Hi Sm2010

I'm hoping I have less than 5 months to go, but this all just takes so long, the rewriting is never ending and so who knows, I might be going for another 5 mths, but geez, I hope not. I started a thread on '6 months to go' 4 mths ago, and I update on that a bit.

It is incredibly hard to keep going and at times the amount of rewriting just seems overwhelming, but I still work. I work in 25 minutes chunks (tomatoes) http://mytomatoes.com/ and just do one after the other, every day and clock them up. I also use the chat room at http://phinished.org/ where we all work together in 25 minute blocks, then chat for 5, then work again, for hours and hours every day. It helps a lot with keeping the motivation up and in feeling less isolated.

Lately I've also found that having a bit of a life helps - I was doing nothing other than working all the time, to get the thesis done, but getting very depressed and so an now doing more fun things, which will delay my completion, but at least keep me sane. It's tough going, but you're not alone. Good luck!

Hi BM

Yep, we all make mistakes - only now have I discovered that I should've asked my participants a range of additional questions, and I haven't contacted some of them for 18 months. They're now no longer interested in helping me - but oh well, will do the best I can with what I've got. So, these things happen, we learn from them. And you are NOT stupid, you just made a mistake, that's all.

Just one other thing BM - you might want to think about changing your user name. You don't continually want to be reminded of your 'big mistake', and it's such a negative name!

Good luck, keep going!

Koturu, what do you mean by your sups having contributed to your thesis? Your supservisors are there to provide comments, guidance etc, but should not be contributing to your thesis - this is your work, not a joint production. There should not be any way whatever in which your supervisors are contributing to your thesis so much that you think they should be co-authors on authors arising from your thesis. If this is just the normal process of supervision, don't give them co-authorship - this is your work, and their comments are supervision, not co-authorship.

Hi Twinkle

I think it would be really hard - writing up is such an emotional process, which also requires physical stamina, and being pregnant would add to the demands on your body. Having said that, of course it is possible. I had a friend who was writing up while pregnant, she submitted her thesis then gave birth 2 days later! The pregnancy really drove her to finish on time. If possible, try and build in a few months tho, so your baby is born a few months after you intend to finish - writing up is really slow, and deadlines blow out all the time, so try and give yourself a bit of additional time, should it be needed.

I started for a few reasons too:
- I had already done a lot of postgrad study, and wanted to tackle the big one, the hardest academic achievement there is, the PhD;
- I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, that I was smart enough to become a dr (which I now realise is a fallacy - you don't need to be smart, you need to have perseverance)
- I was hoping for a career change, into academia, which is unlikely to happen, and
- I loved my subject. I had worked in the civil service on the subject matter for many years, and had also studied it, and my specific topic excited me (which it no longer does).

Oh - and because I study in a social justice area, so that was important too - that's what's motivated all my studies and working life, not just the PhD. Good to remind myself of these reasons!

Hey Walminski

Glad to hear you're going to a GP - good luck. Doing something positive to take charge of your life should help, you might start to feel more in control again. I think doing a PhD does bring on crises for people which none of us know about when we start. It forces us to re-evaluate who we are, what we want in life, and exposes all our weaknesses, flaws and fears. Doing this I think, has  fundamentally challenged my belief in myself, and who I thought I was. These are big issues, and so it's not surprising you're depressed and having a bit of a melt-down. Be kind to yourself, see the dr, see a counsellor maybe, exercise, talk to people, and work a bit less. Don't feel guilty about taking some time out. Take care!

Hi KC

I'd polish it and submit it later. You don't want to hand in something substandard - it will make you look bad and could damage your reputation, especially if it goes to peer review and not just to your supervisor. Academics are always late submitting things I've found and so if you're late this maybe won't be such a big deal. Better to be in trouble for lateness rather than sloppiness I think!

And Walminski, why aren't you living in your little house on the hill? Has something gone wrong?

Hi Walminski

Nice to hear from you - but sorry you're feeling so down. Have been wondering what's happened to a lot of the old-time regulars lately, people don't seem to be posting as much.

AQ, I hear ya! I also have no time for people who talk about inanities - but then, I've never been good at small talk, probably why I don't have many friends...;-)

Walminski, what you're going thru sounds normal to me. Horrible, but normal. I also don't have much fun, don't laugh, and am not much fun to be around. I also resent people who don't fully understand how horrible this process is. All I can say, is hang in there, keep writing, go out, go to the pub, have a few lagers, whinge about the thesis, and try and have a bit of a life.

My PhD has changed me too, and not for the better. I've always been cynical, but now am really cynical about all the wasted time and effort I'm putting in for zilch, as there's no academic jobs and even if there was, I don't want some crappy short-term, low-paid contract. So I'm more cynical; my thesis also makes me feel more stupid, as I'm such small fry compared to everyone else in my field. I'm also resentful, as I should've chosen a topic which was more mainstream, not some niche area no-one apart from me and my supervisor cares about. Oh - and did I say I'm also bitter?

As for physically, well - deteriorating eyesight, a pain in my shoulder that won't go away, sore joints in my fingers, weight gain, and the list goes on...

So Walminski, misery loves company, and you've got company here! Push on, we can't stop now, and once this is done, that's it, I'm never doing another one.

Read my thesis or articles - hardly!!! My partner might've read the abstract to the articles I've published, but that's it, and he's really supportive in every other way. My thesis is my thing, and my friends and family tolerate it, don't particularly understand it, are not very interested in it, and apart from my partner, they only occasionally even ever ask me about it, or how I'm going, and then they do this just out of politness. So I don't ever expect them to show any interest and read anything I've written. My supervisor and examiners will be the only ones who ever read my thesis, I'm sure.

Gosh, that's me exactly!! I'm quite used to working long hours in a day, and when I get tired I do something menial, like references. But I hardly ever have a whole day off - an evening or a morning here and there, but never a full day. But maybe I'll start scheduling in days off, keep my sanity. This is going to go on for a while yet...will have some 'me' time too, and maybe read a novel or do some gardening and not feel guilty!! I also eat really well, and exercise regularly, so have those covered off...

Sounds like you have a lot to do too AQ. And yep, endless rewrites are the pits.

Thanks guys, will keep going, and good luck with your work.

Hey Eska, glad to hear it went well, and your niece behaved herself. Sounds like a nice thing to have done...

Oh well done, Rick!!! That's fantastic!! Congratulations!! Any tips on how to keep going in the last horrible, horrible few months?

Hi AL, sounds like you've been very busy and productive! Well done you!! Glad to hear you're getting your words down. And good that you've gotten over your writer's block Matilda!

Hmm, things haven't been the best for me - I've lost motivation. I'm still working every day, but am not putting in the long hours I usually do. I just can't be bothered. I feel like it doesn't make any difference if I almost kill myself working, it's just never ending. If I work 6 or 12 hours a day doesn't matter, I'll still be doing this for months and months and months....

Am rewriting my lit review - thought it would take a week, and it will take me over a month, even putting in solid hours. And then there's another chapter where I essentially need to start again, and then I need to rewrite the whole thesis yet again. So - the amount of work is disheartening...and because this just goes on and on, it affects the rest of my life too. For the first time the other day, I seriously wished I'd never started this...

Yes, I do refer to the journal articles. Since I've written these, am making absolutely sure I refer to them in the body of the thesis, as I want the examiners to know I've been published! I wouldn't include press clippings or any other published material though - I'll just reference these. My appendices are additional material developed by me, not by others. I'll also just include a deidentified list of the interviews I've done.