Button - what a scary discovery! I`m sure you will find many differences between your analyses and conclusions though, and hey, it means that it`s a popular and valid topic!
Skig - sounds like a good plan. I had my viva (well over a year ago, that`s another story) and to be honest there is not too much you can do apart from knowing your thesis. If you do loads of extra reading, note taking etc. it is sods law that none of that will come up. I was really worried they would pick apart my overall argument, which they said was fine. Was not expecting them to ask me to add more background stuff.
Right, baby at the babysitters and now its time to dive in. First on the list is finding the ring-binder with all the documents in (yes, it`s been that long since I worked on it!)

Thanks Batfink. It`s good to be back. Hope you have a more productive day tomorrow. It`s all about the self-forgiveness!
Which I have to do some of now as my 3 baby-free hours are almost up and I have spent them having breakfast, hanging out washing, filling out overdue grading forms, and dealing with resubmission procedures. So that is two days back on the PhD so far without actually having looked at it...yesterday was productively (?) spent filing (and being horrified at the stack of previous draft print-outs that I can`t bear to chuck quite yet).
OK! So tomorrow...my friend suggests reading through examiners comments then through the whole thesis, but not sure I can stomach the latter. I think I`ll 1) read through examiners comments and 2) chase up relevant literature ready to order/borrow from my trip to the library on Saturday.
Have a good day everyone!

Hallo! After a one year hiatus in which I have been bringing up a baby and teaching among other things, I am back to the PhD and the forum. Can I join this thread, pretty please? I have two months from today to finish the `minor` corrections I was given in my viva, but they involve quite a lot of additional research and writing. It may sound like an easy goal, but I have limited time since I can only work in the 3 hours a day my baby is in childcare. Today I am easing in to it, just posting on here (done!:-)), filing/getting papers in order, and checking out university procedures for resubmission. So, bye for now! Looking forward to hanging out!

Thank you so much for your encouraging and helpful replies. I spent the afternoon in the library working in half hour spurts and it worked much better. I'm not satisfied with what I wrote (but, hey, when are we ever?) but felt so much better after making a start. Then had a sleepless night with all manner of weird nightmares - yesterday a friend was in town and the whole day was out for studying. Today is busy too (pregnancy related activities!) but will try to do at least 2 half hour sessions. Better than nothing.
Then into it full time on Monday (although pregnancy check-up in morning). And last uni teaching class and attendant grading and marking on Wednesday. Gah!
I think the suggestion of working at home is good. I usually just procrastinate on the internet and housework but I'm sure I can discipline myself for 30 minute intervals.
It's great to hear from those of you who've got kids and been through this. All your comments have made me determined to finish before the baby comes. Thank you!

Thank you Fm, that is good advice :-) I've been at a desk in the library for a few hours and produced very little. More concentrated goals in shorter time spans might work. Problem is I'm so ready for a sleep now, far from home and already had my one cup of coffee today. I'll give a try now, bit you think it's humanly doable in just over two weeks?

My PhD minor corrections are due on the 20th, consisting of an updated chapter and an entire new mini-chapter (probably about 10,000 words total). At the moment I have a few paragraphs and a lot but not enough reading under my belt. Problem is I also have a huge baby under my belt in my tummy which is making me very sleepy, uncomfortable sitting at desks and making it very hard to concentrate. I have applied for an extension until the end of the month, but even this is looking unlikely now. All of this is causing much unwanted stress for me and baby, due at end of february. I could extend the deadline again by a couple of weeks to mid-feb I suppose but that would mean prolonging the stress and risking early baby and attendant complications. Advice? Encouragement? Please anyone?!

Thank you Sue! I will put it after the TOC I think.

Hi All,
Very informative thread, thank you. I am trying to get my thesis to the printers today, although still need to add to conclusion among other things so I'm not sure I'll make it. I just remembered about acknowledgments! The tips from this thread are very useful, but I'd like to know where in the thesis the acknowledgments go. Is it before the TOC? So far mine is: Title Page, declaration, abstract, TOC. Maybe after declaration? Even on same page (lots of space left on it)?
Thanks!

