Thank Ady - fingers crossed the next few months go smoothly for us all (and not too quickly!!)...

I stuck to my plan today and have had a really productive day (the first one in a while!). I managed to sort through and organise all my notes, make a list of the chapters I need to do and roughly what needs to go into each and have managed to set some rough deadlines. Although I know I have a mountain to climb, I am actually feeling ok about it...I've just got to take it one step at a time!

I hope you have all had a good day :-)

Hi all,

My funding runs out at the end of September so my deadline is October 2012 as well.

Ng24 - I haven't done a great deal of writing either. The focus of my thesis had to change during my data collection and so all that I had written for my upgrade is now largely irrelevant (or at least will play a much smaller part of my final thesis and therefore needs thinning down). I have been focusing on fieldwork and analysis and my writing has taken a bit of a back seat. I have tried to sit down and make progress with this but am having trouble getting going with it - I think mainly because I keep thinking about the end product rather than setting myself smaller goals and am just daunted by how much I have to do. Tomorrow, I'm planning on sitting down with my notes and sorting through, setting some realistic deadlines and hopefully seeing a way to progress.

Purpleflower & Lindalou - I'm going to have a look at that book you recommend and hopefully that will help me get writing.

I'll be interested to follow everyone's progress over the next few months - even though we will all probably be working on different stages of our theses, it's nice to feel that I'm not alone in the process!

:-)

Thanks for the responses and for the ideas, they're really useful. I think the first thing is to sit down and sort out a proper structure for each chapter - at the moment I only have a rough outline so it will be useful to clarify each chapters aims and outcomes.

Cplusplusgirl, they have copies of that book in my uni library so I will go and track one down in the morning and take a look.

I'll let you know how I progress! :-)

======= Date Modified 05 Jan 2012 19:55:45 =======
Hi all,

I've just started my third year (and final year with funding). My data collection is done, I have a rough thesis plan, the only thing left for me to do is write up my thesis...for the last 2 weeks though, each time I sit down in front of my computer, I'm drawing a complete blank! I thought I'd feel a lot better once I had a job sorted and this would help my focus but it seems to have gone the opposite way.

Does anyone have any advice on how to tackle the mammoth task of starting the write up process?

BB

I volunteer half a day a week for a local charity doing administration. Whilst its not really relevant to my PhD, I like it because its always busy and it takes my mind off my PhD for a few hours a week and lets me accomplish other things! Sometimes, if I've had an unproductive week, just going and doing simple tasks there can make me feel a bit better!

The only thing I struggle with is committing to the charity at the same time each week - because my diary is so hectic, it can change quickly if I need to be at uni for meetings, meet with students, attend courses etc. The charity I work for is pretty good and quite flexible but I do feel bad if I have to change the day/time at the last minute!

If its something you can fit into your schedule (you said you're a bit behind?) then volunteering is always good and you could always try a few different volunteer jobs before deciding which one is for you. Good luck! :-)

======= Date Modified 14 May 2011 08:24:43 =======
I got married at the end of my first year of my PhD (when I was 25 and my husband was 30) - I handed my Upgrade Report in on the Weds, got married on the Friday and then my upgrade interview 5 days after I got back from my honeymoon!

I don't think the wedding really interfered with my academic work, I just did all the wedding planning at the weekends/in the evening and kept my PhD 9-5 (ish!). It depends on your working habits but planning a wedding doesn't need to distract you from academic life - that said, it will if you let it!

Because of the time of my wedding/honeymoon, as soon as I handed in my upgrade report, I didn't have time to worry about its content, so I just sort of forgot about it until I got back. Then I was really refreshed and had a clear head for the 5 days before the interview which allowed me to prepare properly.

:-)

At my uni, there is a hot desk room for the PhD/Masters students but there are only 20 desks for about 70 students. There are about 12 students who go in everyday and leave their stuff everywhere (so they ignore the 'hot desk' environment!) so I very rarely get a desk to work at when I go in! I've given up complaining about it....instead, I spend 3 days in the library and 2 days working from home but this means I am on my own a lot of the time.

I'm very jealous of anyone who has an allocated desk in a research office! Oh to dream...! :-)

hi Maria,

The settling in period is difficult especially being away from home/family etc but I wouldn't have thought that would affect your interest in the subject. Everyone has periods where they are unmotivated but essentially, it's your interest in the subject/research that gets you through the tough times. If you don't really enjoy it, it will be a hard and very long 4 years!

If you think that you are doing something that isn't for you, you are much better saying something earlier rather than later - maybe talk to your supervisors and see what their advice is?

Hope you get it sorted :-)

I wish I was good at distance running...I'm training for a run for charity at the moment and it's so difficult...and knackering!!

I also wish I wsa good at saying 'No' when people in my department ask me to do things! At the moment I'm staring at multiple piles of work and projects with no idea which to try to tackle first...I fear it could be a long night! :-)

I would have thought you were fine to use brackets - I've certainly used them in my work and I've seen them in various theses I've read so I probably wouldn't worry!

:-) Mmm...I wish my thesis was on chocolate too...with lots of taste tests!!!

I am at the same point in my PhD and was going through a really bad patch up until a couple of weeks ago...I passed my upgrade but then for a couple of months after it seemed like a real slog and I was struggling to find any motivation. Then I had a really good chat with my other half and he said he'd stand by if I wanted to give it up but advised me to think hard before I do - these opportunities don't come along everyday. I spoke at length with my supervisor and told him I was struggling and he was really understanding. He told me to take some time to think about everything - so that's what I did.

It's then I started to appreciate my situation - a lot of people would give anything for a funded PhD and I am extremely lucky. Although I don't want to work in academia at the end of my studies, the process of completing a PhD will enhance my skills in so many other ways and that's what I'm focussing on.

I'd advise you to speak to the people closest to you and see what they say...also, speak to your supervisor and air your concerns with him. The reason you might be getting things wrong might be because you're stressing and worrying...maybe if you speak to him/her they will be understanding and you will feel less pressure.

I've have written the last couple of months off and started afresh 2 weeks ago - with a clear list of what I need to do. So far so good but I take each day at a time now...I think that's the only way to get through it all!!

As for the job situation at the end of the PhD -I think that's an issue we'll all face eventually so I'm just ignoring it for now!! :-)

I am about 3 months into the second year of my PhD now and am getting slightly concerned that I haven't presented at any conferences or submitted any papers. It's not because I don't want to but more because there haven't been any conferences specifically relating to my research (that aren't in Australia or some other obscure place I can't get the funding to travel to!) and I don't have enough written to produce a paper for journal submission.

I don't want to stay in academia at the end of my PhD and am hoping to pursue a career in research consultancy - with this in mind, how important do you think it is that I present at conferences?

I haven't been too worried about it really until today. I work from home and am quite isolated from other research students at my uni but today I was in uni and was talking with a few other students who have all presented at a few conferences and some of them are only in their first years!

Should I be worried?

Any advice appreciated! Thanks in advance! :-)