Overview of Lara on PostgraduateForum.com

Overview of Lara

Signup date: 21 May 2008 at 9:34pm

Last login: 11 Jul 2011 at 10:39am

Post count: 3929

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Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

======= Date Modified 22 Aug 2008 11:37:51 =======
======= Date Modified 21 Aug 2008 23:30:39 =======
okay peeps i am clocking out for today. i am really sleepy.

my original plan was to complete results section and discussion by 9pm. didn't meet either aims, but am making progress on chapter 5.

total "productive time" today was about 7 and half hours. a personal record for me i think! lol.

i love tracking my time and filling in the bubbles on the online tracker. http://davidseah.com/tools/ett/alpha/
and clocking in my times everytime i come back to my desk to work.

i no longer surf the internet or anything. and just do my work, and during my breaks, i actually leave my desk, and either walk for a minute in the garden or watch 15 minutes of a dvd. or have a quick snack. i found the key is to take a break every hour or at least every 2 hours.

i took regular breaks almost every hour or 2 hours. even if the break was just 15 minutes or so. i didnt have a heavy lunch today, but just had light snacks, like fruits, salads and hummus, or abit of fish. and herbal tea and water.

and found myself more alert. anytime i was feeling bored or didn't want to work, i told myself i *only* have to work for 15 minutes and then can take a break, which led to me still being at my desk for an hour. i love how i manage to trick myself every time haha.

i realised before i used to procrastinate all day and then feel guilty and then work during the night to make up for it. but now i am forcing myself to work during the day even if i hate it, and keep reminding myself, i have to work during the day when i am actually alert and i wont be able to make up for it in the evening because i will be too tired and sleepy, so during the day is all i have. and i can even treat myself in the evening by watching a dvd or something.

and omg i can't believe another week has flown by!!!!!! does anyone have the power to stop time? because t

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

Quote From mira:

Hello ,Thanks for the lovely wecome!!

Tractorgirl , good you had a day off, it can be rejuvenating to be out and about in London (as i sometimes realize, there is life outside PhD) ..

Lara good luck with the chapter 5, hope its coming along ok..

As for me, I am off to a late start, must be my excessive zeal in the gym last nite, every bone in my body hurts :-s

I am starting now, at 3.30 Pm

need to finish my report today, 5 sections to write, not so motivated owing to the late start but will try the following...

1st section - by 5.00 pm
2nd- by 8.00 pm
3rd- by 11.00
4th and 5th - 2.00 am

looks like its going to be one long nite but cannot afford to give up ...will atleast try

will report back tomorrow,

good luck everyone else !!!

Mira that is excellent you did exercise, but sorry to hear you are in pain! good luck with your report. wow i admire your schedule. i cant work at night anymore. i get too sleepy and tired. so i hope you're doing okay (up)

how did your report go and your work scehedule/deadlines?

thanks for your encouragement. chapter 5 is coming along quite slowly. but am making progress even though its a snail pace! but like Confucious (sp , cant be arsed to look up the correct spelling as falling asleep)...says, as long as your progressing doesnt matter how slow as long as you dont stop!

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

Quote From tractorgirl:

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to the forum freelouise1, mira, and krashty!! It's great to know there are more of us out there!! All with similar deadlines it seems!
Well yesterday i had a day off which was nice. Went to London for the day, went to Hamley's and got some toys for mt little nephews, then dinner with friends, then went to the footie match. Got home at 2 am hence the later start today!!
Anyway aims for today, start re-drafting chapter 7!
I have done the easy bits but now have the thinking bits to do which are a lot harder for me! I am aiming to get it finished by Sunday and i need to hand it in Tuesday next week. Fingers crossed!!!!!
Hope you all have a great day

PS: Lara, brilliant about yesterday, well done!!!! 5 and a half hours is fantastic!! Also don't worry about spending a little longer on your chapter 5, you will get this one done and it is good you have picked the one that needs the most work. It will be brilliant when this one is finished and the ones with less to do with then get done quicker so try not too worry. Keep building on the great work you did yesterday and it will be fine. Well done again, really brilliant x

awww thanks TG!! you're too kind !! you would make an awesome supervisor/teacher/mentor/boss one day! i love your positive and encouragment - you have just the right attitude, wish you were my supervisor! lol.

that's great you've done the easy bits, as they can take forever! now you get to do the fun /thinking bits, which is harder but more interesting, that's when you get to talk about stuff you find interesting! good luck with those. and with the thinking aspects, its hard to put a time constraint on it! us thinkers need time to create! lol.

i hope your redrafting for chapter 7 went well (up)

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

======= Date Modified 21 Aug 2008 09:37:17 =======
Yesterday's report: Did about 4 and half hours of productive time. i haven't finished chapter 5. i have set a new deadline to finish it by tonight. because today i am meant to be working on chapter 3. so i am already behind schedule:$ although chapter 5 -my 2nd sup critisised the most and said it was the least polished and required the most work. so perhaps its justified to spend abit more time on this chapter.

i'm going to split the day up. and set myself deadlines throughout the day.

