Hey everyone, im in my final year and finish in october. I'm panicking big time. I still have so much to do and instead of getting on with it I just keep thinking about, even when im trying to relax im thinking about it. I think its more to do with the fact in my first year I probably didnt work as hard as i should have done, I've worked very hard this year but its really just hit me that I have such little time left. I keep thinking my work isnt good enough and I cant discuss it with my supervisor as hes off on holiday. Can anyone else relate to this?:$

Hi Lilbobeep. Although I don't finish 'til next year, I understand your concerns, and often find myself worrying about how much I still have to do. Rather than making yourself stressed about the amount of work you have left, have you tried just thinking about one day/week at a time? Set yourself targets, e.g. 'by the end of today I'm going to have finished ...' and 'by the end of this week I'll have finished ...'. This will give you a sense of achievement every time you complete something. Maybe you could also write a list of everything you have to do, and score off each item as it's completed? You'd see yourself making progress and getting through the work.
Also, if you're writing, try not to worry about the details at first - just write roughly, so that you have a basic structure. This should also give you a sense of achievement as you'll be able to see something coming together on the page. You can worry about the fine details later. You'll be surprised about how much you can write in a short space of time!!

All the best, I'm sure you can do it!!

{{{{{{{{have a hug Lilbo}}}}}}}

:-)(up)8-)

I'm not finishing in October, but March, but then I'm part-time and only have about 5 good hours a week to work on the PhD, so March isn't *so* far away! And I've just lost 3 weeks worth :( The deadline is starting to worry me, even though my thesis is nearly finished and I just have some research to finish off and write up to plug a gap. I'm slightly panicky when I think about it. But then I break down what needs to be done into smaller steps and get on with those, one item at a time. I try not to worry about the big picture. Keep making small but steady steps is my motto. It's amazing how much you can accomplish if you work steadily onwards.

Good luck!