In a normal week I probably do an average of 40 hours (more when I am writing a paper or end of year report of course), seems a little light to me but some days I just cannot get going. Some weeks I will do next to nothing and others a lot more, I also spend time just thinking about my work, maybe an average of another 10 hours a week. It is a combination of laziness and the need to have a 'normal' life going out with friends etc. I just wondered what everyone else does ?

i used to do 168 per week. However, now ive finished i do 0 - yippeee


Seriously, 60 in yrs 1-2 and 80 in final year(s) should do the trick.

Probably about 25-30 hours per week, although of course it varies. That doesnt include 'thinking time' though - im always gazing into space thinking about the damn thing!

Too many and not enough quality ones [if that makes any sense at all].

I spend more time trying to work than actually working... despite working from when I surface and wake up properly (after emails etc.) around 10am and working till some time before midnight (can't work later than that or the week goes to pot- that is except when I'm on a writing flow which means I have to keep going until the words run out because it takes so much time to get going). I recently calculated I still only managed 50 hours proper quality PhD working time (discounting emails, tea breaks, dinner, chatting etc.). I'm in the final 4 months of write up... so imagine it could get a lot worse. But I don't feel I can work much harder continuously (maybe the last push at the end I'll cram in more hours before dying in a heap). Earlier in PhD hours working was much less - I enjoyed taking long coffee breaks comparing phd woes with friends ;o)

I often think about this issue too. I do a minimum of 8 hours of work, and most of it I am actually working, either writing, reading, or just thinking. I used to work more (a minimum of 50 hours per week) but I realised that I wasn't being more productive. I might have read more and written more, but I had to go back to whatever it is that I did, and pretty much do it again! So I try to stick to around 8 hours a day, and when I feel I just can't concentrate, I go home. BUT, that doesn't mean I don't have those horrible horrible days when my mind is just completely stuck to my research and I just can't switch off!

i try 9 to 5. comes to about 6 hours minus breaks. used to work a lot more but it took away the life in my life so i decided to keep it more balanced. free evenings and weekends.

I have tried so hard to take everyone's advice about not letting your PhD take over; i've made time for hobbies; i try to balance all my activities etc. But my supervisor told me the other day that i need to be putting in more hours in the lab. To actually acheive the aims of the project, i need to do rediculous hours in the lab, which leaves no time for all the other things i want/need to do.

it seems that if i want a PhD, i have to actually ignore all the advice about giving yourself a break. Pretty depressing, really!

i found that working without a break meant i wasn't productive after the second week. i hated my phd for taking over my life. well then, i always say its you and your phd. i come first. am only willing to get it in good health and without a nervous break down, so i try to have time off. being in the social sciences, my sup has no clue what i do with my time as long as i submit work, so i guess in that sense am lucky.

I think 40 to 50 hours a week is reasonable including thinking, writing, working on thesis. I usually take short breaks every hour or so otherwise it gets depressing
Also I don’t plan on time of the day, just say I plan to work today 6 hours and do this task then I am off.
Just my 2c

I've got very lazy. I was keeping to 9.30-6 with breaks during the work, but during writing I've degenerated into watching TV and going on the Internet especially as now right near the end, I hated my PhD want a job, mostly have it done, and my supervisor can't really be bothered reading it and is dragging it out.
I did one really intense month where I was working morning through to mid/late evening 7 days a week to try and make more progress on my thesis.

cc - am in the same boat. deadline on Friday, which am postponing to Monday. i may have to focus for five days (morning to midnight) if am to make any progress. not looking forward to it but looking forward to getting over and done with it. having done the 9-5 thing, i can't say it works so well with me, esp in the final week when you have to put together all you've written into something that resembles an essay. anyhow, am looking forward to move on to the next chapter. i keep reminding myself that.

yeah me too am in he same boat as you guys, cc & jojo. Although my scrap books are filled with revised dates and plan to put in a certain amount of hours /day/week but doesn't go according to plan. Couples of months back I was just addicted to WOW (game) but somehow got rid of it and now TV Ahhh... the Phd life

It varies so much depending on how things are going - some weeks I can do over 30 hours (I'm PT) and others I can do less than 10 (not including thinking time)