Hi KB

Am not surprised it doesn't all fit, after all the work you told us you were expected to do!! I'd do both - cut down on work and add another 6 months on. There's been a couple of times throughout doing the PhD when I've had to cut everything back - have said no to teaching, conferences etc etc, just to get on an even keel and concentrate on the thesis. After all, that's the most important thing. And then things have built up again, but I've allowed myself some breathing space. Also keep in mind that writing will take you twice as long as you allow for - it really is a slow, slow process for most people. So, allow yourself extra time and cut back on work. If you finish early great, and other bits of work will come up anyway.

I particularly like the 'if you hate politicians, vote for me' slogan. A nice, meaningless, catchy slogan to complement the simplistic polls. And no policies on the website, just a bunch of catchphrases. Ah well, ya gotta love democracy, brings out all sorts.

Wasn't going to bother as I think this thread is a piece of fluff, but am procrastinating, so may as well...

Garryck, good on you for wanting to get involved in politics and make a difference. Laudable aims. However, I agree with DanB. Introducing polling for issues, and then acting accordingly, is naive, to say the least. It shows a lack of understanding of parliamentary and governance issues. There are so many problems with this idea I don't know where to start, but here's a few:
- as DanB points out, majority polling isn't the best way to determine policy. It's populist and reactive. It's the equivalent of a tabloid newspaper and they're methodologically unreliable polls. Conservative voters, or those who tend to believe passionately would vote, others wouldn't - hardly representative.
- Leaders need to lead and have a vision, not necessarily follow the mainstream. I wouldn't trust policy made by people casting spur of the moment votes - I want someone who has thought about these issues. 
- Garryck, have you ever looked at a parliamentary sitting agenda? Parliament debates dozens of issues each week - are you going to poll each one? Or just those which you deem to be important enough? How are you going to get across the complexity of some policy proposals, which may be economic and dry for eg, but essential, so people can have a simplistic 'yes' or 'no' vote?
- Not everyone has access to the internet or a mobile phone. True - many older people would not use this technology to vote. You'd be disenfranschising them.
- You also seem to be lacking awareness of how policy is developed. In best case examples, consultations are held, green and white papers are issued, relevant organisations and individuals have their say, analysis is done, complete with risk analysis and costings. Once all this is done, should it be overturned by a populist vote? I don't think so. There are avenues for people to get involved, be it through the policy development process or by directly getting involved in politics. If they choose not to, well, that's a bigger societal issue and one which won't be solved by a trivial poll.

I know of at least one political party which does poll it's members through their website and email and this shapes policy, and this seems to work. These people are already engaged, being members of the party, and so this is additional feedback from politically aware people. But polling nationally? I don't think so.

Finally Garrick, you may not have noticed, but this is a forum for postgrad students to discuss postgrad issues, not politics. And having said that, I've now spent enough time on this ill-thought out idea.

Be brave KC! And that's good you've started reading the comments. The comments on my first article made me just burst into tears. I had a good cry, a rant, put them aside for a while, thought about them and realised they were helpful, and they rewrote the thing. You can do it. It's hard, but keep going.

Excellent - well done Chrisrolinski!! That's very nice. Celebrate your success!

Thank you AL, you always give such good advice. You're right, we don't know what will happen, and I could snag a nice research job somewhere, just seems unlikely. But other things will happen, am determined to move from the city where I live, and living in a lovely big, new city will keep me happy for a bit. I think job hunting will become my new hobby post-thesis.

Yes, of course you need to work on public holidays - but make sure you get the hours off that you're owed!!

Send the chapter off, be prepared for your sup to be his usual awful self, but just know, that you're also getting closer. Enjoy your chunk of time for writing!

Hi Walminski

At this stage of my PhD - couple of horrific months left to go, and so totally over it all, yet not wanting to leave uni, I'd have to say no, I don't think it's worth it. I might say differently when I finally graduate in May next year, but at the moment, nope.