1. results section : deadline 2pm
2. discussion section: deadline 6pm
3. introduction section: deadline 10pm

i will pretend that by midnight - i have to give my chapter 5 to an examiner. and so pull it up to a level, i would be comfortable showing to a person.

but will take a small break every hour...

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

Quote From krashty:

Yes Lara, the more work I do, the longer my list of things 'to do' grows. It is so frustrating. Grrr!

Krashty, thanks, glad to hear i am not the only one that feels that way. I guess eventually when time runs out, we have to put a limit to how much we put in.

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

Quote From Mira:

Dear All,
Just wanted to say a very big thank you for your support for my question yesterday. I followed everyones advice and managed to write 400 words and do about 2 hours work, not bad after 20 days of complete non productivity!! i also went to the gym for an hour and am feeling good..

I dont what I would have done without you guys , I am so happy to have found this group .

i look forward to participating an helping others too..

thanks so very much again.

cheers
meera

p.s more to report tomorrow ..

Well done Mira, that is fantastic! you have infinitely improved ! by 100% (up) excellent work. i look forward to hearing your daily progress. I agree I dont know what i would do without the support of everyone in this forum. :-) Am so pleased you managed to pull yourself out of the rut, I can appreciate it wasn't easy, so good job(up)

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

======= Date Modified 20 Aug 2008 22:16:03 =======
======= Date Modified 20 Aug 2008 22:02:30 =======
does anyone else feel, the more you work on your chapters, the more you realise how much you have to do? and have doubts about meeting the sept deadline?

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

======= Date Modified 20 Aug 2008 10:21:25 =======
======= Date Modified 20 Aug 2008 10:20:23 =======
My time log from yesterday:

total productive hours - 5 and half hours.

worked for an hour,
an hour and half break (breakfast etc),
worked for an hour and half,
took a 3 and half hour break (lunch/nap),
worked for an hour and half, then took a small 30min break,
worked for an hour.
then had dinner watched some telly and fell asleep at midnight.

--
what i did:
made 1 figure.
wrote 2 paragraphs.
did 2 statistical analysis.
----
compared to my previous days of accomplishing absolutely zero on this chapter, because i was so lost and overwelmed by restructuring my chapter, thinking of doing just one thing at a time, really helped.
----

usually , my working days, consisted of working 1-2 hours of productive time, and the other time, procrastinating!! or working for an hour or so, then taking a break and not wanting to go back to work. but now i trick myself and tell myself, i only have to work for 15 minutes and then i can take a break again. but the 15 minutes always turns into an hour, because i get into it!...

i might even try going for a bike ride for 30 minutes too, as i feel abit sluggish.
---

my aims today:

work for 15minutes or 1 hour at a time, and take regular breaks.
work on chapter 5: results section.
--

good luck everyone!

of course i know if i carry on like this, i wont meet my deadline, but the idea is to get into the habit of working consistently everyday, and spend more time working than worrying.. so each day i am going to try to aim to work that bit more ....improve each day... and tell myself that every bit i've done, is that one step closer to finishing, and means i have done that one bit, and its done.

p.s i also did not check my email all day yesterday. and will check my email every other day, but at the end of my working day. my only vice is checking this forum once in the morning :-)

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

Quote From armendaf:

Hi Mira and Freelouise,

Welcome to the forum and to the boat. We are all pretty much in the same situation here. I would advice you that instead of thinking to much on the overall job of finishing the thesis, you concentrate in doing those smaller tasks that can get you going. For example, the book I'm following recommends that you start by taking stock: put together everything that you have already written, organise it and find out how much your current progress is. After that, you'll see the structure arising and gaps that need to be filled. That way it will be clearer what you need to do.

It is not a linear process, so do not think that because you haven't made progress so far, you can't at all. The more you write and get into it, the faster you'll make progress. Momentum is also important, so do not stop, keep going and the best of luck ;-)

great advice Armendaf!! i know what you mean about momentum! once you get stuck in doing one little thing, you tend not to leave it until its finished, the hardest part sometimes is getting started!

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

Quote From Mira:

freelouise1 , Completely connect with what you just said and am also up for being an accountability partner ..I have got to finish my analysis and start writing up but locked in a vicious cycle of stress and non productivity.

Mira nice to have you join us here :-) i hope we're able to support! (up)

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

Quote From freelouise1:

hi all,
I am new to this forum, found it during desperate searches for enlightenment.
In final stages of writing(not writing) up the doctorate, althuogh am freaking out most days and finally mailed my supervisor about an extension today.
My deadline is Oct, i dont think I can make it.
Some days I can barely bring myself to look at the thesis, im passionate about my topic and I love the whole area, i cant imagine ever not working on this stuff but right now the specifics of it are draining the absolute life-force outa me, its hellish to say the least.
and worrying about deadlines is PARALYSING me.
anyone got any advice??

