======= Date Modified 20 56 2010 16:56:28 =======
I've been having a few motivational problems recently, and even got myself to the level where I can't even remember why on earth I am still at university. I'm planning on going part-time so that I can mix my life up a little, and do all the other things that I've been wanting to do. Earning a bit of extra cash would be quite nice too.

Just wanted to know, what motivates you, or, what motivated you when you first started your course?
Sometimes I can motivate myself, but the good feeling will only last for a day or two. How do you keep it up?

Everyone's tips, ideas, and stories would be really appreciated! :-)

Faced with dire career prospects, here is what motivates me right now

1) the sooner I finish, the better I will be equipped to move on to what I need to do next
2) I will free up head space when I finish
3) I will have more time for self and friends/relationship
4) the sooner I finish, the sooner I no longer have to read another goddamn thing on my subject- arrgggghhhhhhhh

Same as below! I can't wait to get a 9-5 job where I can go home and not think about work - it would be heaven. I just stress and stress about my PhD so I think about it 24/7, yet I'm lazy at the same time - not sure how that works!

Ditto Chrisrolinksi and Sneaks!!

Me too me too! Finishing this beast, getting my life back and starting on a new phase are the only things motivating me at the moment. But it wasn't always like this....

Cobweb, I used to be motivated by the thrill of discovery, by the love of my subject, by the idea that what I was doing was important. I also loved doing field work, of seeing the results and the story emerging. This kept me going for years, as I slowly built up a body of work. Practically, I was motivated by deadlines - there was always the next chapter, conference paper, or journal article to write. Do you have enough concrete deadlines? Are you getting to see some final product of your work? These will motivate you.

Going part-time sounds like a good idea. You may find that once you have a bit of balance in your life that you're more productive. Enjoy!

At the moment the motivation for me is getting the first chapter written by May. I just (re)started this month and my sup is happy to postpone my differentiation until Sept but I'm aiming to keep in line wiht the other students and do it in May.

So far I've written about 10000 words in roughly 4 weeks and have another 14 weeks til diff.

In the long term what motivates me is the graduation ceremony and getting a post in a uni in Southern Spain.

Hey Cobweb! I think my genuine passion and fascination for my subject and the fact that it has personal meaning for me keeps me going, as well as thinking about the potential implications of the research, should it go well enough! I have been very lucky in that my topic is perfect for me (although horribly complex!), and I have never really lost my enthusiasm for it- if anything I become more and more interested and motivated as time goes by. What with my own experiences of mental illness (bipolar) and those of close family members (particularly dementia), and having seen first hand the horrific ways in which people with mental illnesses are often treated, I feel driven to try to make a difference in some way. I keep my favourite photo of my remaining grandad next to my desk- one that shows him before the Alzheimer's kicked in and he lost all knowledge of his world and of who we all are. It's not often I lose motivation with that to look at and remind me why I'm doing research. I think it also helps to see rewards for your work, so having praise from supervisors, managing to get a paper published or a conference abstract accepted etc. I know a lot of people doing PhDs who aren't really all that keen on their topic and I don't know how they do it- I would really struggle to motivate myself if it wasn't for my love of the project. I suppose one question to ask is why you are struggling to keep motivated? Is it to do with the topic, the process of doing a PhD, feeling as though you aren't getting anywhere etc? I guess most people go through patches like this and get through it, so work out what motivates you the most and find a way to incorporate this in some way. And try to vary the work that you do- if you do the same thing day in day out it can get monotonous, so try to have a number of different things on the go so you can choose what you feel like doing some days- that's better than knowing that you are going to be stuck doing the same thing every day. And don't be too hard on yourself- I think it's pretty normal to feel like this sometimes! Best, KB

Hi Cobweb, I really enjoy the process of making a realy well written, innovative, relevant and sound piece of writing, and I love honing the writing and research skills I will have for the rest of my life. Someitmes it;s hard ot get going, but, as someone said to me once: It's like swimming, you really don't want to get in, but once you have you don't want to get out.

KB your research sounds amazing - I wish you all the very best with that.

Thanks for all of the replies. You've given me a lot to think about.

I'm a little disappointed that I haven't had that feeling yet Eska. Saying that, I haven't really allowed myself the opportunity to fully immerse into the water - probably for fear that I'll drown. But how selfish is that? I mean, not only am I letting myself down here, but I'm also letting down the people who have supported and encouraged me through all this, namely, my mum and dad. They've never been able to financially support me thru uni, but they've always cared and had the time to give me advice, no matter what. Keenbean, putting a photo of the people you care about near your writing desk is such a lovely thing to do. It shows that a part of your motivation comes from wanting others to feel happy and proud, and not just from a sense of personal gain.

I think that I've got a little too wrapped up in myself lately. Drowning in my dreams, rather than keeping my head above and in reality.
Need to keep focused now.
Thanks for your advice Sue. The one thing that had occurred to me when reading your post was that I don't have any concrete deadlines. My supervisor seems far too relaxed about the dates that my work needs to be in by. And even though I should be the one etching the deadlines in stone and sticking to them, I seem to be thinking more about the total word count, rather than breaking it down into little bits. Pants. What a mistake that was.
Apparently, there's nothing to fear but fear itself. So, if all else fails, I'll definitely keep your advice in mind, Chris, about freeing up some head space. I don't want to be consumed by panic anymore.
And as for the graduation ceremony - I completely forgot about that. I didn't go to my undergrad one because I stupidly believed that although, in the end, I managed to scrape the grade I needed to do my masters, I didn't work hard enough to deserve to go to the graduation ceremony. I know that sounds like I was being a bit harsh on myself, but I compensated it with the idea of going to the one at the end of this course, which sounded better anyway.

I definitely need to mix things up a bit, and going part-time is probably the most sensible thing to do right now. I need to wake up to the real world. Getting a job where I will be mingling with people who have completely different interests will help a lot, I think.
I love my subject - but not 24/7.

For now, though, I'm off to clear up some head room. I'm going to try and get on with it. Do a bit of reading, type up some notes, and who knows, maybe I'll be able to make a start on a draft. One step at a time.

Thanks again for the advice. Seeing as I can't get you guys a round of drinks, will stars suffice?