Just some practical tips... Easier said than done, but try not to compare yourself (your progress, your feedback, etc) with him. Set your own personal targets and then recognize the accomplishment when you achieve them. Either ignore feelings of anger etc - or maybe let them drive you to work harder!

All the best.

Hi Emeroz

Could you have a secondary supervisor with a lot more experience? This could work really nicely as you would get the experience trickling down from them (which your main supervisor would benefit from too no doubt), plus you would get the first time care from your main supervisor - who would be potentially be willing to invest a lot in you and try to do everything according to the rule book to ensure the success of their first student...

My main supervisor isn't very experienced whereas the second one has heaps of experience. It works quite well. I wouldn't like it if I didn't have the second supervisor as well though.

Sofi and Kahn's situations sound rather different to me. I hate to say it but I also wonder if you aren't a bit jealous Sofi... We don't choose to feel jealous, it just rises up in us, and manifests in much the way you have described! Noticing the amazing strengths of our colleague and despising them, and hating the actual person strongly and for no known reason are surely classical symptoms! I agree with pm33 that you need to make a decision about whether to rise above this or let it poison you.

Kahn your colleague sounds a bit odd and annoying (actually touching stuff on your desk?!). I don't blame you for moving to the library. But then why should you have to vacate your own space because he/she is behaving so intrusively? Are you able to diplomatically explain how you feel he/she is invading your space and ask them to stop?

Is there a marking criteria in your handbook? Adhere to what it says you need to do to get 68 plus. If you don't have one, do an online search and find one from another university.

I've just pulled two little teeth. I like the analogy! I'll be toothless by Friday hopefully!

I can't treat myself. That is part of the problem. I indulged for a few days a few weeks ago and really enjoyed myself and since then haven't been able to get back into the swing of things.

Thank you Chickpea. I have just written on a piece of paper "What I've done", stuck it on the cupboard door in the kitchen, and am going to write each small task I complete on it.

Help! I've a few more days to finish writing this draft paper... it is basically done in rough form APART FROM the Discussion. I am so boooooooored! This has never really happened to me before (usually take real pride in my work and enjoy it - hence why I chose to do a PhD). It's like I've eaten too much chocolate... this should be fun but it isn't right now. Any tips on how to get through this and have something decent to submit on Friday?

Great! Good luck with your application! (Are you applying for it?) : )

Simple is good. There was another really helpful thread on this which I will try to find and post here.

Ah OK - yeh makes sense.

I still think you should try press for some sort of timeframe. If they are massively busy then aren't they needing to be massively organized? My supervisor is in two different countries month by month... and is the director of this that and everything. She always says approximately when I can expect to get it back. On the other hand I guess that is her style of doing things - I haven't brought it about. I guess you could ask one more time... in a sensitive but clear way? It may do no good, but you never know...

Sounds like you're infatuated and need to get over it. But then again - you say it is helping the quality of your work because you want to impress him, and you don't have to meet him very often, so what's the problem?