Hi everyone,

Hope everybody has had a good day. Well, finally i have managed to get chapter's 1-6 sent off for final comments! I had a little bit of trouble getting the files converted to PDF to send via email to my supervisors. For some reason some of the figures didn't come out but it all got sorted out in the end!!! However, i have just started reading chapter 1 again and am finding loads of mistakes and sentences that don't make sense!!!! Might you, guess if i identify these now i still have time to change them, but am a little worried my thesis is not up to the required standard! A friend of mine said that my supervisors would not let me submit something awful but you hear about these horror stories and i don't want to be one of them!!!
Oh well, least i can have another look at the chapters, see what they think and change stuff to make it better. My deadline is Tuesday 30th September, but i would like to submit the week before (as i am worried about pushing it completely to the wire as i have nightmares about my car breaking down on the day of submission and i don't make it!!!)
Anyway, i guess i can only wait to hear the supervisors comments, so will know try to focus on the work i have left.

Tonight i am trying to get a draft of my abstract done, and the contents page, figure list and table list. Tomorrow i am in London for the day (tickets for a football match in the evening) so have a day off but then straight back to work on Thursday as i need to work thursday to Saturday working on Chapter 7.
Anyway, hope to submit chapter 7 in again next Tuesday so that i can then sort out the references etc.
Therefore aims tonight :

abstract
Contents page
Figure list
Table list

Tomorrow : Day off

Thursday - Saturday: Chapter 7!

Hope everyone has had a good day and see you Thursday!!!!!

PS Lara, Hope your day has gone well, and try not too worry, you will definitely get there. Remember, bit by bit, you have done so well and it is all coming together. Keep pushing on and try to stay confident. I definitely think these weeks are the hardest but we are all in the same boat and we can only do our best. It is great that there are a few of us with similar deadlines as we can all help each other get there. Hopefully, before we know it, this will all be a distant memory!!!!!!!!!
Hope you have a great day tomorrow, and see you Thursday.

hi all,
I am new to this forum, found it during desperate searches for enlightenment.
In final stages of writing(not writing) up the doctorate, althuogh am freaking out most days and finally mailed my supervisor about an extension today.
My deadline is Oct, i dont think I can make it.
Some days I can barely bring myself to look at the thesis, im passionate about my topic and I love the whole area, i cant imagine ever not working on this stuff but right now the specifics of it are draining the absolute life-force outa me, its hellish to say the least.
and worrying about deadlines is PARALYSING me.
anyone got any advice??

o, and anthroploga I would def be on for online accountability?
I only do about three hours a a day, and sometimes nothing so it would def help me.....

freelouise1 , Completely connect with what you just said and am also up for being an accountability partner ..I have got to finish my analysis and start writing up but locked in a vicious cycle of stress and non productivity.

Hi Mira and Freelouise,

Welcome to the forum and to the boat. We are all pretty much in the same situation here. I would advice you that instead of thinking to much on the overall job of finishing the thesis, you concentrate in doing those smaller tasks that can get you going. For example, the book I'm following recommends that you start by taking stock: put together everything that you have already written, organise it and find out how much your current progress is. After that, you'll see the structure arising and gaps that need to be filled. That way it will be clearer what you need to do.

It is not a linear process, so do not think that because you haven't made progress so far, you can't at all. The more you write and get into it, the faster you'll make progress. Momentum is also important, so do not stop, keep going and the best of luck ;-)

oh no! i wrote this long message and it got deleted!! ugh!!!!

okay nevermind. will keep this short and write more later

but just wanted to say WELL DONE tractorgirl on getting your chapters done! that's brilliant!!!

and dont worry about it being up to scratch. your supervisor cannot stop you from submitting, if its a choice between submitting and risking a fail/major corrections, or not submitting at all and then failing by default because u didnt meet the deadline. the decision to submit ultimately according to uni regulations lies with the student!

if he thinks its not up to scracth then he should apply for an extention on your behalf. he cant just say. you cant submit. and then you just fail because u didnt meet the deadline. so dont worry about that.

besides i am sure it is up to scratch!! i have faith in you :-)

and you totally deserve a reward for working so hard and meeting your deadline. you've got a complete draft now and that is so brilliant at this stage!! i wish i had a complete draft, so you're doing really well!!

hope you have a good day today! and see you tommorow :-) good on ya for getting back to it.

thanks for the advice yesterday about doing bit by bit, and it worked!!! instead of telling myself i have to work 6 -8 hours i just told myself, to work on 1 thing and i took regular breaks, and i worked for 5 and half hours in total. but took massive breaks !!

so going to do that again. instead of saying to myself, i have to have a marathon working session. so thanks alot for your support! and the advice K gave too :)

Thanks TG!! you're so right, bit by bit, when i think of it as a whole, i freeze like a bunny caught in headlights. but like you and K said, if i say to myself "just make figure 1" and spend 15 minutes on it, i get it done! and its fun.. lol

and i am so glad i have you in the same boat, dont know what i would do without you !!!

