Hi all,

I am the second year PhD student (1,5 year). My problem is whenever I open my laptop, instead of writing and reading for my thesis, I read news, softwares, computer, mobile phone... I haven't written anything for the last several months and this is really a big problem now. I could not concentrate on my research. I try several ways to get back on track, but I could not overcome current situation. Some PhD students who are gonna finish their theses said that I should write two pages everyday otherwise I could not finish my PhD.

I badly need your help! Procrastination is the exact word expressing my situation now.

Can you go anywhere with your laptop where you can't get wifi access? Or go with a pen and paper and do some free writing? If it's just procrastination then that might help, but if you're having serious issues with being unsure about the direction of your work or your motivation, a chat with your supervisor might be in order.

I agree with alicepalace - if you are on a diet, you don't fill your house with chocolate, do you? If you simply remove the internet temptation, you will be more likely to do some work.

Have you ever tried the write-as-much-as-you-can-without-stopping technique? I tried it recently when I was procrastinating and it worked for me. Just sit with pen and paper or your computer (not connected to the internet for once) and force yourself to write flat out for 15 minutes. Ignore how bad the writing is, ignore how many grammar/spelling mistakes you make, just write/type on your topic for the set time and don't let yourself stop until the time is up. After doing that, you at least have some pages of words to work with - so much easier to fix bad writing than it is to fix an empty page.

continued...

As alicepalace said, discussing your problem with your supervisor is essential. Maybe he/she can help you set some deadlines to work towards. You could organise to meet again on a certain date at which time you have to give him/her a draft of a paper or chapter. Also, decide on a treat you will reward yourself with when you stick to the deadline - maybe a night out with a friend? I find that works for me. Good luck.

I used to have this problem funnily enough roughly around the second year point, but it got worse towards write up time.

What I did was to set myself a daily target, which started off small (like "I WILL write 200 words today"), which really is the size of a small paragraph, then I would let myself do whatever and not feel guilty , which was the worse part. The next day I would write 300 words, then gradually build up until I was writing about 1000 words a day which seemed to be my limit.

Maybe this could work for you?

I have to agree with everyone else. I have tried the 'write as much as you can without stopping' technique and this worked for me when I was having difficulty.

Also, I would switch off your modem or something. The internet is a terrible temptation for me also and sometimes it is easier simply not to be able to use it. I completely agree with Alicepalace on this one.

Badhaircut, I found the same thing, the procrastination was much worse for me around the final write up. Somehow the pressure just made it worse! I also set small targets which were achievable. I am a list person so I would often write lists of things that needed doing (small tasks) and then tick them off. It always made me feel better when I had achieved something, however small. I do think the key is seeing writing in chunks, if you look at the bigger picture it sometimes seems impossible (perhaps that is just me though).

Good luck, you can do it.

I highly appreciate all for your guys' advices. I will try and see how effective they are! Hopefully, I will overcome my current stagnant situation and get back on track. My supervisor is coming back Australia from oversea on 21 this month and hopefully, I will have something to discuss with him.

I highly appreciate all for your guys' advices. I will try and see how effective they are! Hopefully, I will overcome my current stagnant situation and get back on track. My supervisor is coming back Australia from oversea on 21 this month and hopefully, I will have something to discuss with him

Sorry for double post accidentally!

Ditto internet connection. I take my laptop to the library where I have my own office. The network connection in there is broken and I can't get the wifi. With nothing else to procrastinate with, I end up doing work.

This may sound a bit lame, but if you still need your internet fix everyday (or need to do a bit of online research), make a list of things you need to do online, then at a set time after a good working session, plug in the network cable and give yourself a short blast. A sort of reward.

Do you dislike writing in general, or is it just that you are fed up of your Ph.D. subject? If the latter then probably best to just take 2 weeks off - I think everyone, no matter how much they love their subject, gets to a saturation point where they just want a break. In Bill Bryson's book "A Short History of Nearly Everything", he quotes Charles Darwin, who had just finished an eight-year thesis on barnacles - he said to a friend "I hate a barnacle as no man ever did before." I'm sure that's a common feeling among thesis-writers.

Yes, I hate writing, and actually I am not ready for my PhD yet. I am writing my methodology chapter and I still don't know which model I will use for my research.

My topic is about banking reform through equitization and the problem is in my country we haven't privatized any State-owned commercial banks yet (we are going to privatize the first SOCB at the end of this year). So I don't know how to test whether privatization improve bank performance. My objective is to analyze the current situation of my economy and find the suitable privatization model for my country.

Can any one help me on: (continued next post)

1. The theoritical framework I should follow in my methodology chapter?

In my literature review, I have already written about the relationship between Financial developement and economic growth, the conditions and sequencing of successful bank privatization. My understanding is that bank privatization will result in financial development and in turn, financial development will promote economic growth.

Now, how can I develop that framework in my methodology chapter?

2. How to design questionaire for my case?
3. Any sources (paper, books,...) relating to the above issues?

Many many thanks!
(anyone in Melbourne, Australia that I could make friend with and talk? I hate being alone and have no body to discuss)

Any one have any idea about my problem?