if it makes you feel any better, i have been procrastinating all day today! i just couldnt get started and was feeling very overlwelmed by the huge to do list i made myself in the beginning of the day ! so i've been reading lots of articles on the internet, about how to alleviate boredom, how to improve concentration, to do lists, mind maps, etc. i even downloaded a 30 day demo of mindjet map. which i had alot of fun mapping out one of my chapter sub sections.
which has given me the boost i needed. as i can add to it, and check things off, or say that 50% of its done, and set a time or day aside to go back to it.


if anyone is interested the website site is

mindjet.com

angie, 3 hours is GREAT!! and you accomplished alot! reading a chapter from a book! that is really good. as reading takes alot of concentration, and despite what people think, it is ACTIVE. you are trying to understand what you are reading.

and in answer to your question YES - anything related to your phd, counts, whether, its planning, brainstorming, thinking, studying something to understand it, reading, writing, making a rough draft, editing, it all most definately counts.

thanks TG re: bike ride comment
yah you're right :) i will aim to exercise at least every other day. one day exercise, one day rest.
---

my aims:
1. finish making notes on how to describe cluster analysis
2. describe cluster data for 16 patients.
3. notes on maximum parsimony
4. describe penny data for 16 patients.
5. compare penny and cluster data.
6. SNP data
7. compare microsatellite data with SNP data

looking at my list of aims, i'm already predicting i wont get it all done

i might try a different strategy today. give myself a "limited" time per aim, say 1 hour or so. and if i don't get it done, *tough* i have to move onto the next. that way i am hoping it will keep me from getting bored/stuck on one aim. and that way i will have done at least a little bit on each aim.

yeh!! it's cooler today!! i could hear the heavy rain last night.

well done TG on nearly completeing your aims.

well i did wake up at 5am, but i felt sooo tired, i went back to bed after a few minutes lol. eventually i got up at 9.30am. okay maybe i was being unrealistic on waking up THAT early. i will be more lenient on myself and aim for like around 8am.

I am going to take regular breaks today and see if i can "clock" in more hours at my desk.

well done celesmai on completing aims 2 and 3, that's brilliant!!

i am aiming to wake up at 5am. well here's me hoping! i do prefer working in the morning..
and then will take a short nap in the afternoon. research shows that people who take a short nap before 3pm, for 20minutes-1 hour, are more productive.

i took a bike ride today aswell for about 20minutes, which i think in the long run will help me.

goodnight folks, see you tommorow

my aim tommorow is to clock in more hours!!!

http://successfulwritingtips.com/
{quote}
"Hearing Chris Martin talk about the hours he works and his creative process also led me to think of other ways people generate ideas for their writing.

1. Seat Time – Put the Hours in
In an interview on the Charlie Rose show, Chris Martin was surprised to be asked where he gets his ideas for the words and music of his songs. Martin confessed that he, like most composers and writers, doesn’t know where his ideas for music and lyrics come from. He said, “I just sit and play and play and play. I never know where a song comes from. It’s time. I just put the hours in.” "

so that's my aim aswell, put in the hours...

hi girls, me clocking out for tonight. going to get an early night. i hope you both had a good day...

today was really hot, so i felt sluggish, took a very long nap in the late afternoon!

didn't finish my aims, but made a start..beginning to understand it now.

i'm hoping tommorow i will be more productive. it's meant to be cooler tommorow.

total hours clocked in = 5 hours.
total actual "productive time" calculated by eggtimer website = 2 hours.

woke up at 8am.

My aims for the morning:

1. Global R cluster analysis.
2. R cluster results section. description of each patient analysis.

okay my aim for tommorow is to wake up at 6am. i once read that if you declare your goal publicly you're more likely to do it. so i am going to give it a go!

off to bed now. i was going to go to bed by midnight, but my internet decided to stop working, so had to reinstall it, thankfully its working now.

see you all tommorow bright and shiny.

liminalplace, welcome back!!!

and also i'm going to make a plan for the next month/week and spend time on each chapter. so feeling quite positive because of the support you give me TG and others on this forum, and the positive encouragement my brother gave me.

so TG what you say, lets blow this week out of oblivion hehe.

well i had a long chat with my brother and he gave me some really encouraging and positive advice about waking up EARLY and having a routine, so i'm excited about trying it out. so tommorow, my aim is to wake up at 5am! he was like, go to bed by 11pm, and wake up at 5am, even if you feel you want to sleep, tough, just wake up, first day will be hard, but you will get used to it. and your brain is most alert during the day. and told me to stop working through the night and going to bed at 3/4am. because night time is for your body to sleep and how your brain is the most alert in the morning. he said you would be suprised how alert you will be in the morning. so i'm going to try it out tommorow i'm gonna head to bed by 11pm.

TG WELL DONE on getting chapter 6 done!!! that is brilliant!!! i am impressed :)

thank you so much for all the lovely things you said, it really made me smile! you're so kind. and really encouraging!! makes me feel very positive after reading your message.

and great news about staying in the flat for another year, that's a relief!

so i'm excited and feeling positive about this new morning routine idea
and i'm just about to make myself a plan for the next 4 weeks and spend time on each chapter, instead of just focusing on one chapter weeks on an end.

so i am planning on pushing myself hard this month to get as much done of my thesis as physically possible.

i've also emailed my supervisor again -asking to meet for a couple of minutes to sign my entry forms.