Hahaha! Great poem. Have a sprout for your example of wonderous procrastination.(sprout)

You should've been a poet!

I know exactly how you are feeling. Last chapter I drafted was one of my lit review chapter, and after about a day spent on the chapter, I realised I knew NOTHING about the area. That was quite worrying! But I read and read and read for two weeks, and I actually enjoyed the process, because I was learning something new.

I also realised last week that I knew nothing on how to design a valid questionnaire for something I needed to do, so I spent three days reading up on everything I could find. Again, a bit stressful to realised I had a chunk of knowledge missing, but enjoyable learning new stuff.

Today I'm carrying on with the lit review that I like. I've just spend the first tomato fiddling round with a table I drew up yesterday and it looks much better now, not to mention much easier to understand!

Hope your day is going well :)

Hi guys, mind if I join? Have been lurking around for a while, but joining in seems way better. And gives me another reason to procrastinate.......

I'm hoping to submit late March next year, but want/need to have a 2nd or 3rd draft of the whole thing (I'm in Humanities) done by Xmas. So that means I'm on a similar schedule.

Am currently fighting with my introduction and need to write my conclusion before I start revising/re-writing everything in September.

So, what have I achieved today: started re-reading stuff to revise my lit review (didn't quite plan that, but have a sup meeting MOnday when we need to discuss this) and am now and will tonight be looking at re-jigging paragraphs in the introduction to strengthen my argument (i.e. make up how my work contributes to knowledge, ugh).

Good luck all

Nice to hear it's going well for you, Pink_Numbers. And welcome aboard, Livvie. Haven't managed to do anything yet, as I've been shopping for essential food supplies, washing up liquid and deodorant. And, then, with it being such a nice day, I thought I'd go for a walk. So, then, it's a case of getting back to it now.

I think I'll finish my reading and note taking, today, and worry about writing tomorrow. I hate football, so the match will offer no distraction. I've been trying to find an audiobook to listen to as I work. I've got one called Giants of the Frost which, interestingly enough, is about a PhD student on an island writing up her PhD thesis. I thought, 'how apt!'. Then I read the description of it in a little more detail and it seems that an enigmatic stranger arrives on the island and it turns into a romance novel. No thanks! So, with the only other immediate options being 'How to Become a Millionnaire in 3 Yeas', 'Activate Your Sexual Magnetism' and 'The Assassin', I've opted for the last one.

Good luck for the rest of the day, everyone. ;-)

how do you manage to write *and* listen to an audio book at the same time? I'm in awe!

Pink_numbers, the truth is that I don't necessarily pay much attention to the audiobook when I'm working. I catch little bits of it here and there, so vaugely follow the plot.

I day of ponderance and preponderance (in terms of reading journal articles). I can integrate my results, thus really satisfy my methodological approach by integrating the results chapters thematically. I can even do simple cross descriptive cross analyses. Anyway, I've read through some PhD theses today that claim to be mixed mothods but aren't. They're actually multi-method. So, there's life in the old dog yet.

Word of the day: pimples.

Thought or the day: Why the hell at age 29?

Ignore the typos below. I have no 'edit post' button.

Hi wally this is so funny. Some people over 29 still do get pimples! :-)
love satchi

Hi everyone, thought I would join in too instead of just reading. At least I am then writing something even if it isn't my thesis. I have so far written one chapter. I am in my final year and spent a year in Malawi collating my data, all qualitative. My academic panel requested I put my studies on hold whilst I carry out a consultancy for 6 months so theoretically (ooh - important word) I am not supposed to be working on my thesis, and in fact I am not, but am trying to find the motivation to do so. So I re-enrol in September but want to get on with it now as it's hanging over my head. I am working full-time but have time in the evenings to write yet am still failing miserably. Starting to wonder if there is something seriously wrong with me. All I do is think about it and that's it. The company want to extend my contract for three months but have one month off for Ramadan and Eid and maybe this is a good thing as I could get some writing done in that one month. Or I do not renew contract, even though pay is really good, but just go home (or somewhere) and write, write, write and then it is finished and I can charge more as a consultant with a PhD. Too many decisions to make. I am wondering if it is really possible to do both - work full-time and write. Any thoughts appreciated.

Hmm, not the best of days with regards to writing. I've essentially just read, read and read some more. I've also been fantasising about having different careers in alternative realities. Instead of writing up, I've imagined myself as a famous novelist, a gifted Shakespearian actor, a footballer, world's strongest man (only proper muscles - not a gut), brilliant but reclusive inventor, and because I was listening to the Bottom Line starring Evan Davis (Radio 4), CEO of a powerful multinational company. Then I came to and realised that I was staring at a blank word document. Oh well, a bit of sleep and then I'll get back to things.

Word of the day: Career.

Thought of the day: Will I be a student ever again after all this?

Hey Walminski, sometimes, we need to read read read in order to puke it all back again onto word.

I had the most wonderful day off yesterday, visiting gardens and National Trust places. Now it's back to reality and I've done 3 tomatoes so far, although my breaks in between are getting longer and longer each time.

I totally do the fantasising alternative life thing! In my fantasy, I own a small holding, growing vegs and chickens and making award winning jams & chutneys by day, crochet and knitting by night. Then I realise I still have to write this damn thesis before I can even make a start on that dream. *sigh*

Awww, glad you had a really good day off, Pink_numbers. More and more reading so far today. I'm starting to feel a tiny bit more confident about things though. I'll carry on and hopefully wrap up the matter of reading and not taking before the night is out. You know you're overdoing the reading when you get to a chapter in a book called, Feminism and Mixed Methods Research. Yer what!? Je ne comprends pas cette merde!

Right, I'm done for the night. I'm going to chill for half and hour, just mulling things over, and then get back to it in the morning. I've come to realise that there's no point in consistently burning the midnight oil because you pay for it the next day in terms of having to sleep in a little longer than you should and feeling generally tired.

Word of the day: lethargy.

Thought of the day: Should I buy one of those new Dyson cyclone fans?

Wally - never buy a dyson, they are utter rubbish!!! they look like a kids toy, are about as strong and are crap - you want a hoover get a Henry (take this from someone who until recently did cleaning as a job), but get one with a power head, amazing piece of kit

anyway, yeh, no, its not worth continually burning midnight oil, I find my productivity drops - better to get a relatively early night and then go for it first thing :-) Unless you're a night owl, in which case ignore me ;-)

Sigh - so envy you being at write-up - back to data analysis...