Hey Tractorgirl, how was your day yesterday?

Hi Armendaf, that's great you got some words out onto paper, every little bit counts!! and moves you closer to finishing. :-)
i hope you manage to get wednesday off, that would be good for you.
and don't worry about completing a section, as long as you're working towards a section that's all that matters. it will finish when its ready to finish ;-)
and just think the work you did yesterday , the words you wrote, you dont have to do that today! its done, dusted and you can move onto the next bunch of words
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I am okay, i woke up at 9.30am. no more sleeping in till 11am or midday!
i worked for 2 hours and 14 minutes (productive time) yesterday, did 1 and 1/4 section out of the 6 sections i had planned.

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Hi Mira,
thanks for the compliment regarding plans, but i must confess i like making them, but rarely stick to them! and just end up getting the sections done, when they get done. sometimes you just cant predict how long something is going to take. but i am being more strict with myself and working against egg timer, so i dont get carried away on one section -going over the top with detail..

and hour and half is great Mira, so dont be so hard on yourself.

i can understand you being nervous with the deadline tommorow. you have the whole day today. you can get alot acomplished in one day!! and don't feel you have to get all the sections completed to 100%, you can have some sections that are 80% 60% completed. and if your sup says anything, just say, i need to clarify some of the details, i am working on filling in those missing gaps. just do as much as you can.

if you start to panic, just work for 15 minutes and take 15 minutes break. but if you do that. make sure the breaks *only* last for 15 minutes and not more than that. and than get back to your desk again. and then work for another 15 minutes - and keep doing that, until you get a momentum going and your 15 minutes of "productive" time, start getting longer.

i am glad the stop clock thingy worked for you :-)

I will be working right alongside you today! so we can keep each other company in spirit! :-)
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My aims:
1. clock in 7 hours of 'productive time' then reward myself with a dvd film in the evening at 10pm.

2. complete results section of chapter 5 (5 mini sections remaining)

3. read papers and make notes for discussion section of chapter 5

4.write a zero draft of discussion section of chapter 5.

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Armendaf, nice to know i am not the only one that is starting late today!
sounds like you've done alot of work for chapter 3 already! that's great. good luck with it

my aim today is to clock in at least 4 hours of productive time. and then treat myself with a dvd film when i have finished the results section. i have 6 sections left to do.
i just need to get all the sections done at least in 1st draft format, and then i can quickly tidy it up and worry about the wording and grammer later on. the hard part is getting the stuff written and organised in the first place.


thanks everyone for your messages, they really motivate me to get working on my thesis :)
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that is such a good idea TG about redoing your plan, you've inspired me to do the same. because everytime i look at my plan that i made last week, i feel dishearted that i am 5 days behind schedule, which isnt good for morale

so i am going to make a new plan for this week. and i am not going to think too far ahead, as it's so hard to project what i will have achieved this week. so i am just going to concentrate on this week and get as much done as possible. and my deadline is next monday 1st of september to get all sections done to 1st draft level.

today i will cut myself some slack and make the plan from tommorow onwards. my deadline is next monday september 1st, to get a 1st draft of all my chapters and sections completed and fill in the missing gaps etc.. and then next week worry about tidying them up etc. or adding more information.

so that's
chapter 5,
chapter 6,
chapter 4
chapter 3
chapter 2 : methods
chapter 1: introduction.

(leaving chapter 7 - 'conclusions' to worry about next week. as most of my discussion sections are within my chapters 3-6 anyhow). so chapter 7 will be short anyhow.

okay i feel much better about this
so from tommorow onwards, the goal will be to clock in 7 hours of productive time each day and work on each chapter per day.

hey everyone! it's lovely to read everyones messages :)
it's a late start for me ! so i'm trying the ol work work for 15 minutes, break for 15 minutes cycle, until i get some momentum going.
my aim today is to finish results section of chapter 5.
and write a zero draft of the discussion section of chapter 5.
TG you are absolutely right, we got plenty of time, ALOT can be accomplished in a month! we definately have 4 whole weeks to get our thesis completed and then leave the last week for printing and binding and sorting out stuff like that. that is such a good idea emailing your sup telling them you needed more time, and so good of your sup to return feedback so quickly. just think corrections will be easier, because you have the foundation done. you can do it! and i totally agree, we have plenty of time, so no need to stress or panic :) we have a whole month!!

4 weeks. that's actually alot and if we use everyday and work as many productive hours as we can, i really believe we can accomplish alot. and just keep reminding ourselves to just make it 'good enough' now is not the time to go off on tangents or add extra bits or search for that one elusive article that *might* be helpful, we can gather and learn all that information for the viva when we will have more time.
Mira - so glad you had the weekend off to relax, that's so important and i am happy to hear such a positive outlook from you. you are doing great!
Freelouise, WELL DONE on working this weekend, that's really great!! and i cant imagine how hard it must be juggling phd with work. so good on ya.
Rubyw, you are so welcome with the advice about the 15minutes, i know it sounds crazy, but it's amazing that it actually always works!! i am just about to do it myself to get myself going.
so glad it helped you!

Hi TG and Armendaf, so nice to see messages from you both ! :-)

you are both right and it makes me feel better that i am not the only one that has felt like that...

well i did force myself to work just for 15 minutes, on one section, and set my egg timer. and would you believe it, the 15 minutes actually turned into about 45 minutes of productive work. how that happened, i have no idea ! lol

so now i am going to take that bubble bath and relax for a few hours and then start the night shift. and finish this darn results section of chapter 5 once and for all!!

