I am currentlly in my first year of PhD, been writing and reading, however I have realised the more I read the less I know, there are loads of things I do not know!! Is it a norm to counter such things. One more thing, at times I feel demotivated and always have a thought that I would end up failing my PhD, how do tackle this issue?

Hi there

I am just about to embark on my PhD so I can only give advice from my studies so far! I think that what you are feeling is perfectly normal! Don't panic, you are not supposed to be an expert in the first year - that's why they give you 3 (or more!). Just keep plugging away and you'll soon realise that you know more than you think.
It's also quite normal to feel demotivated. I think this is mostly due to not really knowing where to start when there is so much to do. Break everything down into tiny tasks of about 25/30mins. Then work through them and give yourself a treat at the end i.e a cup of tea (in my case!) or chocolate or even ten mins of a programme online that you can pause and go back to. There was a really good thread on here a couple of days ago about motivation and techniques to help overcome sluggishness!
Good luck!

feelingfestive!

I am just about to embark on my PhD so I can only give advice from my studies so far! I think that what you are feeling is perfectly normal! Don't panic, you are not supposed to be an expert in the first year - that's why they give you 3 (or more!). Just keep plugging away and you'll soon realise that you know more than you think.
It's also quite normal to feel demotivated. I think this is mostly due to not really knowing where to start when there is so much to do. Break everything down into tiny tasks of about 25/30mins. Then work through them and give yourself a treat at the end i.e a cup of tea (in my case!) or chocolate or even ten mins of a programme online that you can pause and go back to. There was a really good thread on here a couple of days ago about motivation and techniques to help overcome sluggishness!
Good luck! -----@ feeling festive. Thank you so much for the kind advice, I really appreciate your help, good luck in your studies feelingfestive. I feel lot better now :)