Hello everyone! Im new to this site. I should have discovered it ages ago.

Im in my final stages of writing my thesis up. Iv got 6 weeks to go for final submission and i dont know if i can do it. im finding it very hard to concentrate and barely write two pages (sometimes much less) a day. I think im only 65% through my writting up.

Is anyone in the same boat? Any tips?

Hi Tina

Welcome to the forums

Six weeks is still a fairly long time, I started and finished the last 3 chapters of my thesis in about 3 weeks so you can achieve a lot in those last few desperate weeks! I think you might benefit from taking a few days off. If you have some time out, do something fun and just don't think about the thesis for a few days, you can return to it feeling fresh and will likely make good progress. Best of luck!

Hi Tina, I'm in a similar boat, not long to go now! I'm finding hard to stay motivated on a day to day level, but the thought of this thing dragging on for months more is terrible, ah the guilt!

I'm trying to do the revisions my supervisor gave me on my last version, but it's so hard. Sometimes I think that my brain has got blocked! But the reality of trying to finish is that I've got 2 days max to revise each chapter (10 chapters in total), and some of the revisions /re-writes are quite substantial so I can't just take a break until I feel better!

Have you produced a whole first draft already? How many words have you written and how many left to go? Best of luck and keep us updated!

wow Anne, I just read your post, I don't know how you managed 3 finished chapters in 3 weeks! I need some of that!

wow! that is amazing. good to know that i still have some hope.

no i havnt finished my first full draft yet

There's nothing like a deadline to get a person motivated (or should that be stressed to hell? - either way the work gets churned out somehow!) Can't say it was a fun few weeks but it's certainly possible!

Tina, your post could be mine - I'm "writing" full-time, don't have a whole draft, and only discovered this forum a couple of months ago...about the time I started writing! I don't have a deadline - only self-imposed dates that are never adhered to.

The lack of motivation, procrastination and subsequent guilt is the worst part. I want it finished, my boyfriend wants it finished, my supervisor wants it finished, but still I cannot find the drive to do it. I'm not sure a break will help - all the time I spend away from my computer is soaked in guilt and dread. The only good thing is that I procrastinate by exercising...but that is counteracted by the bored grazing I do in the kitchen the rest of the day!

Someone once told me that writing a thesis is a very lonely experience - they were right. Hang in there, Tina. This time next year, we will both be finished.

Hi Tina. I haven't started my Phd yet. However, I did do a very large dissertation last year (40,000 words). Whilst it's very much horses for courses, what worked for me when writing up was to pack up a kit bag of things I need for the day, my papers and my laptop and go to the library. Having gone to the hassle of setting everything out in the library, not being able to leave my laptop unattended, and not having WiFi to access the internet, the result was that I was forced to sit and work. I got through a heck of alot of work using that approach.

The downside is that you can go for hours without talking to anyone and after a few days it becomes monotonous. I just haven't found a better strategy yet though.

Jupp, I want to be finished by the end of the month. My supervisor is loosing her patience (she had estimated 2 months in total, now it's more like 5 months!) and may not support me if I take any longer.

Anyway, here are some (usefull??) tips on getting on with it.

Use a timer and work for 45 minutes, then have a break for 15 minutes (also timed). Write down after the 45 minutes what you've accieved (short version) ie. checked all references, finished remarks on cell cylce phase of cells ... or whatever it is you're doing.

Plan a big reward for every mile stone (but just the mile stones! ie finished chapters) such as buying a bonsai at a bonsai farmer, planing a meal with friends, doing a day trip .... whatever rocks your boat!

Plan your exercise times wisely- a dose of happines always does good. Eat healthy buy buying fruit, yoghurts and brainfood- keep off the chocolate. Feeling bad about your writind AND eating isn't that helpful.

Write somewhere, where there is no distraction (TV)and there's someone else to see you being lazy- ie a library, office, whatever.

Don't watch any TV (hard one, this) as TV does not really make you happy- and you need all the happiness now.

Make a pact with your family/friends- for now you are allowed to be as sloppy as you want- when it's all over you'll compensate by- helping renovate something, clear out the garage....

Stick to a dayly routine- ie start at 10, lunch from 1-2, finish at 7. Stick to it as much as you can, get a good nights worth of sleep.

Finally if you are feeling down- get somene to slap you with a wet towl, read through the log book of what you've done - and the next big mile stone present to yourself.

Thanks guys, you are all so helpfull, but...I can not live without chocolate at a time like this! Its the only good thing in my life at the moment!

I was up till 2:20am last night and suprisingly got alot done.