======= Date Modified 08 Jul 2011 19:46:41 =======
Since there are few of us with a deadline due this summer, it seems like a good idea to start a thread to encourage each other.

My deadline is 31st July this year, and this is the absolute deadline. I've been ill on and off, but I've really got to get is sorted this year.

I have three chapters done, two sort of written and about four or five that I haven't even started on.

I thought it would be great to share how far we are, and also, all those tricks of the trade we use to write more, or write better.

Please do let us know also if you think of an important task that other people may have over looked, so that we can keep each other on track :)

Right, that's everything done for today :)

Husband and I have decided to take a trip out to yorkshire and go to a yarn shop as I think I deserve some yarn after the tough chapter I've just worked on for the last three weeks. So I am excited about tomorrow, yarns! (Sorry, I have an addiction to yarns, I am a granny trapped in a 30-something's body).

It's actually feeling nice to know that there are a few of us that have similar deadline of this summer. That will really keep me motivated. So what stages of the thesis writing are well all on?

I have three chapters completed, another chapter that probably needs about half a week to week's work. The others are all up in the air still. I have at least 3 chapters and intro & conclusion chapters to write from scratch. Another two are semi-written but requires a lot of restructuring.

======= Date Modified 19 Jan 2011 13:08:30 =======
Have you looked in to Human Computer Interaction? HCI usually requires minimal, if any, programming. or web design?

Hi Ady, you and I have the same deadline :) end of June, although mine is like a very FIRM deadline, I don't get it in by then, then I am dead! So you are in a much better position than I am in, you're obviously ahead of your schedule.

How come your supervisor took so long to get back to you on the chapter you submitted in August? That's - one, two, three... - 5 months! Is this normal?

I did an undergraduate in Comp Sci myself and found it pretty boring. Then I did just a straight comp sci MSc, which was horrendously boring. I quit the course because I just didn't see the point of me doing it, it was not what I wanted to do with my life.

Fortunately, I then came across a MSc in a specialised field of comp sci that really did interest me. So I went for that course, graduated, and I'm currently writing up my thesis for PhD in the same field.

I guess the moral of the story is that computer science is a VAST field and you should try and look all around it first to see if there is anything that might interest you... you never know :)

Batfink, thank you for the tip about how to deal with those people that try to solve it for you, I'm so going to use that from now on. just smile and nod, smile and nod ;)

Well, the converting the short paper into a chapter went rather well, and it's all done for now - yay! So for the rest of the day, I will focus on writing discussions and conclusions on my previous chapter.

Do you think it would be okay to take the rest of the week off? I'm about 10 days ahead of my original schedule. Then again, knowing me, I'll take one day off but get the itch to write and carry on with work! I do fancy going for a day out in the lake tomorrow though.

Good luck to both Sim and Kikuka for your vivas today!! I'm sure you both will sail through it :)

Dunni, star-shape, thank you, I'm so glad I'm not the only one that has to fight the thing. All this compatibility across different software is doing my head in.

I understand what you two mean about the PhD being very isolating. PhD takes over your life, but you can't discuss it with those closest to you because it's far too specialised. My husband is slowly getting his head around the subject, but that's because he's proof reading my chapters for me as I write. I had a good friend ask me yesterday "what's your PhD on? I mean I know you're doing a PhD but I've never asked what the PhD is on".

Then of course, you two have the added stress of looking after your children. I'm not surprised you find your tolerance is lower when you are up against big deadlines. I think it's perfectly normal. I mean if it was your husband dealing with a huge deadline, you'd be understanding and support him, right? RIGHT? lol

Today, I'm starting a new chapter. It's going to be build upon a short published paper, so it should be easier than the last chapter. Hoping to finish it by Friday lunch time so I can have it seen to by my supervisor at the meeting.

Goal 1: Plan the chapter
Goal 2: Write the introduction section

I'm giving up for the day. Turns out that my brand spanking new Microsoft 2011 for mac won't talk to my EndNote and the only way to deal with the issue is to go back to Microsoft 2008.

*SIGH*

Have done all the other goals for today, just not the citations *cries*

Glad to see that everyone else is getting on well with their work though :)

well my meeting didn't materialised, but I did get other things sorted while in uni so that was good. Also it was a lovely walk there and back, so nice to see sunlight!

for this afternoon:
Goal 1: finish writing up study 1
Goal 2: finish writing up study 2
Goal 3: draft study 3
Goal 4: add endnote refs to my current chapter <-- for when I am fed up as it's a brainless task.

Star-shaped, well done for getting it all done :)

Sneaks - three hours? OUCH! I feel for you. hope it goes well, if you blind them with enough theory, hopefully, they won't have any brain cells left to give any negative feedback!

I absolutely admire anyone doing a PhD and be a mum, I don't know how you guys do it. I'm a mum to two cats and that's enough for me!!

wooo! yay!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! I'm sooo happy for you that you handed it all in!!!

As Olivia said, I think what you are feeling is so perfectly natural. You've probably thought about, worked on, and dedicated you life more to your PhD than anything else you've ever done. So it's understandable that you feel empty when it is submitted.

I think you should have a good rest. Me personally, I am going to book myself a day at the spa when mine is handed in :)

dunni73 I think it's absolutely normal to feel the way you are feeling right now, you want it done but you've spent so much of your time on working on this that you are sick of it. Although I'm no where near as advanced as you in the thesis, I've suffered that on some of the longer papers I've written. I've wanted to just submit the darn thing, while my co-authors would be like "fix this and fix that!".

The software did arrive at lunch time (yey!) so after some battle to get the thing working properly, I got almost all my figures drawn :) yes, 22 figures, but they were very simple figures so it wasn't so painful.

Today, meeting with supervisor to get feedback on current chapter, then try and finish the drafting of the chapter off today.

afternoon :) How is everyone today?

Spent the morning writing out all the things that were giving me sleepless nights, turned them into tasks and organised a list to work through.

I need to work on the current chapter for the remainder of the day as I am due to give the draft into my supervisor tomorrow morning... I still need to:

Type up the studies
Draw 22 figures (yeah I know.... 22!)

The whole process has been delayed because I've been waiting for a software to turn up, and it basically hasn't :-s

Hope everyone's afternoon goes well :)

I totally sympathise, I have no idea what is going to go into my method section either... do people really have a set method that they are going to use and stick to it?

I write 1500 words in the assumption that 500 of those words will be useless... so in the end, I am on the same target as you :)

*tredding carefully* How's it going Walminski?