Well done for finishing the draft, Star-shaped! I'm sorry you have to rewrite it but from what I've heard (and my own experience), the rewriting never ends. This poses the question: how do you know when is time to end?? I know for a fact that my sups will just keep telling me to change stuff every time I send it to them. So do I just stop sending it when I think it's done??

Batfink and Sneaks, I hope you manage to do what you need by your deadlines!

My goals for the day are to continue writing a draft and to do more work on my analysis. Good luck everyone!

That's a good point Skig. But she made quite general comments and I think I have to trust her on this one.

well I did my first goal. I have just realised that there are deadlines for 2 lectureships today that I want to apply for. I have been so busy/stressed with everything else that I didn't realise. Argh. So I guess my goal for the rest of the day is to get these 2 done and submitted!

Good luck Star-shaped! And thanks Skig.

One more section done. I just have two more sections to rewrite, some editing to do, and then adding references and checking formatting etc, and then I'm done. Unfortunately one of the sections is a biggie, but I'm still confident I can do all of this today.

I really just want to sit in a room and cry. I've just had to book another 2 days off for teaching this week and have had a load of requests for non-PhD work to be done urgently :-(

I hope you're OK Sneaks. Could you not find someone to do the teaching for you? If not, just try to remember that all this stuff will look good on your CV in the future while your PhD will be a thing of the past...

Chin up.

yeah its one of those things, there is someone who could do the teaching, but she's snapping at my heels. If I don't get the job I'm going for in 2 weeks, I won't want to give her my 'niche' in the department, so it means I really have to do the teaching to keep hold of it.

If I can get my first chapter re-worked today I think I'll start to feel happier, it all seems so much out of control!

Hello all
Wondered if I could check in today too.

I need to, hopefully by about 8pm

- recode some of my variables
- import into dataset
- remove all respondents who are male
- remove all who didn't answer pregnancy question
- then do multiple imputation
- then recode some other variable
- then run 3 models
- then send models to supervisor

None of these tasks appeared necessary till this morning, so that's a nasty shock.
Sneaks, it sounds really hard for you at the mo. May the force be with you!

Oh Sneaks I hope you get everything done.

I have failed miserably today- I got one application done and really don't have time now to do the second one. I've applied for so many already and my research doesn't really fit in with the department anyway so I'm just going to leave it.

I also emailed my mentor for the research grant as I don't think I'll get a good application done by the deadline next month. So we are going to put it in somewhere else instead and work on it when I actually have enough time!

Now, my bloody cat has gone missing so I'm going to walk around the neighbourhood shaking her treats.

I have done so little so far! I really really want to get this section done today though. I may ignore student emails to try and get it done.

Hey all,
Long time .. I had a massive dip in morale ....past two weeks.. hopefully im back now and can get on with it .. I have been working on a section and keep getting distracted .. I want it done before I sleep tonight even if it means midnight as I have a whole other section to re-jig tomorrow!!

Sneaks I feel for you .. but be consoled we are many in that horrible boat(too much to do and absolutely no time- boat)

I have a question for everyone ... why do I feel like just saying I cant be botherd anymore and it is literally a few weeks before the end? I am having to fight very hard with my self on this!!!! The end really is the hardest bit!!:$

Sneaks, and everyone else actually, everyone seems to be struggling - hope you all get enough done to at least feel more in control of it all. It's so hard to get everything done, especially when there are so many competing priorities - good luck all!

I feel a bit bad now, cos I'm going to say I've finished my report, and got it sent in by the deadline. Yay me! But I don't really want to jog around the thread cheering when you're all battling on still. But I suppose I did sit down at my desk ten whole hours ago, so maybe I'll quietly pat myself on the back. I did wonder if I'd ever get it done - been struggling with motivation for ages, and wasting so much time, so it's a relief to have actually got to the end of this task!

So, umm, keep going everyone! Have a nice present to keep you going! (gift) Imagine it's full of all those treats you really want...

Well done Batfink (up)

I have got so much conflicting advice that I feel like my head is going to explode :$. I have been going through my thesis, pulling and tightening threads as I go. At this stage I don't know if it's better or just different. Chapters 1-4 will be done by Wed, then only chapters 5-8 to re-structure by mid Sept :-(. I'm not even 100% sure how I am supposed to restructure them (turkey)

I need that inspirational PhD quote another thread is looking for:-(

Crikey, things are going badly at this end. The recoding of the variables is nightmarish, in a complex survey dataset. The frequencies just don't make sense, aaarrrggghhh!

Am gonna have to abandon that project, and just run models on the inferior, un-recoded variables. :-(

Although I'm *only* a Masters student, the stakes are really high, because I'm on a 1+3. I've had a really tough time academically this year, felt stupid consistently for the first time in my life on this Masters. Compared to my first MSc, where I got a Distinction, this has been absolute hell.

My exam results were mediocre, and the mark I get in this dissertation basically determines whether I get the PhD funding with *my* name already on it, or whether I lose it. So basically how I perform over the next few days until Friday determines the course of my life in a very big way. And I've been under immense time pressure: had to have an extension as the government department that gave me permission to use my original dataset suddenly changed their mind. Bastards.

Anyway, that was a futile vent. Feel free to ignore. But just wanted to let you know things are rubbish at this end too. Misery loves company. :-)

I'm hungry, but at the same time I feel full - how does that work?

Getting there with this chapter, but starting to get tired :-(

I hope things are getting better for all who are struggling. I'm still not 100% and nowhere near where I should be but I keep telling myself that at least I'm moving forward and definitely not procrastinating! I tackled the dreaded analysis today with a 'once and for all' attitude so it's all done now and it'll be time to start writing tomorrow.

I'm soooo close and yet so far. I've not received any feedback from sups about work I've sent them weeks ago and I foresee a sudden rush of editing coming my way by the end of the week.

I'm off now so good night all!

PS.: It seems like the morale is pretty low for some and I'm not sure if this is going to help anyone, but I've pinned my Gantt chart on my wall (next to my desk) so I know I've done most of it already AND I'm almost there. I've also been keeping the old ones behind it so I can check my progress week by week. That helps me to keep it going sometimes...