ah crap - I've done my second database, done a few quick stats to see what trends are coming out and looks like there are no good differences between my groups :-( which is going to mean a very weak middle thesis chapter.

I've been to the dentist, done the weekly shop (£90!!!) and have eaten lunch. Going to go get a yogurt and get on with my database. I'm a bit stuck actually, but I need to get a few things done so I can email sup to admit that I'm stuck.

tahoma?

good plan star shaped. If I look back at the original post, that's why I started this thread - to give myself ONE goal, but I've slipped into making 3-4 and then never completing them.

How about a house rabbit - although it will nibble thorugh all your wires. They're very trainable, although to give it a good life you would have to provide a really big area for it to run around, maybe a friend rabbit and a dirt box (as well as a littery tray) in the corner of your office, so it can dig - I actually mean a big box of dirt so it can burrow away.

Or an owl, seeing as we are all very wise......sometimes.

good luck with the email cecef and hello to sarah!

I have a dentist appointment at 11.30 this morning which is annoying - I know myself and I know I won't be able to really do much work until I'm back from that. Anyways.

Goal 1: Work out what descriptives I'm supposed to be doing
Goal 2: do descriptives.

I do cross-org surveys. Be careful with incentives, it can backfire, and you can get people filling it in just to be entered into the draw (make sure you word it carefully too, so its a draw, not that you owe every participant £100!). If using survey monkey you can program it so people can only complete it once - although if using an incentive, it is likely that the one time they fill it out, they will spin through it clicking anything just to be entered. Instead you can try incentivised snowballing i.e. so they get put into a draw if they pass the questionnaire on to 3 other people. I've never done this, but apparently it can be better than just pure incentives

The best way is to get buy-in from a key person in the organisation, but this can take months and depending on what your survey is on, they may be wary of it - i.e. they may not want their managers going on record saying they don't enjoy their work for example.

Emphasise confidentiality and let them know you will let them have first see of any report published - you will probably have to agree that you won't use the names of the organisations. You will also have to be really clear on confidentiality of the participants. There will also be organisational policies and your universty ethics policies on providing incentives. - my organisation didn't let me.

I would also check out facebook, a lot of companies have facebook groups now, or linkedin - you maybe can target people through that.

This
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo8CP9Hhb58

And Wals jokes at the beginning of this thread have made me laugh to the point of being concerned about my mental fragility - I mean crazy nuthouse manic laughing. I also spat out my breakfast at the joke on bbc breakfast the other day..

Person 1: I've just finished my jigsaw, it took me 2 weeks
Person 2: Not bad, it says 4-6 years on the box

(I think I'm actually going insane)

Wow, I've finished goal 1 and its the biggest data set Ive ever used, with 1697 cases!

Now to start with the descriptives!

It sounds like you're treating the lit review as "THE LIT REVIEW" rather than thinking "I'm going to write 100 words on theory X"

I think if you broke it down like this, then it would seem far more managable.

It can be pretty rubbish working from home sometimes. I find the best thing is to get into a good routine, take regular breaks and pop onto this forum when I'm bored.

I know Sue uses a forum called Phinnished? and that has a chat room I think, so you can actually work alongside people e.g. so you all start a task at 11.30 and then all have a chat at 12 for 5 mins. I thinks thats how it works.

hmm, but I do have a lazy husband who needs his clothes washing etc. I've tried NOT doing them, for months, but he just ran out of clean clothers rather than washing them, so I had to do it! So I now give myself 6am-9am to do all the household work. We have a 3 bed house over 3 floors, so it can take ages to clean :-(

I've done a little bit of work so far, but I'm going to walk the dog again - she's looking grumpy.

argh I got up at 6am today, walked the dog, washed 2 loads of clothes, have put the breadmaker on so I have fresh bread for lunch. I uninstalled SPSS and installed it again so I could start work. I fed the cats and the dog and loaded the dishwasher. I then made myself a cup of tea to start work (at 9am) and now its 10.25 its like I've been caught in a parrallel universe for an hour and a half. Must get OFF facebook and start work.

Goal 1: create dataset
Goal 2: Run descriptives.

ah yes, maybe he has a bromance!

well so far I've bought sean lock stand up. I'm tempted to buy something like terry pratchett.