been plenty of days where i've just blown off time! then did "something" later on in the evening.

like yesterday did nothing at all day and evening, then late at night did a couple of hours.

so just do 15minutes or whatever.

as JB says

"Every day is more important, than how much time you spend, or how many pages you produce or the quality".. "if you being working on your thesis 15minutes every day you will dramatically increase the odds that you'll finish it.

So as 2nd in command, (1st being Anthropologa) the order is for you to work only 15 minutes on your thesis this evening, it can be anything related to your thesis, even free writing, and then report back here by the end of the night, and tell us how you got on

now jump to it!

Hopwood if it makes you feel any better, i only have 3 months to get my thesis done and dusted, or i will fail.

4 months is plenty of time, you can do it!

*begin , not being.

Well done Celesmai for completing chapter 1!! that is fantastic!! you just started a few days ago, way to go!!

and 2 other aims done aswell. you are on a roll!!

K Hopwood, its good you decluttered your life and sorted out money issues. sometimes these things have to be done, so your mind is clear and now you can concentrate on your thesis. so don't feel guilty.

Thank you for the encouragement, Lara! I think you're right, life is not all straight lines... I'm glad I've got a bit more organised now.

Also I start a new part time job tomorrow so I need to be organised for that!

Haha...! I like this egg-timer idea a lot. I will do my 15 mins tonight and report back. Best of luck to everyone else and well done for making it through "Another Day"

K_Hopwood, I want to thank YOU for your message, it was inspiring for me! as i was having a little pity party a little while ago.

but instead, i am using it to motivate me. i am going for "the sprint" method. and work extra hard these next few days and then take friday evening off and go to this lecture i want to go (unrelated to my phd).

as JB says, rewards are important !!

haha i am glad you like the egg timer, i do it all the time! it always makes me jump when it goes off as its so loud lol.

i am setting it now for 30minutes. to get back to writing.

good luck with your 15minutes

okay i am clocking out for the day. did about 7 hours i think. it's nearly 1am.

I have finished my 2nd draft version of chapter 5: results section. hurrah!

the results are still in abit of a weird order, so tommorow i will bring in the architect and judge and transfer it to final draft version. and maybe add a few more results sections.

so tommorow aim is to finalise the results section and transfer it to final version.

i am no longer pushing myself with unrealistic goals like telling myself to complete a chapter in one day!

i am being more realistic now and I feel better about it. Joan Bolker is right! about setting realistic goals and actually ATTAINING them instead of setting unrealistic goals and then feeling crappy when you don't attend them.

see you guys tommorow!

I realised something today, at the end of the day, you are writing the disseration for yourself and the examiner. you're the boss, if you don't reach a deadline set by your supervisor, too bad! as long as you know in your own heart that you did your best and you worked as hard as you could, that is all that matters..

that's what any of us can do really, try out best and work as hard as we can. as long as we work on our thesis every day, no matter what we produce, it's the working on it everyday, is what this A team is all about!

and if you dont manage to meet a deadline you set yourself, than that is okay too. just get back on the horse and make a more realistic deadline.

like a month ago, i told myself to have a full first draft of 6 chapters by 7th of july. now i realise it was unrealistic. but that doesnt mean i didnt get anything done. i did as much as i could. and just means that once the 7th of july deadline has come and gone, i will still be carrying on working on the thesis..

I am so thankful for you guys and this forum, I don't know what I would have done without the support!!! Thanks everyone