My funding runs out in October and I honestly feel more overwhelmed than ever. No way am I going to finish within the 3 years (more like 4). I've responded to this by feeling depressed and doing absolutely nothing - makes no sense I know, but the more I need to do the less I actually do. Could do with hearing some positive stories from fellow posters who are/were at this stage and came through it all!

Thanks :)

First stop being so hard on yourself, treat yourself kindly, you've done the work, it's all there in your head, you have a PhD thesis in there (and on various notes etc). All you have to do is empty it all into your Thesis.

I find not having a blank page helps so Ii usually open up something I've written before on the subject or something similar and start to type over it to expand my thoughts. Write anything (obv not anything I mean just get your thoughts that are Thesis related down onto paper). Head each section with titles that relate to the structure of the Thesis and add notes as you go, it doesn't have to be ordered or systematic. Then refine, refine refine. Write the bits that are easiest for you first, leave the trickiest until last. Your introduction and abstract until the very last then appendix and contents. Roughly 3000 words a week (428 a day) will get you 80k by Oct and that is starting from scratch with nothing written. Does 428 words a day sound doable? I think so. Go do it you know you can deep down xxx

Hi Lemonjuice, sorry to hear you down!

I'm in a similar situation, funding running out in October and still quite a bit to do. I've written up a few chapters, but there are still 2.5 + conclusions to go, and 1.5 analysis (data collected, but need to be analysed, qualitative analyses, alias, very time consuming).

What is that you still miss? Have you started the writing up already? How much data collection and/or analyses do you still have to do? We have a couple of threads here that are meant to help you motivate yourself through the final stage, why don't you join them?

I perfectly get your feeling, whenever I'm stuck or overwhelmed with the work (like today!) I kinda react by loosing 'interest' completely - which is just a way to escape from the problem indeed.

In such moments, it helps me a lot to use the tomato technique (mytomatos.com). I can manage to keep myself motivated just with the aim of doing something - no matter how useless this little something seems at the moment - for 25min. Then rest and again. Have you ever used it? If not, just try.

The other thing that helps me a great deal is having a nice, large, excel table hanging at the wall with a detailed weekly (or in very hard times daily) plan of what I need to do. The act of planning in itself helps clearing up ideas about what steps are necessary, and the joy and motivation you can get from the simple act of ticking a box is not to underestimate :-)

Finally, try not to beat yourself up, it's normal to have bad days. You just need to find a way to go back on track. You're not alone! We're here to cheer you up and in so doing motivate ourselves to go a step further. 5 months is a lot of time, don't give up!

xxx W

I feel you lemonjuice! It's the same for me at the moment. I have my thesis document in front of me, but sometimes I just stare at it and I think how the hell am I ever going to write thing damn thing! Especially when I still have a lot of lab work to do, and a parttime job to find...

But like wowsers said, we have the thesis in our heads and we have to just get it out, bit by bit, slowly, slowly. We will get there. Also great tips from wanderingbit.

Today may be a bad day but tomorrow can be better. Hopefully...

I suggest you read the blog of James Hayton.

Yeah, what he says is great when you have 3 months to do nothing but write, but I don't. I wish I did. My bog is going to be 'how to write your thesis in 1 hour per day'...

Keep in mind that his key message is about optimising the time you do have, whether its 1 hour a day or 20.

Hi lemonjuice,

I recently passed my viva, and submitted within four years and was in the same (if not worse) position as you. You can do it, your mantra just needs to be finished is better than perfect. I analysed my last study and wrote my thesis (approx 85000 words) in around six months. I'm not one of those gifted writers, nor do I have exceptional intellectual ability. The two things that got me through it were routine and positive thinking.

I worked part time as my funding finished at the end of my third year, so had to be organised and set myself a routine. I made myself a thesis writing station. I know it sounds ridiculous but it helped me. It was a clean study desk, with a scented candle, an egg timer, a framed positive mantra, my laptop and the resources I needed for that day only. Nothing else. I didn't sit down at this station until I had a bullet point list of what I needed to write. This helped me avoid those horrible sitting in front of a blank screen moments. Once I hit 1000 words, no matter what the quality, I'd proof read it, write the bullet point list for the next day, tidy everything away, clean my desk and go for a walk. That was my routine and it worked for me. Writing became a task that needed to be done everyday, no pressure on quality, as that will come with editing, just ideas on a page. Getting into this frame of mind meant I freed myself from trying to achieve perfection and just getting the damn thing done.

If you find your own routine and get yourself into a highly pragmatic frame of mind, you'll finish much quicker.

That sounds great haventgotaclue. I think that is what I need to do as well.

Hi everyone :) Thanks for your replies, it's been really useful and reassuring to hear them! I seem to have gotten over my slump and it's full steam ahead again - who knows how long for!