Good luck with the motivation, MissPiggy! I quite often have days when the work piles up and I struggle to even get started. But my supervisor says so much of a PhD is about the psychology to get yourself through the work, so I'm trying to work on my motivation and trying not to let myself get paralysed by guilt at what I haven't yet achieved.

Anyway, I had a long lie-in this morning because I was absolutely exhausted, so I'm only just sitting down to work now. Feel refreshed though. Today I am going to make progress on my data analysis - I have a plan for the analysis, so it's just a case of starting at the top of my list of tests to run and seeing how far I get.

Good luck with the work everyone!

Hello!!!
After long absense I am here again!

I have sent my supervisors a chapter mid November and still no relpy.....I think I will wait a few more dasy and then I will contact them....At least I have to know whether it was really bad or just bad or something else......

So, for this waiting period I have started reading again and writing notes about other studies similar to mine.
My goal for today is to read 4 or even 5 papers and write notes!

Good luck!

Welcome back Emmaki and hello Batfink!

Having just thrown a massive tantrum and various items of stationery, cried some crocodile tears and sworn profusely - before you tut disapprovingly, I'm at home today, not in the office! :-) - I am once more returning to goal 1, the evidence of which my computer has just decided to let evaporate into thin air. Two hours of work just gone. Disappeared. The perfect fuel for my already low motivation and enthusiasm these days. I just want to curl up into a little ball right now and go into hibernation, in the hope that all's magically well when I wake up :-(

Good to see you again Emmaki!

And MissPiggy, how frustrating about the lost work! I think I'd be throwing things too.

I'm making good progress on my data analysis - made some decisions about transforming some variables and should be able to run my first set of proper tests before the end of the day. Cool. 8-)

Hello all. Am returning after a slack couple of weeks. Must get properly back in the saddle tomorrow morning, so will get up early and do the unpleasant reading I've been putting off, and which has been stalling me...

Chat more tomorrow after I've done some work!

Good luck Eska, hope you're getting into the work okay this morning!

I'm really happy with the progress I made yesterday and feeling buoyant as a result. Today's a short day for my own work though, as I have to go to a half-day seminar, so I'm going to spend the morning blitzing through a load of admin and other bits and pieces that all need doing before Christmas, so that I'll have clear decks for getting back to the analysis on Monday.

Goals for today:
1.) Sort budget code and order form for accommodation for training course - DONE
2.) Identify and print out journal articles to read if I feel like it during Christmas break
3.) Draft an application for the university conference fund
That lot will probably take all morning!

Good luck with the work everyone!

Hi everybody!

Today I didn't do any work....Instead I went to my cousin's graduation...He graduated after 13 (!!!!) years of studying!!!!

Then we went for lunch and we drank A LOT.....

So, now I have a terrible head ache.....

Hope that everybody had good progress with work today!!


I will get on with mine tomorrow, although my "rule" is to keep weekends work-free....

Hello everyone, I did about five hours of reading today, so that's ok. It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be so feel all right abot moving on with the work now.


Hey Enmaki, congrats to your cousin! And good luck with the work everyone.

Hi everyone,

Gosh it's quiet here! I'm having a terrible day today, only managed 294 words so far :$ and really struggling to get motivated to do anything! Looks like I'm going to have to work this weekend as I have to hand this chapter in prior to the 6th Jan and I'm not realistically going to get anything done between Christmas and New Year as I will be taking care of my step-son and next week is rammed with appointments and last minute shopping (pay day is Monday so will be blowing the pay packet in record time!)

Hopefully I'll get another 200 words done today at the very least so I can go to step-son's carol service tonight without feeling too guilty about not getting much done! (robin)

Ooh this is funny, like talking to myself, hehe! I've finished my 500 words for the day but as I have another 5500 to write by Christmas which I haven't got much in the way of material for I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon researching. Trying not to get distracted by Steve Wright in the afternoon now!

Me again! Going to try and get substantially more work done today, at least 1,000 words if I can. I downloaded quite a few articles yesterday so I have plenty of material to work with, but tackling a relatively new concept so I might not hit my target. I am struggling a bit to write backwards like I am (I'm doing lit review first, then analysis chapters which now I've started I'm not so sure was the right way around), but I've also got supervision in half an hour to talk about the chapter I turned in at the start of the month, so I will talk about it with my DoS then.

If anyone is out there, then good luck today, I take it from the quietness that people are busy working!

Hi Lindalou

I wish the silence on my part was down to me being busy working!! The reality is that my brain has already started the Christmas countdown and is refusing to engage. I've not got anything of worth done recently at all. I feel thoroughly bad about it as well but I simply can't focus these days, not sure what it is. I'm off for my Christmas break next week so at this point I'm thinking 'let it go, get back to it after your holiday', but not without feeling totally guilty about it at the same time. So now I'm not getting any work done, but not doing anything else productive with my time either. What a carry on! Anyway, I hope you're writing is coming on fine. Sounds like you're making steady progress!

Hi MissPiggy,
Don't feel too guilty, you obviously need to have a break if you're finding it hard to concentrate. My DoS has instructed me to have some time off over crimbo and stated she won't look at any work from me until the new year so I've slipped into holiday mode too today! Managed 700 words so not too bad....

======= Date Modified 14 Dec 2011 16:47:23 =======
Oh, I totally feel the holiday mode thing too! I agree about the importance of taking a break - we need to recharge our brains at some point!

I've got lots of work I was planning to get done before I go to visit my family next Tuesday, but I'm not really making any progress on it - other things keep getting in the way. And today I haven't done anything at all yet - I slept in all morning (exhausted after a long day at a conference yesterday) and then did a bit of Christmas shopping, and am only now getting ready to start work. Looking forward to the Christmas break - just need to get enough done before then so I can actually relax and enjoy the time off!

Plan for the rest of today:
Go through the data analysis method I'm using for the current set of tests I'm running and check a) that it's the right method, b) that I have got the technique correct, and c) that I know what to look for in the results. And assuming that's all fine, start running afew of the tests!

Good morning,
I'm quite relieved I'm not the only one struggling with motivation at this time of year! I think it is very important to have a break, my DoS has already stated she's got 3 weeks off now (she seems to take a LOT of holiday, not sure what the rule is for academics?) so I think at the very least I will down tools on the 22nd (as the 23rd is blocked out with appointments), but maybe do some work in the evenings 28th-30th (as I will be covering daytime childcare), break again 31st (as it's my birthday, huzzah) then not pick up my work until the 3rd Jan.

Plan for today - crack on with chapter writing, my second chapter is still a bit of a mess and has nowhere near enough material and definitely doesn't make sense so I will keep chipping away!