No I'd never do this either, I'd feel like I was letting myself down if the results I presented weren't really there in the data. With statistics it's very easy to do (I know that if I got rid of just a couple of participants then it'd change a non-significant result into a significant one!) but I definitely wouldn't want to go down that path.

I work 10-4/10-5 most days and find that this works fine for me. I do work sometimes in the evenings or at the weekend but find it harder to concentrate then than during weekdays, also it is good to have a proper break from the PhD I find.

The thing that I've got a lot better at over the years is improving my concentration so that when I am working, I'm not procrastinating - used to do loads of that when I first started!!

I can totally relate to this, I always find it hard to get back into working mode when I've had some time off. It's been good having time to relax and just not think about the PhD for a while though, think it's done me good!

Back at the uni office tomorrow so am hoping I'll feel motivated again then. :-)

I'm hoping to finish in 6 months too. I've still got lots of work to do though but am determined to work as hard as I can to get it finished. I really want to be able to enjoy the summer without having to worry about the PhD! :-)

Hi Mog, have you tried posting a link to your questionnaire on student forums at the universities you're interested in? When I was recruiting participants I advertised on a forum and got quite a good response from there. Also at my uni we've got an email list just for people requesting volunteers for research and I got lots of participants that way. Hope you manage to get some response soon. :-)