Thanks Batfink, argh I'm not doing very well this morning, even after having scared myself with a daily word count! I'm suffering from lack of motivation following a couple of days off and I really need to get on with it!

Right, I AM going to do some work now!

Good luck Lindalou, I can find it really hard to get motivated again after a break, I have to be very strict with myself and set step-by-step goals to walk myself slowly through the work until I get back into the swing.

I've made slow but important progress today. I had to re-run the analysis I did yesterday with some different settings, and that produced some interesting implications for running the same analysis on two other samples, which I'll do tomorrow, I'm too tired now. I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere with this research now - about time!

I'm going to spend another hour typing up some findings into a big table, then call it a day.

Morning all.

Today, I'm running PCA analysis on two further samples. I'm expecting this to take all day, so there's my goal right there! Looking forward to the weekend now!

Hi all,

I took most of wednesday off because of a headache, was fine yesterday but I was teaching so didn't get any work done, now I'm back to my work and I have a headache again grr! It's not too bad though so I really want to get some writing done.

I have two sections to write before my findings chapters are all written (first drafts). So I really want to get at least one of the sections written today, if not both of them. I'm going to do a bit of work tomorrow because hubby is working, so hopefully I could read through this chapter tomorrow and do my teaching prep.

Goal 1- write section 2 of findings chapter
Goal 2- write section 3 of findings chapter

Ah well done Batfink, I finally managed to get back into the swing of writing yesterday, it really helps being accountable on this forum! I always feel rubbish if I log on not having done any work! Sounds like you had a good day yesterday so well done! I managed 1,000 words in the end yesterday which has made me feel better - I'm even back in the swing of waking up in the middle of the night thinking about what I'm going to write next!

Hope you feel better Button, it's horrible trying to work when you don't feel your best. Can you afford to have a half day or perhaps not do any writing for a day or two?

Out of interest, does anyone work through the weekend or do people have a couple of days off? It depends for me how much I have to do but I try and have at least one day where I spend time with my family rather than sitting up here like a hermit in the office!

Goal for today - write at least 666 words (freaky I know, but that's the calculation I came up with when doing a word count/days left! Is that an omen, I wonder...!)

Thanks Lindalou, I'm feeling positive today! Making good progress so far.

Button, hope the headache's better soon. Do you think it's maybe an eyesight/computer screen issue? I find I get headaches if I try to spend too long staring at the screen, trying to make sure I take breaks from screens of all kinds (including TV!) now so it doesn't get too bad. Or it might be a bug of some kind, of course!

Lindalou - I try to take whole weekends off, unless I have a deadline to hit, in which case I often work all the way through, or only take Saturday off. But breaks are important for recharging, I think. I'm expecting to take less time off the closer I get to submission, though!

I totally agree with you Batfink, I think it's just as important to take breaks as it is to work hard. I find I tend to make more mistakes if I don't have some time away from the work occasionally. I really try and protect my weekends as much as I can but I feel like you, I don't think free weekends will exist the closer I get to submission! I've already warned all the people around me that this will be the case!

Well I've smashed my goal today - I've written 1,200 words, yipee! I definitely deserve the weekend off now I think :-)
I hasten to add though that I'm writing my qual analysis chapters so it's just me and my findings that I'm writing about at the moment! Hence the words are flowing quite easily... I'll slow down once I start theorising about my findings in a couple of days!

Well done Lindalou!

I've got half way through my analysis for my third sample but I've lost concentration completely now. But I can get this finished on Sunday I think, ready to start writing an analysis chapter on Monday. Now it's time to put my theory about taking breaks into practice and go and meet my friends in the pub!

Have a good weekend everyone!

I've done both goals and have got both sections written, which means my findings chapters are now roughly written, so I'm really pleased. However, I know they aren't critical whatsoever, so I will also be theorising about my findings Linda!

In relation to breaks, I almost always take the whole weekend off with the hubster, as well as every evening. The only reason why I'm planning on working tomorrow is because hubby is also at work, so I might as well! Our Sundays usually involve taking pupster on a big walk in the morning/early afternoon, and then watching 24 all evening :$(up) which we are obsessed with at the moment due to buying the box set for Christmas!

I am an avid believer in making sure that my PhD is not the be all and end all. Although I am 'personally' attached I am not 'extreme-emotionally' attached and I think that distinction is really important (in my opinion obviously). Already during my PhD I have got married, gone on a massive honeymoon and have bought a puppy, and I'm only 18 months in so who knows what will be next! Maybe this approach will come to bite me on the bum one day, but until then I'll keep taking lots of breaks and have a fab life outside of my PhD!

Hi guys my name is nagul.i have completed my masters degree(MCA)recently i was applied for a phd in information systems.they asked me to sent a sop(statement of purpose)letter and my three areas of interest in research.my area of interest only in databases.
1.my query is we can put our three areas of interest only in databases or not?
2.is it necessary a masters student(fresher) must have a knowledge about his academic subjects in his MCA or not?
3.what are the basic requirement for a fresher student to apply for his phd?
4.what are the questions they will ask before going to get the admission in phd?
5.is there any chance to learn complete knowledge in phd after getting our admission in phd?
6.in the first year of our phd what we have to do after getting into this?
plz guys reply for this query as soon as possible i am waiting for your good suggestions will help m a lot.

Nagulmera, this isn't really the right place for you to ask those questions - you'll get a lot more responses if you start a thread of your own in the main part of the forum, as this thread has a lot fewer visitors and is about setting ourselves daily tasks rather than the kinds of questions you list. Some of the questions you ask sound quite specific to your university and subject, so people on this forum might not be able to help - but if they can, I'm sure they'll try! With more general questions about what is involved in a PhD, and what the application process is like, try searching for previous threads that have been started about the application procedure - there's lots of useful information out there! Good luck.

Morning everyone!

I'm coming down with a cold and feeling a bit fevery and sore-throated today, so not the best start to a week when I have to work my socks off to write a chapter by Friday! Oh well, have to see how it goes.

My goals for today:
1.) Plan out content for chapter
2.) Assemble data analysis needed for chapter, identify any missing analysis
3.) Carry out any missing analysis (may take longer than today, depends how much there is!)
4.) Update action plan

Grr I've just found out that I've got to go to a meeting later, which is going to take 3 hours out of my day, and therefore completely messes up everything I've got planned!

Saying that though, I sent a chapter to sup on Friday, and am now at that stage of starting a new task which I always really struggle getting into. But I'll give it a go.

Goal 1- get ideas for presentation and start planning

Morning all (just!) I slept in this morning as my fiance is full of cold and kept me up most of the night as he couldn't breathe properly! Poor thing! Hope you don't feel too rough Batfink! I'm feeling a bit tired and itchy around my sinuses but like you I really don't have time to get ill now! Maybe we should stock up on the vitamin c and conduct a mini experiment!

I hate having to go to meetings when I'm busy, especially when they're at my university as I live a fair drive away so I feel for you Button!

Today I'm going to crack on, I'm going to carry on writing but I think I'm going to re-structure my chapter, the way I have it at the moment I'm not really happy with. After I've written my quota for the day I'm going to have a play with different ideas and structures.

Have a good day everyone!

Hmm well I have re-structured the chapter but I'm not doing well with the actual writing today. I'm going to have a break away from the computer for a bit now then come back to it a bit later and hopefully get something committed to paper today! Hope everyone's having a more productive day than me!

I'm being distinctly unproductive today. Feel lousy. I need to do some thinking about the structure of my chapters but my head aches and I'm burning up. I'll have to do some stuff that doesn't involve thinking instead.