Hi everyone, I've looked over some old posts about how many hours one ought to do per day. Just wondering are there any new thoughts about this? I'd say I do about 6 hours a day if I'm working really well. I'm a First Year humanities PhD student. I feel like everyone else is doing so much more, with one girl starting at 8.30 and finishing around 5/5 in the evening!! I'm progressing reasonably okay I suppose, but I just wondered if it is necessary to always be 'working' 9-5... I've tried it and it just is not productive for me to work those kinds of hours just reading! If I'm writing I can do a lot more hours per day because I prefer writing... How many hours does everyone else do per day?

Most of my fellow Humanities PhD students work between 32 - 42 hours a week. 6 hrs a day sounds good to me. Don't forget that you're actually working more than the 6 productive hours you mention. Thinking about your PhD is a kind of work too. If you haven't already begun to do so, soon you'll be thinking about it all the time. All the time might be an exaggeration, but at some point it will feel like that. Checking email and filing notes, articles etc is work too.
If you like writing more (and lots of people only consider writing work) you'll do more hours when you start writing and all will balance out.

There is always somebody whose working hours and habits will make you feel inferior. That girl who starts at 8.30 and leaves at half five might be envious of your more nonchalant approach. Many people also sit at their desks and do nothing for hours. You might get more done in 6 hours than your neighbour will in 9 hours.

I also wish I could maintain extremely steady hours and habits but I've never been able to work like that independently, unless there's someone expecting me to be at my desk from 9-5. One of the best things about doing a PhD is that you can work when you can work and not when someone says you should.
I recommend the book 'Writing Your Dissertation in 15 Fifteen Minutes a Day' by Joan Bolker. Find what works for you and don't let anyone make you feel you're doing it wrong.

I'm also a first year and I would say that on a good day I average 6 hours too - sometimes a lot less (I've had a stinking cold for the last month and am particularly non-productive right now) but I agree that simply reading for hour up hour is just not do-able - I can't. I also work more when I'm writing - Ive been known on many an occasion to start at about 9am and not stop apart from to eat (often at my computer), til gone 1am - day after day after day - 18 hour days are the norm for me close to deadlines so I do think that it all evens out. I just can't do 9-5 - if I'm not in the right frame of mind I can't concentrate enough, and if I'm on a roll the idea of stopping at a certain time just doesn't figure.
I also agree that what can you call 'working'? I was reading a book on authoring a Phd in bed last night and pondering my thesis and my ideas - is that working? I'd imagine so - so although I was only at the computer about 2 hours yesterday I was 'working' a lot more than that. Similarly I woke up and the first thoughts through my head were a wording for the intro for my lit review - that is surely 'working' too? I'll ponder it while I'm shopping, or hoovering, or cooking or whatever I'm doing - I'll talk about it with people - so although I'm not sat at the desk, book in hand or fingers on the keys it is still actual time spent considering issues and I'm sure that you do the same :-)
My thought now (and don't quote me on this later down the line when panic really sets in lol) is that this is a journey - hare and tortoise type thing - we all work differently, we all approach things in different ways - all that really matters is that in 4 years time we have a submitted thesis, have passed the viva and have our doctorate. Its just a step on the journey and how we take that journey doesn't really matter so long as we make deadlines for papers and chapters, read what we need to read, research what we need to research, do our analysis and get to the end without too many incidences of being committed to the local secure unit ;-)

I probably do about 6 and a half productive hours a day. I have been trying to do a bit more since new year but it is tough going! I do have quite a few things other than reading to do and couldn't imagine just reading for an entire day.

I think conistency is the main thing, and if you're in a good routine don't worry about it. As others have said, there will be times when we'll need to put in more hours so it'll even out in the end anyway.

I do find it hard to shake off the feeling that I'm not working enough though. It's not like your undergrad when you were given regular set assignments to work on, and then you were given feedback from these assignments and thus reassurance that you had been working hard enough. I think it's natural to worry about it a bit.

oh my god, you people are so good at working. I make it about 2hours a day most weeks and then have the odd week of panic where I work about 6 hrs a day. Altho I never include admin as working, so I tend to do all my emailing etc in front of the tv at night!

im third year and it doesnt matter how many hours per day that you do - you could work 6 am to 10 pm and not achieve anything. The main thing is that the work gets done. My supervisors expect at least a 9 to 5 and i dont have a problem with it as after all they are giving me money every month. Some days will be better than others and i find reading really boring so end up breaking it up with lots of coffee breaks or try and break it up with some gossiping. If im running an experiment and analysing then i have really productive week and if im not then i dont really achieve that much in a week. I find my best 'reading/writing' hours are between lunchtime and 10 pm and i am not a morning person.

