Hello everyone. I have found a lot of useful topics in this forum.
However, now-or-never I think I need a harsh kick! :)

I sit in front of my computer all day long. Despite of this, I do procrastinate a lot, which does not help my writing. I check chats, get distracted with internet or worry about PhD/time/revisions and how bad and slow my writing is etc. I don't know how to put my emotions aside and just work hard. I hope that my confession will remind me that I have everything to finish! I have to complete my thesis draft by December! At the moment I have only 1 chapter-paper done. I have materials for 3 more body chapters and then need to fix my lit review and other things.
I really want to finish. I feel like it would be a disaster if I do not complete it. I basically have 5 months left, 1 month per chapter.

I was advised that I need to change strategy to complete on time. I need to cut my work into chunks, and set up deadlines for them. I have to complete my next chapter-paper in 4 weeks! The more deadlines the better. I think I need to set an amount of work for everyday and try to get it done.

Guys, if you have something to share in terms of writing or you are in a similar situation, please join me! I would love to read your stories on how hard you worked in the end of PhD and how much time per day you spent on it. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I'm not in the same boat, but have you tried the Pomodoro technique to help manage your efficient work time? It's basically where you work for 25m solid (no distractions) and then break for 5. It's a good way to get a good 50m work done per hour and use the breaks for a quick email/facebook check and to mess around.

Besides that, I was always driven by lists. A list of each chapter and then what needed done to each, which I could tick off as I went along, making myself feel I was achieving something. A bit like what you have suggested of breaking up manageable chunks.

You will get it done, you just have to find your way of getting yourself going.

Besides that, I was always driven by lists. A list of each chapter and then what needed done to each, which I could tick off as I went along, making myself feel I was achieving something. A bit like what you have suggested of breaking up manageable chunks.

You will get it done, you just have to find your way of getting yourself going.

Definitely second the list-making suggestion! When I was getting towards submission, I made a list of everything I still needed to do, then broke it down into small, manageable chunks. I found it very satisfying to be able to tick something off the list every day.

Good luck - you'll get there!

Thanks a lot for your support and suggestions, guys! A list to do for every day sounds like a smart idea! Another thing I need is to make sure I complete the things by the end of day. During last year I did set up deadlines to complete my chapter, but then got stuck on something. However, I learned a lot about writing. So today my challenge is to manage things on time.

Beware the list as a substitute form of procrastination lol. I have developed an excellent skill for having about 10 tabs open in the PC. My document, Facebook, LinkedIn, mendeley etc and happily flit between them all. I find having children has made me (1) an excellent multi tasker, (2) get everything done way way way before deadline in case chicken pox, tummy bug or some other illness apocalypse decends on the house for a month (3) stops perfectionism- have I written lots of words (check), is it making some kind of point (check), yeah that'll do. Yes that's me advocating parenting as an excellent way to get things done and not stress over it :D what I'm trying to say is you need to find something that balances the stress of writing. My kids stress me more hence writing is a breeze in comparison. What do you find de stresses you? Can you treat yourself with that before or after a writing session?

@wowzers: I find it reassuring that (besides me) somebody else is stressed out by kids more than writing :-D. The other students look always puzzled when I am finished a month or two ahead of time. But I don't have the luxury of leaving everything up to the last minute with a child that could get sick (and he WILL get sick if there is a deadline).

I second the idea to use pomodoros - its a nice motivational tool. Try to create a habit by fulfilling a given set of pomodoros each day (depending on your timeframe). As soon as you have made a habit out of writing, it will get easier ;-)

RinaL isn't that the truth. Have kids? have a deadline? Yeah give yourself a different deadline oooo at least 2/3 weeks before it actually has to be definitely done because you can just guarantee something will happen to the kids around deadline day!

Hey everybody!

wowzers and RinaL, thanks for your sharing! We do not have or plan kinds yet. I am surprised with you, as I always thought otherwise. I am waiting and waiting for that right time for the kids! But all I have is my PhD life haha wow now I am more open-minded :) Also, I see your point with an earlier deadline, which makes sense in your case and could be useful in my case (as I am always delaying).

pomodoros technique is a good one, thanks, I can see many people use it. I have not tried it yet though. The technique should be helpful when there is no motivation. So I will keep it in mind. When I am focused, I can work without breaks.

Dunham, I totally agree. Yep, the wi-fi should be cut down! I did 2 days with limited internet !!! :)

By the way, I would like to share some of my progress :) first of all, I went to see those people at uni that help with writing. I thought they would not be helpful, but they were! That was a good kick! Funny thing happened. They asked me to finish one section (same paper-chapter), that my supervisor asked me to do. I also had to revise/polish the document during the weekend, but could not look at it anymore. So, after the meeting, I did revised all the document AND finished the section. Though I am not entirely happy with it (and never will haha) I sent it to co-authors!

My next challenge is to start my new paper/chapter. I need to find all the pieces I have ever written regarding this project. Believe me, there is almost nothing. However, I have mostly interpreted the data (still need to finish the interpretations!) and have a good idea on paper structure, figures and what to write. Fingers crossed!

Good luck with your projects!

Oh, and I also use a new strategy. It is a table, where I put how many words in the document at the beginning of the day, at the end, and words produced each day and also sections I worked on. Yesterday I have revised several sections and ended up with a negative number of words (a few hundreds). I was surprised how many sections I did revised and was proud of myself :) a challenge is to fill the table everyday. Hopefully, it will work nicely with my new paper! Looking forward! [I cannot believe how happy i am right now]

When I was most productive I wrote a task list out for the next day at the end of my day. Then I would sit at my computer first thing in the morning and work on the hardest task that needed the most concentration/energy before checking emails etc. That gave me confidence that I was working through things. Try to keep your focus on the tasks to do and be systematic rather than the stress you feel about the amount of work you have to do.

I've read an article this week that says when you check email/facebook etc it takes 16 mins for your brain to return it's focus to the task at hand... It's easier said than done to turn off all social media whilst working as it's lonely sitting at your computer all day but try to limit it.

That's very interesting, Bella, thanks.

So, my progress on new chapter is very slow. I did very rough drafts for Introduction and Background and structure for the rest of the document. Two things upset me the most: 1) I tend to read instead of writing. I feel like I still don't have enough background (for interpreting results and significance of my study). and 2) the research field I am working on is too competitive (I may be wrong, but there are lots of scientists working on this), so again I don't know how my research may be valuable. I have new data for this chapter, but the ideas I am addressing and my conclusions are similar to other researchers' publications. That's just a slightly different way to solve the question. Do you guys have the same?