It is interesting, but you need to plan your work according to the timetable of your university, for example here there is a week of induction to fit in, then there is the submission of the proposal (the formal one, not the one you used to get in:-)). Then there is the transfer, then you get left alone for a bit to get on and finish it. I set up a timeline using excel, put the dates along the top, I put the chapters down the sides, with broad areas that I wanted to include and them filled it in, leaving 6 months at the end for final writing up, but with areas for writing up for each chapter, plus review spaces for each etc., each with their own colour, yellow is writing up for example. This allowed me to put in the chapters needed for transfer, their write up etc in the correct months, but still let me allocate some time for other work during this time. The thing with excel is that you can add bits to it, and move stuff around, but it will still let you see where you are in the overall framework, plus it makes you think about what you need to put in it, so you need to have a rough plan at least. My supervisor liked it anyway.