hmmm does anyone else suffer from chronic guilt? taking breaks from your phd writing?

it's like, i sometimes feel guilty taking breaks, even if i accomplish something no matter how great or small. i always think, but such and such still needs to be done and such and such has missing stuff etc. its not finished.

but then i guess you cant think like that. when you work, you work. when you take a break, you relax and try not to think about the phd writing. it will always be there. until you pass the viva. i guess the best we can hope for, is to work hard when we are supposed to and then relax and enjoy the moment of a reward for itself. nothing is permanent, its the moments and living in the moments that count.

like i am looking forward to going to a concert next tuesday (Alicia Keys concert after my monday deadline. i will try to enjoy myself at the concert. but i know in the back of my mind my thesis is still waiting at home for me to carry on working. but that fact in itself shouldnt distract me from enjoying the few hours at the concert. when you think about it. every single moment becomes a memory. all we have really is the moment we are living in.

i am guilty of either living in the past or the future, which can detract from accomplishing what needs to be done *today*. but i have noticed when i have set myself a specific task, it has helped me to focus on the *now moment*. and i am less likely to procrastinate or worry about x y z. because i am focued on working on A.

i think the problem with doing a phd. you never really have any time off there's always "something" more than needs to be done, and something more that can be done. its literally phd 24/7.

but then i guess that's what acquiring knowledge is. its never ending. and thats good in one way. you will never be able to say. okay now i know everything and i can take a long break and not worry about it ever again. its the everyday that counts. i know i am probably not making any sense! finding it difficult to articulate what i mean and am thinking.

mad ramblings.

Sounds to me your brain has gone into overdrive Lara. Its a common side effect of spending too much time on your own writing a thesis, like when you over-analysis the reasons for procrastinating only to realize that your actually doing it.

I'm writing along side you today, trying to battle with my crazy deadlines also! Keep up the good work, you're nearly there!

yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

finished my first draft of my thesis. although some missing sections and one chapter is a skeleton draft. but its done to the best of my ability. today was my deadline.

going to email it to my sups in abit.

just did a word count lol

total words of 1st draft = 38,564 words

pages = 185


i'm soo sleepy
lol

okay its done! i've sent my first draft. i am now going to shut my computer off and i am not going to check my email until wednesday. taking a complete break!

see you all on wednesday

i'm going to go get some sleep now.

THANKS everyone for your support these past few weeks!! Really really appreciate it ! you all have been so kind and encouraging! really helped me alot!

okay me clocking out now., for 2 days...

Ang how true you are!! haha you're right, i think i went abit cuckooo lol

Woohoo! Well done Lara - that's a great achievement! I hope that by the time you read this you've had a restful and refreshing couple of days.

Well done, Lara!
Enjoy your break and have fun!

Well Done Lara,

Brilliant news, i knew you could do it as you work so hard. I also made my deadline (just!!!) and its great we can all spur each other on to get the final drafts finished!!!

am proud of you Lara!!! don't forget to reward yourself - you've worked so hard and you deserve it.

Thanks you guys!! so sweet of you yesterday it was really nice to just relax and unwind. and today is another day off.

i just got a reply back from my supervisor. he's very busy so wants me to send him a final draft of my thesis instead of reading my 1st draft because i have some incomplete sections and i need to expand on the results chapters alot more. so now i have to send him my final draft of my thesis.

it was constructive critisism. and he's absolutely right.

but i am now having serious doubts about whether i can get it done, in the time that i have left.

the challenge was 3 weeks and a first full draft. i completely agree i need to expand on the thesis ALOT. the sections need to be expanded alot more, more figures, more results, just simply more. they said that the chapters looked too similar to the papers. i just physically couldnt get it all done in the time that was allocated, so used alot of the content from the papers we had written.

writing a thesis really does take a long time.

okay today is still my day off. so tommorow i will make a plan, and try to complete a final draft based on the 1st draft by mid august.

the only reason i had to send a first draft, in a 3 week deadline was in order to convince him to sign my exam forms. but it seems like he isnt satisfied with the first draft.

i contacted the student representative awhile ago and she contacted senate house and they said if the exam forms are delayed then the student does not get penalised, her exam is simply delayed.

so this is what i am thinking, produce a final thesis draft by mid august, and send to supervisor. and hopefully he will then sign my forms. as long as i get the forms sent before sept 30th, the examination will just then be *delayed*. but i will submit the thesis before the deadline of 30th sept. regardless if the exam forms are sent in time or not. and regardless whether my supervisor thinks its not good enough. because if i dont submit my thesis by sept 30th, i fail by default.

so isnt it better i submit a thesis, then not submit at all cause its not good enough and then fail because i did not submit a thesis.