Hi Chrisrolinski
In a dire bout of procrastination I stumbled upon your thread and it is encouraging me too in the final push. I'm hoping to get it printed and handed in on Friday.
How are you getting on today? Hope it's all going well. Remember, even if you don't get all your supervisors suggestions in, there's no saying that they would have been necessary for the examiners you have.
Right, having said that, on with my sup's list of suggestions!:p

This sucks! I have been there so many times. You say you've flagged up big ideas but move on since you don't know how to support them? I know this sounds like the last thing you want to be doing when you have only 2 days left, but why don't you go back to browse some of the literature you've collected on those ideas. IT might trigger something, or at least provide you with a lead in to writing again.
And, don't worry if your sup is disappointed. I'm sure you are disappointed too! That's what's more important. So accept that you may be late this time, but you'll try to do it better the next? Just some thoughts. Mind you, I wish I too could practice what I preach!

p.s. my poison is Gossip Girls as of this morning...

This is linked to 'imposter syndrome' right? You start to feel like you don't have a grip on your material, but just have faith! I am doing exactly the same thing in my dissertation and think I will be pulled up for it, but I'm just trying to take the relevant bits of different approaches, without tackling them all in their entirety, and bring them together somehow coherently. It might be a bad idea to have this pick and mix approach but, you have to get new ideas from somewhere right? It worries me too, but we'll both have to hope for the best and wait for D-day! No going back now...

Thank you all for your replies. I'm so pleased to hear that other people feel the same way! Although I'm sad for you of course at the same time, as I know how it sucks being in this mindset and situation.
Chipie - yes, yes! That's it - deadlines wooshing by, even though you've nearly finished. And subconsciously not wanting to finish. Actually I wrote on my blog (address on thread title if you are interested) about the subconscious pressure that the thought of the viva can place, and how that may be why many of us are afraid to hand it in. Once you hand it in, the toughest bit of all is coming right up. And I know one of the examiners and really respect them, so am petrified of them thinking my work is rubbish. But also, I agree, the big question mark of what will be left of my life once it's out of my hands!? I certainly don't have anything else lined up. May I ask when your latest deadline for handing in is? Is this self- or externally imposed?
And definitely, listen to your supervisors - within reason, as Bilbo Baggins cautions. Actually, lets qualify that. If they say it's basically ready to hand in, believe them and stop thinking it's rubbish and trying to rewrite it. If they say it needs more changes, AGAIN, then start to question them.
Jojo- i I completely agree. We have to accept it won't be perfect. In fact, I think this PhD, painful as it is, is a blessing in disguise as I really have learn that sometimes good enough is best. I don't mean to sounds like a psychoanalyst, but would you, or others, describe yourself as perfectionist procrastinators too? Its a bad combination, but I'm trying to break the spell!
SO!!! On with making it as readable and coherent as possible (and by 'as possible' I mean as much as you can do in these circumstances and time frame, and NOT 'to perfection'!)
I'm hoping to smooth over everything in chs 1 and 2 today, but I also have to add/rewrite a chunk for ch1. And remember - when in doubt, cut!!
GANBARE (Japanese for keep at it, keep going) everyone!!

Some more details:
I am currently go through the comments that my supervisor gave me on my draft in preparation for submission. One of these comments has been to cut/redistribute Chapter 7! Now I have redistributed it, everything is out of sync and I feel like I'm back at square one. What's worse, I still am trying to rethink the theme/conclusion, which is not yet firm in my head, although my supervisor thought my concluding chapter was 'spectacular' (I completely disagree...). I'm really trying to not make any more work for myself, but still keep trying to change and add fundamentals rather than concentrating on making it read like a thesis.
I seem to have a mental block to finishing, and when I look at it just feel like crying (as I did yesterday, but I think that was PMT;-)). Giving the draft to my friend in ONE WEEK for proofreading. I know I will not have it polished by then, but aim to add in all refs and photos etc. when I get it back from her.
Must accept that it will never be perfect....

I have been 'finishing' my PhD for over two years now, but this is really it.
Anyone else trying to tie all the loose ends up without taking it apart completely again? There's a temptation which is preventing me from completing that is to think that it is all awful and that you need to rethink fundamentals, rather than just tinker about and get it fluid, in logical progression and presentable.
Anyone in this stage? Perhaps in their last month? Let's help each other!(up)
p.s. charting some of the woes of phd on perfectlyhalfdone.blogspot.com if anyone is interested.