Just a quick moan but I love when your supervisor gives you feedback that completely contradicts what they said the month before! I know I'm not alone in this feeling...

Yes it is quite common and utterly frustrating!

i would like to have a general moan about not having enough time to work ...

I would also like to moan about the days not being long enough to get everything done. Also, my sup has had a chapter of mine for months now and still waiting for feedback.

I dream of the day I hand this PhD in haha

That must be awful Zutterfly! Have you reminded them again for feedback? I know if I was in your situation, I'd be so utterly frustrated, but at the same time reluctant to keep pestering them as worried about a) keeping the relationship going and b) worried snout the actual feedback. It's a catch 22 situation!

They have always been rubbish with timely feedback Hugh! I am not as bothered by it as I used to be though as they will be seeing the whole thesis draft in a few months, I just hope they do not take a long time with that either. In my first year I pestered a bit and they got really ticked off despite me being in the right (it delayed my upgrade), so I now have to just let it slide unfortunately :(

I've been thinking about why this happens and have wondered if perhaps it is because once you really get a grip on your topic, they are a step behind you in some ways. Not in term's of how to research, write papers or to complete a Phd, but with regard to the actual thinking of your topic. Perhaps it also indicates a need for further signposting, so they understand where you are coming from?

What ever it is, I now take my supervisors thinking about my thinking/writing on the actual topic with a bit of a grain of salt, but I never disregard any comments they make about communications, presentation or logical processes. I also now tend to think that when they are being critical it is usually going to be a communications or clarification issue or something where there is an inductive leap, which needs more explanation and detail for the reader.

I just feel like having a moan about being fed up with the PhD and hoping ill wake up tomorrow and it'll just be finished!

Sometimes it just feels like one hurdle after the other :-(

I just want to moan that while I plan on submitting my final chapter to my sup tomorrow, I feel I cannot celebrate as I have a ton of editing waiting for me over the next two months that I am dreading!

So true, as soon as you finish one thing it's straight on to the next!

Very true. I think at every stage there's something else to do/wait on, and by the time you reach the final stage (I suspect which is being awarded the certificate/graduation), its an anti-climax

Another moan, more related to trying to prepare for 'after' the PhD whilst still working on the PhD: Spending hours of your writing time on job applications then not even getting shortlisted when you have all the experience that they are asking for :(

Gosh! It sounds like its really bad out there ... I'm dreading that phase.

Just found two new papers published in the area this year, now I have to go back and update the literature review chapter again! aaarggghhh

In a few weeks I will be editing my literature review and I am concerned about this too!

I've had a detailed look at the paper, and tbh it'll probably be the addition of the a few sentences, but it is still frustrating, and that's why I need to get this thesis submitted asap or else I'll have to keep updating chapters that I thought were finished and done!