The best advice i can give is ignore what everyone else is doing - as long as you feel you are achieving something in a reasonable time frame then who cares

Thanks for all the replies - I really appreciate it! The main thing to take out of this is that 'work' is an ambiguous idea, and probably encompasses a lot more than I give myself credit for. Also - it's good to know that as long as I can meet the deadlines, and that my supervisor is happy with my progress, then all is okay.

It's great that most of you seem to not care too much about what others are doing - that's my biggest pitfall!
Thanks again; I feel much better about my work time now :)

The amount of time I spend working really varies depending on how much I need to do. This morning for example, I started just after 7am (eeeek!). (as I've got the horrible task of transcribing my focus groups and its soooo time consuming!!)

Usually, I work from 8am (or just after) to 5-6ish. If I've got something to do I tend to be in the office before 8am, leave around 4pm, then after 6pm, I'll start work again for a few hours. This year I've decided to take an hour power walk during my lunch break to try and loose some weight (I've gone up to a dress size 14- and i hate it! :( )

I think as other people have said, as long as you get your work done, that's the main thing! I tend to work better early in the morning, but I know friends of mine don't really start working till the late afternoon!

I tend to leave the weekends to relax (and sleep!)

Threads like this always make me feel inadequate. I really shouldn't read them! ;-)

My working time varies enormously, depending on what else is going on. At the moment it's school holidays, so if I spend all day sitting at my computer working I feel guilty because I'm neglecting my children. Not that they complain. It just gives them an excuse to spend the day sitting in front of the X-Box, which only increases the mother-guilt! :$

If I spend time doing other things, then I feel guilty that I'm neglecting my PhD! There's guilt either way, so you just do what you've got to do.

God the guilt - I couldn't agree more... and the most annoying thing is - I felt fine when I replied earlier - and now I feel like crap and want to quit the PhD altogether!! I just feel so lonely; wish I could be better at handling the isolation.

Any ideas on tackling the isolation?? Does it get easier?

And I totally know what you mean about feeling inadequete - no matter what, there's always going to be someone working more or less hours than you... and matching up to that is so hard.

hang in there Beave, we all go up and down. that is the journey of a phd student. some days are good, some days are bad, even hourly we can change our moods, and think, oh fek i just want to chuck it all in and quit. the way to combat it, is to throw yourself into studying , which stops your mind from thinking depressive thoughts. i know me personally i spent almost 3 months avoiding studying for my viva , because i kept thinking, im gonna fail my viva anwyasy, so whats the point. but i felt more and more depressed. but now that i'm actively going to studyfor my viva, i am feeling better.

i was listening to a lecture on confluence. and how most of us are either living in the past or in the future. and very rarely we live in the actual present. that any bad feelings we are feeling, is either due to the past - ie regrets, or due to the future - ie worry.

isolation isnt about people, its about a state of mind. if you are doing something that completely engages you, it doesnt matter if you are alone. i actually prefer to have "me" time.

and please dont worry about how much time you are spending. its quality rather than quantity. we all work very differently. so just do your best everyday, and take it from day to day. work, but please make sure you take some time to relax and do something you enjoy, whether thats reading a book, or watching your favourite tv programe, or playing a game. its all about balance. and sticking it to the long haul. no one can work all the time and sustain it over a long period of time, you will burn yourself out.

hang in there buddy, what you're feeling is perfectly normal. i have my viva coming, and i still have moments, where i want to quit my phd! so you're definately not alone!

Thanks so much for your advice Lara - I definitely agree that isolation can be a state of mind too. I spent lots of time on my own in the first semester but I had it balanced out with lots of other fun things to do. I've decided to join the gym and start putting more time into getting my energy levels up.

Best of luck with your viva - I think a common theme among everyone here is that we all suffer from severe self-doubt and the best thing to realise is that the confident, competent person next to you may not feel that way. I'm sure some people look at me and think I'm confident in certain areas, but it's sometimes all a matter of pretense and just getting on with things.

All the best Lara!
:-)