Just wondering how much spare time everyone has outside of their PhD? I'm about 18 months in and my social life seems to have died - except I don't know when!

Oh dear! As a first year student I find the thought of a collapsed social life scary!

It is always important to make time for friend and self. Hmmmaybe I won't be thinking that around the time of my literature review. Surely you should make at least one night a week free for friends?

Maybe these things come in fits and bursts?

I don't plan on giving up a social life. I'm sure it's possible to have both if you plan stuff well. I'm still planning on having a 2 week holiday and at least two long weekends away each year - is this a bit naive?!

I am about to finish my PhD and it is only now that I am having to press pause on my social life. I think a PhD is meant to be fun and as such continue doing whatever makes you happy. Don't be too hard on yourselves - in terms of pressure and workload and don't let your supervisors be too hard on you either. You wouldn't put up with a bully in the workplace so don't while you are doing your PhD. Okay, pressure can be useful but don't apply it at the expense of your life, friends/family or health.

i cant decide if my social life fell apart because of my Phd or i grew out of what i did before and have become happy to spend nights in with the other half (or maybe im just too tired to care..)!

What's a social life?

Even if I had the time to go out I don't have the money!

Like you guys said I never took a conscious decision about it, Just doing my PhD somewhere different to my undergrad degree I had to make new friends both in the department and out of it, trouble is that alot of these have now left and those that haven't are busy in their final year, the time I would have spent with them has just been taken over by work.

As an undergrad I used to got out all the time but now all the rushing about of societies and clubs I don't have time for anymore