WELCOME freelouise1!!! it's always nice to have a new recruit!!! i totally get what you mean, as i feel like that most days if not every single day !!! but the only thing that works for me is this:

i write down and say to myself : work on paragraph X, or make figure X, and then i set my timer, and tell myself i *only* have to work on it for 15 minutes, and then i can take a break and do whatever i want. and then slowly bit by bit i get quite abit done.

try it out today. and then report back what you did... it helps having the support.

thinking of a thesis as a whole, is very scary, but if you just think of it as tiny bits that you will do one by one, its not so scary. if you get stuck on one thing, just make a note for yourself and get back to it and move onto another thing.

i also worry about my deadline. and worry what if i dont complete it in time. well theres nothing i can do about that. if i dont complete it in time for the deadline then i will have to deal with it THEN. but right now, i am just focusing on getting the tasks done that i have set for today.

good luck and hope it works.

so today your task it to work only for 15 minutes on your thesis. it can be anything, and then after the 15 minutes, write down what you did. if you did nothing. thats okay. and then try again

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

Quote From tractorgirl:

PS Lara, Hope your day has gone well, and try not too worry, you will definitely get there. Remember, bit by bit, you have done so well and it is all coming together. Keep pushing on and try to stay confident. I definitely think these weeks are the hardest but we are all in the same boat and we can only do our best. It is great that there are a few of us with similar deadlines as we can all help each other get there. Hopefully, before we know it, this will all be a distant memory!!!!!!!!!
Hope you have a great day tomorrow, and see you Thursday.

Thanks TG!! you're so right, bit by bit, when i think of it as a whole, i freeze like a bunny caught in headlights. but like you and K said, if i say to myself "just make figure 1" and spend 15 minutes on it, i get it done! and its fun.. lol

and i am so glad i have you in the same boat, dont know what i would do without you !!!

Accountability Partners - Write your Dissertation in 15 Minutes a Day

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

oh no! i wrote this long message and it got deleted!! ugh!!!!

okay nevermind. will keep this short and write more later

but just wanted to say WELL DONE tractorgirl on getting your chapters done! that's brilliant!!!

and dont worry about it being up to scratch. your supervisor cannot stop you from submitting, if its a choice between submitting and risking a fail/major corrections, or not submitting at all and then failing by default because u didnt meet the deadline. the decision to submit ultimately according to uni regulations lies with the student!

if he thinks its not up to scracth then he should apply for an extention on your behalf. he cant just say. you cant submit. and then you just fail because u didnt meet the deadline. so dont worry about that.

besides i am sure it is up to scratch!! i have faith in you :-)

and you totally deserve a reward for working so hard and meeting your deadline. you've got a complete draft now and that is so brilliant at this stage!! i wish i had a complete draft, so you're doing really well!!

hope you have a good day today! and see you tommorow :-) good on ya for getting back to it.

thanks for the advice yesterday about doing bit by bit, and it worked!!! instead of telling myself i have to work 6 -8 hours i just told myself, to work on 1 thing and i took regular breaks, and i worked for 5 and half hours in total. but took massive breaks !!

so going to do that again. instead of saying to myself, i have to have a marathon working session. so thanks alot for your support! and the advice K gave too :)

Uable to work or sleep ..anyone else experience this?

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

Quote From olivia:

Procrastination I think can set in when you feel overwhelmed--at least it does for me. I feel like--I simply cannot do this, so I DON'T!!! What works for me, as the others have suggested, is breaking the task down into smaller bites, and then finding a reward for myself for completion--like, work on this for two hours and then go get a nice coffee, or long walk, or take the afternoon off, etc...sort of like coaxing a stubborn mule into taking a few steps at a time! I think if you make your work day an 8 or so hour marathon its difficult--thats a long time to do the concentrated work of a PhD. Can you break up your work into two or three hour chunks and take some time off between work sessions?

And sometimes there is no answer but to simply force yourself and say DO IT! ( and then I end up on the internet faffing around!) 8-)

great advice Olivia i remember you telling me about the metaphor about the horse, and it's always helped me. the advice about doing it bit by bit, really does work.

and you're so right, 8 hour marathon sessions, just do not work! i have to break it up throughout the day. otherwise i just get depressed that i have to stay working and concentrating for 8 hours in a row.
you're right, our minds and bodies need a cycle of work and rest. and i agree, sleep is so important. you might push yourself one day and work till really late, but then the next day you suffer and dont do anything.

writing a thesis is a marathon not a sprint, so regulare breaks are essential.

Uable to work or sleep ..anyone else experience this?

Lara 3929 posts
16 years ago

the only thing that works for me, is to set myself a very small thing to do for my thesis. like i will write down:

make figure 1. and then set my timer for 15 minutes.
instead of thinking, restructure the entire chapter. thats too much for my brain and i get bored or disheartened even before i start. so i just focus on one thing at a time, tick it off and then move onto the next thing.

i hope that has helped(up) good luck! and its perfectly natural to feel like you. i feel like that alot! my main worry is that time will run out and i wont have finished my chapters. or that my chapters are not up to scratch. the only thing we can do, is work as much as we can during each day.