WELCOME freelouise1!!! it's always nice to have a new recruit!!! i totally get what you mean, as i feel like that most days if not every single day !!! but the only thing that works for me is this:

i write down and say to myself : work on paragraph X, or make figure X, and then i set my timer, and tell myself i *only* have to work on it for 15 minutes, and then i can take a break and do whatever i want. and then slowly bit by bit i get quite abit done.

try it out today. and then report back what you did... it helps having the support.

thinking of a thesis as a whole, is very scary, but if you just think of it as tiny bits that you will do one by one, its not so scary. if you get stuck on one thing, just make a note for yourself and get back to it and move onto another thing.

i also worry about my deadline. and worry what if i dont complete it in time. well theres nothing i can do about that. if i dont complete it in time for the deadline then i will have to deal with it THEN. but right now, i am just focusing on getting the tasks done that i have set for today.

good luck and hope it works.

so today your task it to work only for 15 minutes on your thesis. it can be anything, and then after the 15 minutes, write down what you did. if you did nothing. thats okay. and then try again

Mira nice to have you join us here :-) i hope we're able to support! (up)

great advice Armendaf!! i know what you mean about momentum! once you get stuck in doing one little thing, you tend not to leave it until its finished, the hardest part sometimes is getting started!

======= Date Modified 20 Aug 2008 10:21:25 =======
======= Date Modified 20 Aug 2008 10:20:23 =======
My time log from yesterday:

total productive hours - 5 and half hours.

worked for an hour,
an hour and half break (breakfast etc),
worked for an hour and half,
took a 3 and half hour break (lunch/nap),
worked for an hour and half, then took a small 30min break,
worked for an hour.
then had dinner watched some telly and fell asleep at midnight.

--
what i did:
made 1 figure.
wrote 2 paragraphs.
did 2 statistical analysis.
----
compared to my previous days of accomplishing absolutely zero on this chapter, because i was so lost and overwelmed by restructuring my chapter, thinking of doing just one thing at a time, really helped.
----

usually , my working days, consisted of working 1-2 hours of productive time, and the other time, procrastinating!! or working for an hour or so, then taking a break and not wanting to go back to work. but now i trick myself and tell myself, i only have to work for 15 minutes and then i can take a break again. but the 15 minutes always turns into an hour, because i get into it!...

i might even try going for a bike ride for 30 minutes too, as i feel abit sluggish.
---

my aims today:

work for 15minutes or 1 hour at a time, and take regular breaks.
work on chapter 5: results section.
--

good luck everyone!

of course i know if i carry on like this, i wont meet my deadline, but the idea is to get into the habit of working consistently everyday, and spend more time working than worrying.. so each day i am going to try to aim to work that bit more ....improve each day... and tell myself that every bit i've done, is that one step closer to finishing, and means i have done that one bit, and its done.

p.s i also did not check my email all day yesterday. and will check my email every other day, but at the end of my working day. my only vice is checking this forum once in the morning :-)

======= Date Modified 20 Aug 2008 22:16:03 =======
======= Date Modified 20 Aug 2008 22:02:30 =======
does anyone else feel, the more you work on your chapters, the more you realise how much you have to do? and have doubts about meeting the sept deadline?

Dear All,
Just wanted to say a very big thank you for your support for my question yesterday. I followed everyones advice and managed to write 400 words and do about 2 hours work, not bad after 20 days of complete non productivity!! i also went to the gym for an hour and am feeling good..

I dont what I would have done without you guys , I am so happy to have found this group .

i look forward to participating an helping others too..

thanks so very much again.

cheers
meera

p.s more to report tomorrow ..

Yes Lara, the more work I do, the longer my list of things 'to do' grows. It is so frustrating. Grrr!