Okies, my plan for this week is the following:

1) Get the paper finished.
2) Re-write 2 thesis chapters.
3) Read for other chapters.
4) Begin development of idographic scale.
5) Establish cognitive interviewing protocol - in fact learn about cognitive interviewing.
6) What the hell is my thesis going to look like? Better get drawing some pictures.
7) Plan the next paper.
8) Procrastinate on here to get a bit of light relief.
9) Maybe look forward to Chrimbo - just a bit.

It's about half past 3 in the morning and I just can't sleep, worries related to my PhD and the progress I'm making, what I'm going to do for money when my PhD inevitably stretches in to a fourth year whirring in my mind. Funding opportunities for a post-doc are contingent on me finishing in around 3 years, and I just can't see this happening. Worries that we all doubtless face. I've just finished watching 300 to try and take my mind off things - really shouldn't have done that since it got my adrenaline racing - what a good film!
So, I've decided to start a thread for insomniacs. Should anyone find themselves bereft of sleepiness, you can post on this thread to say hello to anyone else about in a similar situation. My hope is that insomnia need not be as isolating as a PhD, if you don't want it to be. So, nocturnal owls of cerebral mania, say hello if you're about at any point in the wee small hours.:-)

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B******s. My paper is finished but at 9,000 words exceeds that maximum word count of the journal I wish to submit to by...5,500 words. I just called them up as they haven't put this on the submission instructions. Crap!

Tables for the results of the paper done. Now needs cutting down, abstract needs doing and a couple of extra details need adding.

Personally, I can't see the point of Twitter.

Let's see what everyone else thinks in their moments of procrastination by answering this question.


Twitter is a marvellous addition to social networking and a wonderful means of keeping up to speed with the latest developments, unrivalled by RSS feeds and and checking source websites for updates. Discuss.

Right, I'm going to join this thread today - you did say it was cool to do so Sneaks! Spent the morning buying some plasters and tea tree oil from Boots but now I'm ready to do work. Objective: Finish the first draft of the paper and send it through my optical fibre broad band cable to my supervisor's e-mail address. Ready...steady...go!

Wait...

Just going to make a cup of tea

Hi Bilbo, I have less than 10 months to go with only around 7 months. And guess what? I'm only about half way through my data collection. What keeps me going is the knowledge that I'm too far gone now and that I can't turn around and quit. I do get stressed daily and I've been upset in the past with feelings like I've really taken on too much and, at the age of 28, chucked my life away. I know that seems melodramatic but, in retrospect, I wouldn't have taken on such an ambitious PhD. It's huge and I need to know about so much that if I concentrate on one area of it for any length of time I forget about another area. I think what keeps me going on in addition to this is that I'm not a quitter and I have to see my PhD through. Besides if I did decide to drop out, I wouldn't be any better off. I'd end up stuck in a job I wouldn't enjoy and I'd always wonder what could have been. The only thing that would stop me from doing my PhD, and I know this sounds obvious, is if I won the lottery - not much chance of that!

Hello, Chrisrolinki and Teek. Let's go and sit in first class where there's lot of room to do work! The paper I am writing is horrible and the most evil type of all - the systematic literature review. It's challenging because the breadth of coverage is enormous and quite specialised. It's about 10, 000 words but I have an inkling that it's just going to be too big and will need cutting down. So, I'm going to get as much done on it as I can before going to bed and starting on it again tomorrow.

It's paper-writing party time at Walminskipeasuckers! Please tell me I'm not the only literary midnight dancer in the corner tonight. Being the only passenger on the Midnight Express can be a lonely occupation. Oh well, choo choo and away I go.:-)