I'm a part-time humanities PhD student with two jobs and a family, and I've been studying FOREVER it seems...

I now have to submit my thesis by the end of September, but I still have a good 24,000 words to write. I haven't written my conclusion yet, so a good chunk of that total (around 10,000) is that.
My introduction is written but needs completely rewriting as my supervisor told me it was the worst piece of writing they've seen from me, and it was full of ahistorical generalisations... :/
Chapter 1 is pretty much done though and my supervisor really enjoyed it, so that's the only positive.

I am still finding that I haven't done enough reading, and am having to go back and read things to insert more secondary literature.

Has anyone else here had the same thing where they have TONS to write in a short amount of time? I'm not able to totally shut myself off for 9 weeks as I have a family, so I'm only able to do it in shorter periods of time. If I wrote for 5 hours a day though, I don't think I'd get through it all.

Today I have just sat around and procrastinated because I just feel overwhelmed...

Any tips or advice?

(I should say that I have less work in the next 9 weeks, but have my kid around more as it's summer holidays - I'm trying to put him into as many camps and activities as I can afford!)

I spent an entire month before my thesis submission working 20 hours a day, 7 days a week. I don't recommend it! Adrenaline and panic can work wonders when your deadline is approaching. The conclusion is actually one of the easiest bits to write as you're reusing stuff from other chapters and basically summarising and discussing. I think everyone has to go back and add bits to their literature review to make it more current - I had to anyway.

The thing that helped me most was having an assistant - a delegated friend or relative to whom you can say "fetch me the surveys from 2012", "check this for spelling mistakes", "find the paper with Jones 2010 written on the front", "change all the headings in this document to size 12 bold", or even "make me a cup of tea". It made me feel less stressed to know I had that support and could ask for anything I needed, and it was easier to stay motivated because I felt like I wasn't working alone. It doesn't have to be someone who has any clue about the work you're doing, just someone who is willing to support you.

I am not familar with humanities phDs, but I can relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed. Start by dividing the work that you have to do into smaller chunks. If I would tell myself that I would have to write 24.000 words in 2 months I would be running around, screaming. If I say to myself instead "400 words per day" thats way more doable - even when the result is the same.

Next, when you have limited time, try to define whats absolutely necessary to achieve your goal. Its easy to get lost in correction after correction in the same chapter to get it "perfect" - honestly, normally 80 % of what you perceive as perfect is enough to get you through. Better you have a whole thesis that is not as perfect as you wish - instead of half a perfect thesis ;-).

I agree with kathry15, try to find a buddy/friend to whom you can outsource at least the "bring me more tea" kind of tasks. Also make sure that he helds you responsible and asks from time to time how you are getting along. Helps also to get things done.

From my perspective, its not the easiest task (especially with children - after all they can get ill, etc) - but more important - its doable. So start today by at least organising things - that will help to get you into thesis mode and you can get up to speed instead of staring at the thesis snake like some poor rabbit. But don't overorganise - thats just another form of procrastination. ;-)

Thanks kathryn15 - I'm glad to hear that about the conclusion, which is the thing that's the most worrying to me really. I don't have a separate literature review, as in my discipline we integrate the secondary literature throughout, so I guess that's why I'm constantly adding things in all my chapters!
An assistant would be wonderful... if only my six year old were old enough to make tea! Actually one of the reasons I'm panicking is that I've been working really well with a PhD colleague who was a writing buddy. We'd meet up a couple of days a week and work in 45 minute chunks together, breaking for lunch/tea/general support. I got a lot done on those days, but now she's moved to Rotterdam!

RinaL, that's good advice - that's what I was thinking, 400 words a day, but I just wondered if I was being to easy on myself and whether it would actually work! I guess the maths works, but it's just whether I'll also need to do editing, which will chop lots of words out and then I'll have more to write.
I submitted my last chapter after months of polishing it and my supervisor said the same thing, to try to get it 'good enough' not 'perfect'. I guess with this time limit that's the best thing to focus on...

Can you apply for an extension? Having been in a similar situation to yours (part time, multiple kids, full time job ) I can say that it's easy to underestimate the amount of time you need to submit. The final stage of rewriting, editing, and formatting is very important if you want the thesis to be a quality document (both in content and appearance) that will be received favourably by the examiners.

Thanks Barramack - I don't really want to extend, as I'm way over what I should be anyway... I'm not funded so the timing has been easy to extend and extend.
I'm working in a University thesis template, so there shouldn't be much formatting work to do, and I've been pretty on the ball with my references and bibliography. My three chapters have been rewritten numerous times already, so it's just my Intro and Conclusion that will possibly need significant rewriting, and my supervisor has already commented on the intro.