Jojo and Aloha are both right! it is really really hard. but the way i see it, like Jojo, I just try to work in day tight compartments, trying to do as much as i can in a day, and then it will come together.. eventually, hopefully

hang in there, we're all definately in the same boat!

even Joan Bolker explicitly writes in her book that you should definately take a day off from your thesis on your birthday!!! so there you go!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! take the day off! you deserve it. it's your birthday!! we are telling you to take some time off!! treat yourself, that's an order!

and Jojo, great idea about the printing!! i will do that. you're right psychologically will make me feel better to see it in my hand. and feel secure that its backed up in another format.

so leaving chapter 6 last night, actually worked. because taking a step back, this morning, when i woke up, i had an idea on how to start to write the chapter and how i should begin it, and i felt better about it....

so sometimes when you're really stuck and not getting anywhere, just take a step back and work on something else. and maybe after a goodnight sleep, whilst your brain is making associations or whatever, you will wake up with inspiration.

thanks Jojo!!!

well it got so bad, that i was literally starting at the monitor for hours and hours yesterday, avoiding it, and stressing and having no idea how to write the chapter, as it's the chapter i don't like.

eventually someone told me to just leave it. and work on the other chapters and come back to it after a few days. becuase i was stressing about the other chapters and how one is almost complete.

so yesterday went to work on chapter 3, that is "almost finished"...

so plan is spending the next 3 days, working on the other chapters. and coming back to the crappy chapter on monday lol

that way, by monday, i will have most of the other chapter sections done and psychologically feel better.

lol shani, love that "only" 6 or 7 books.

lol dawn. @ Say it, and leave it alone'

haha yah my supervisor says the same thing, she was really nice about it and said, look i know you really want to get this point across, but you really dont have to keep going on about it, just say it once, the reader will understand, you repeating it wont make it anymore important. made me laugh,when we were going through the corrections. becuase it was funny. i kept going on about it , in different ways lol.

seems like you're burning the midnight oil there dawn

me working sleepily on my chapter..

Angie, i'm glad also to hear i am not the only one that feels like that!

and excellent advice given there for would be phd'ers! you're so right!!

i guess at the end of the day, we can just try our best and see what happens. it's not the be and end of all things. but when you're doing a phd, it feels like its your whole life and your whole world and your defined by it. its easy to lose perspective and the bigger picture...

hey yikes, just checking in, how are you feeling ?

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PureHellDayafterday, you're very welcome, and you really nailed it with your description of just wandering into a phd after doing a msc. you summed up exactly what i did and feel/felt!

i admire the fact your sticking with it and going for the mphil. besides i always thought Master of Philosophy sounds so much cooler, like master of the universe lol.

does your supervisor know your plans of Mphil?

i totally agree with you, i wish i had spent time choosing a phd, instead of accepting the first one that i was offered. i guess we learn by our mistakes! now i know next time, i wont commit to something unless i am really sure and have completely weighed all my options and researched it.

hey celesmai

welcome to the other thread glad you found your way here too..

sorry to hear your sick. poor you, cant be easy what with being preggars aswell. good idea take the weekend off and start again on monday bright and shiny.

and yah like everyone said. if you KNOW what you're going to say. then at least you dont have to worry about not knowing what to say. and then once you know what you want to say, then the fear of actually presenting infront of people might become less. it will still be there. but just think, these people WANT to hear what you want to say. and that all your doing is lecturing them. you're the teacher, and they are your students!

good luck!!

i used to HATE giving presentations also.completely petrified by it... really had low confidence. i've never presented at a conference though, avoided going to conferences because didnt want to give presentations!. but when i used to have to do presentations. this is what i used to do.

make a rough outline of what i wanted to talk about. make my slides. make them eye catching and interesting. and then per slide made notes. and then basically not learnt it by rote, but know the gist of what i wanted to say per slide. have like key words or notes per slide.

yikes, that is EXCELLENT advice, about the power of now. that can be applied to alot of situations not just presentations. like i was having this fear that i wouldnt complete a first draft of my thesis by my deadline of 7th july. but you're so right. i can't control what happens in the future. i should try to just live in the actual moment. and deal with the future when it comes.

thanks for sharing that advice!

and spacey, i agree with everyone. they've given you excellent advice.

okay someone just gave me some advice and that is to leave chapter 6 right now, and concentrate on finishing the rest of the chapters for the next 3 days and then come back to chapter 6.

so my aim for the rest of the day. is:
*complete missing sections and finalise chapter 3.

and then the next 3 days, get as much done on the other chapters. and then revisit chapter 6 on monday.

feeling abit better now about it. i was just sitting here wasting time and stressing about chapter 6.

now i can do something productive and finish off chapter 3.

Hello there!

1. keep up to date with reading. read, and then read some more.. make notes on what you read, and have a good organised filing system of all the articles you have read and made notes on.

2. start writing early, even if it's just 10minutes a day.., even if it's not completely related to your phd.. you never know where your inspiration will come from.

3. keep your lab book or whatever, up to date! most important. set aside some time during the day to write up what you did that day. trust me, its so easy to forget and be faced with scraps pieces of notes and a vague idea, and thinking, oh yeh where did such and such go, i know i had it here somewhere.

and good luck