We're in different areas and there might be more jobs for you, so it could very well be worth it for you. You teach as well, so that's more realistic for getting a career. I would like to work as a researcher in my field in the social sciences, and in the last year, I've seen exactly 2 low paid jobs advertised, in a city I don't want to live in. And that's it. I have financial commitments and am older, so can't up and move easily and take a job with low pay anymore, so that limits me. I'm doing my PhD to try and get a career change, and there just aren't any jobs. I turned down a lucrative promotion in the civil service because of this thesis, it's cost me time, money, relationships - you know the story - and so no, it's not worth it. At the end I'll be a Dr, which will mean very little to anyone apart from me and won't help me get a job.

Sorry to be so negative - although I'm not feeling particularly negative at the moment, this is just reality. Your story is different to mine - you're younger, you teach, you can take opportunities that I can't. So, could be well worth it for you.

Yes, HOOORRAAAYYYYYY!!! Fantastic Bilbo!! Make sure you continue to give us people who're still strugglying your sage advice.

Enjoy your celebrations and rest.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Oh well done Dr Bilbo!!!! Am so pleased for you!!!! That's fabulous!! Hope you're celebrating!! Will tootle off and read other thread.

Hi AL

Wow you've been working hard!! 90 hours is insane!! Hope you get paid for all of that!! And am not surprised you're sick - make sure you rest and look after yourself. And you're working on Friday?? It's not a public holiday for you??

Send your chapter in - trust yourself, don't bother getting other people to read it, just send it in and get rid of it. Move on, churn through some other work. Your sups will no doubt have lots of comments, but they'll have comments whether you change it to accommodate other people's suggestions or not anyway, so, email, forget it, and make some progress in other areas.

I had a major meeting with my 2 sups a couple of days ago, they gave me lots of feedback, upshot is, I have to rewrite 110,000 words - again!! AARRGGHHH!! They think I can do this in the next couple of months, so that's going to be a challenge. And then be done!! Which I don't quite  believe...the thought of finishing has made me really sad, and I got unexpectedly teary at our meeting. Of course I want to get the thesis finished, but I don't want to leave uni....ah, never happy eh? And then what do I do with my life??? All too overwhelming...

Yeh, CG, tell us how you're feeling weird, and how you're coping with finishing. And Bilbo, how're you going??

My dog also loves having me at home all the time. She spends hours sleeping next to me, and I also take her for a walk every morning. We'll also play ball games when I need a break. So, dog loves the PhD! And she's definitely going to be in my acknowledgements.

Hi Sneaks

I'd go for it - I think easy publications should be snaffled up. It's hard getting published, so if there's an easy way to do it, great. Using results you already have sounds like a good idea, but if you haven't got results, I'd still publish and outline the research questions, issues etc, and then this can point to future work you'll be doing. In a way this could even be better, if you use this publication to get the initial ideas out there, and then publish full results in a more prestigious journal. Good luck!

Hi everyone

Update from me. I've had another day off - that's like, the second one in a month!! Heavens!! And I'm supposed to be writing up!! Ah well, was the partner's birthday, so we spent a week-end away.

I've emailed my discussion chapter to my sup - so - apart from the conclusion, all the words of the thesis are there!! Woo!! A couple of the chapters need a major rewrite, but at least I have some material to start with. Woo woo!! Light at the end of the tunnel is now maybe a ray of hope!! Next week am meeting with my 2 sups - I haven't met with my 2nd sup for about 3 years and she hasn't read any of my work in just as long. They're giving me feedback on my 5 case study chapters, so that'll be interesting...

Also went for a job interview in the civil service, and expect I'll be starting work in about 6 weeks, which means I'll need to crack on and get as much done before I go back to the 'real' world. Am quite looking forward to a normal job, with colleagues etc, altho my dog will miss me being at home every day...

So, bits of progress. Hope everyone else is travelling well. And Bilbo - best of luck with your viva!!! Not that you need luck at all....

Hi Slowmo

I spend about 10-12 hours a day on my thesis, most days. I'm writing up, so have to do this much so I can submit in a reasonable time frame. I do about 5 hours solidly before lunch, when my brain works best, then will do a few more hours after lunch, and if I'm tired I'll do easier tasks. Then it's the gym/dog walk and a break, dinner and another couple of focused hours after dinner.

But others are right - don't compare yourself to other people, it doesn't help. Find your own rhythm and patterns and work to your own routine. I also think the ability to focus for longer periods takes time to build up - I have done a lot of postgrad work, and so am used to being able to concentrate for long and sustained periods.