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TG i think it's a good idea to rethink your plan regarding chapter 7, so give yourself abit more time to get it completed. i think when you have too much of a tight deadline, it can stress the mind out, cause you end up worrying about the deadline. so cut yourself some slack. and give yourself a more generous time line. your sup is probably not even finished with the other chapters, so even if you spend a week on chapter 7, that is okay. as it is the most difficult chapter.

and yes i agree, just do 15 minutes of work tonight. and then tommorow morning, we will start afresh and work hard for the rest of the week

i too worry that i wont get my thesis completed in time, and 1 week before the deadline, i will still have big gaping holes! but we're not at that stage yet, we can still pull it together and just get by with "yah that's good enough" next section. lol

Armendaf, it cant be easy working and doing a phd, i admire that. i find it hard to just work on my thesis alone so good on ya!

see you guys tonight for the night shift, if you're around :-)

i have a confession to make, i've done NOTHING today at all! i'm so bad.

i've been procrastinating. and i just can't seem to get started. i just feel i dont want to. i think i am feeling overwelmed again and dont like the things that i have left to do for chapter 5.

i dont know whats wrong with me, i know i do tend to feel like this at weekends. maybe its a psychological thing. that its the weekend. even though there is no such thing as weekends when you have a deadline in september!!

anyways i am going to force myself and do *15 minutes* only even if i just write one word. before i take a bubble bath and have dinner. and then watch a dvd film. and then force myself to work tonight.

anyone else having a non productive weekend/day today?

:$

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Hey Mira,

first of, its important to socialise, as it can be isolating and depressing. so i am glad to hear that you had time to meet your friends and have some fun!

i cant advice how you should acquire the balance. but i do believe in working hard and playing hard. when you're working you concentrate on working,when you're having fun, then concentrate on being in the moment and dont feel guilty about taking time. because sometimes its good for your brain to have a break, and maybe subconsiously your brain is working on something in the background!

i think for me, what works, is setting aside a time for working, and setting aside a time for relaxing.

like for example on thursday and friday. i told myself that i was going to work during the day and then take the evening off and relax. which i did. i stopped work around 10pm and then took a couple of hours to relax. but because im not used to working long hours, i felt so sleepy and fell asleep watching dvd haha.

but yah the idea is to work but also relax too.

and dont feel guilty about taking 45 minutes break for every 15 minutes of work. when you really get into something those 15 minutes will end up turning into half an hour or 1 hour.
i know for me. yesterday, i took a 30minute break and didnt want to come back to my desk and work! lol so i told myself i only have to work for 15 minutes, and as soon as i sat down, i wanted to bolt again lol but then set my egg timer and forced myself to work on one little thing. 15 minutes elapsed, and i was okay and continued working.

other times, i will want to take a break.

the important thing is to keep at it. so carry on working in 15 minutes, there will be a moment when you get a aha moment or really get into it, and thats the time to just carry on . it will happen. sometimes takes longer. but its great you're trying. thats the important thing!!

i hope you had fun today with your friends! :-)

i think its important to take time off too
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Hey TG! hope your chapter 7 is coming along. remember takes time to formulate ideas so i hope you're not stressing yourself out too much!

thanks for your encouragment and positive support :) really appreciate it! :-)
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Armendaf - thanks so much :-)
i hope your day was good today , and i think its really good to take days off once in a while!

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Hi Mira, thanks for your message! :-)
aww you are so sweet! thanks i feel less guilty now that i read your message, because i took the day off today! whoooops didnt mean to, but just kinda happened.

naughty me!!! whooops i did 7 hours and 7 minutes of productive time yesterday. i used the online stop watch clock time to track how long i was "working"
http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-stopwatch/
paused it- anytime i wasnt working, or away from my desk. i wanted to see if i could meet my time from thurs lol, its like having a competition with myself lol.

but i felt like taking time off today, even though i dont have time to take off. i made french toast, watched a dvd film and then took a nap! lol


i've been writing on paper this week, and i found it so helpful! i couldnt work on my word document on the computer, as i found it so overwelming, trying to restructure it and cut out things and putting new things. so i just went old skool! and found that it helped alot. and i am at the madman stage, where i just write without worrying about grammer or how scientific it sounds. and then will tidy it up later. that's helped alot.

anyways so yah did NOTHING today. took the whole day off!

will work tommorow.

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great advice given already,

all i will add is that i feel like that even coming from a 30min break! it takes time for me to get back into it. and usually i just want to bolt from my desk again. but then i set myself a small thing to do. and then start a timer. and tell myself i only have to work for 15minutes and then can take a break. but once i get into it. the 15minutes always leads to an hour. and then i can take a break. but the key is to give yourself just a little thing to do. and then do the next little thing.


and then set an online stop watch: which buzzes once the time has elapsed

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-stopwatch/


like its already been said, just start off slowly. bit by bit.



and you shouldnt be hard on yourself at all, you've made excellent progress!! for a first year, that's brilliant! (up)

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Hi everyone. I hope everyone had a good day yesterday.

How did your report go Mira?
and chapter 7 go TG?

I am clocking in for today. (woke up 8.30am, but takes me awhile to actually wake up, and fight the urge to go back to bed) feeling abit tired, but hoping will perk up soon.

my aims for today:
complete results section of chapter 5.
discussion section of chapter 5
bike ride
backup to external hard drive.

then in the evening relax and watch a dvd film as a treat, but *only* if i've clocked in "enough" productive hours or have completed results section, whichever comes first..

"enough" productive hours - between 5-7 hours

wishing you all a good day!

lol i am already feeling tired and just want to take a nap :$ but i will force myself to work for at least 15 minutes and if i am tired, take a break.