Hi Milo.

It doesn't sound like my perfect situation. I would hate to be isolated all day. I work 'home alone' during the day and the only thing that keeps me going sometimes is looking forward to my partner coming home. I don't have kids though so maybe, for you, the peace is a blessed relief.

That isn't very helpful though - I just wanted to say I appreciate your situation. I am in the 4th yr of my PhD and am probably at a similar writing stage. I too have health problems which make it difficult to put strict deadlines in place and have also experienced depression as a result of my PhD. I too find that the lack of pressure can lead to procrastination but that the opposite can also be unhealthy.

Maybe one thing I can suggest is that, rather than trying to work every hour of every day (and then feel guilty when you aren't working), set the hours you will work and those you won't. For example, I don't work in the evenings after 8pm and I (almost) always take a Sunday off entirely. I always have a lunch break (and a walk to the shops to remind me that their are other human beings out there!!)

At the moment my plan is to try and put something (good or bad!) in every 'box' of my PhD structure, starting with bullet points. I'm trying not to get too hung up on the pace or the quality of my work as that makes me anxious.

I am also going to be going back to a writing group next week which uses the Pomodoro technique. This method can be useful when you are finding yourself getting bogged down in your writing. Maybe there is something similar where you are?

I can't say these are proven techniques because for me they don't stop it being hard to stay motivated and on target, but I hope that they help a little. Let us know if you find any other helpful strategies.

: )