what are peoples views on work life balance? been doing this phD for 3 months and still cant decide if im meant to be reading every night .. or having some kind of social life while i can!?

i socialise too much :(

i dont because im worried i should be working..! work long days to show supervisor im keen tho end up faffing most of the day because i dont have a lot do to!

hi I have have been doing my phd for 3 months now too. I feel guilty not doing stuff at home. I normally am in uni 9-5 I try an spend at least a few hours on sunday reading etc and a fe hours on 1 or two week nites

is this on guidance from supervisor or just what you feel is needed?

maybe i should make the most of it while i have time...!

my supervisor doesn't work in the lab so doesn'treally guide my working hours etc. I do it to stop myself feeling guilty. Sometimes I feel like I don't get much done in the day e.g. too much chating! so I do some at home.

im the same think thats why i worry, supervisor said doesnt care if i work 9-5 or 2 hrs a day as long as i get my work done.. problem is i have no idea where im supposed to be up to!

me neither. my supervisor hasn't said what hours I am expected to work. I'm finding hard to get on and not spend my days faffing.

i do my experiments etc and writing but its always tempting to just go when im done.. i never know if this is ok.. or i should fill in my time with something else.. wish he would just say!!

do u work 9-5 or longer?

some days i come in at 7 to set up 9 hour experiment so work till maybe 6.. other days 9-4, with like 15 min lunch hours ..

always surprises me how hard people work. any one out there doing what suits their personality? 3 hours max a day?

Yeah I find alot of my day is filled with the e mailing etc and not reading or writing. I think on average I must only do a couple of hours a day.

I usually work 9-5 mon-fri in the lab, sometimes a bit less and sometimes a bit more. Probably go out once or twice during the week and do a bit of work in the evenings. The weekend is for partying :) People in my lab come in at the weekends, crazy fools! I need my weekends to get away from it all.