Thanks for the comments and reassurance. My mind is now at rest!.
At the end of a long day, and now starting to write gobble-de-gook, I had better rest. There is no point getting exhausted as it is just not productive.

:-)

OMG I'm worried now.
I have been ill during the early stages of my PhD and not had any papers published at all; I have only given one conference paper and I am on track to complete in the next 6 months.
I thought getting a thesis written was enough to pass; as it has been a huge commitement.
I am in a humanities discipline - perhaps you are in the sciences. Is there a difference expectation.
Please let me know to put my mind at rest!

Thanks Sue

I'm giving it a go....but I keep having to minimise the screen because I have so many other pages open. Then I don't notice it ringing.....is there a way to make the timer pop up when it rings?
Has anyone else used a good online pomodoro timer?

I'll keep persevering with this for now.
Thanks everyone

I've just broken my second kitchen timer......how will I manage to do my 'pomodoros' or 'tomatoes' without it???
It looks like I will have to go shopping this afternoon.

Has anyone found an indestructable kitchen timer to use in their 'pomodoro' technique? I don't want to spend a fortune, but have found that the technique is essential to get me through the writing up!
Matilda

HELP !
I usually rejoice whan the postman brings me a nice new book....but Arghhh! It seems that someone has written my thesis!
First instinct was to spiral into panic, so I went and had a cuppa and then some lunch to try and calm down.
But now I feel rather demoralised and will have to almost re-write an entire chapter because they have said what I wanted to say and I don't want to accused of plaigiarism.

ON the good side my thesis is current and relevant.

(up)

But why am I bothering at all is someone else has beaten me to it?

But will a "critical appraisal" of their work be OK or will I just look like a low-level undergrad who is just regurgitating someone elses work!

Advice please if this has happened to you, or something similar!

Miserable Matilda!

:-((down)

Just remember that it was not long ago that people regularly took 6 or 7 years to complete. ( My research has involved talking to lots of academics about their careers!) It is only recently that research councils and management are pushing us all to get it done in 3 or 4 years.
Part of the reason they are pushing for these shorter deadlines is truely to help us keep the task manageable ( yes I laughed at that too!)
So don't worry about feeling frustrated, or disppointing friends and family.
Remember you don't get a "better" doctorate because you nearly killed yourself trying to get it done on time, a few extra weeks or months might help. Your health and sanity is paramount; give yourself permission to take a break ( take an afternoon off to have a walk, bake cakes or go window-shopping) come back to it freshly after a good nights sleep and pretend you are tutoring/mentoring another student. Break down the task, then hopefully what needs to be done won't send you into a panic.
Hope this helps
Remember we are all going through it too, you are not alone.

Four hours...really?
And four enjoyable hours!?

I am impressed with your stamina. Congratulations!
Yes do have a holiday as others have suggested.

Dr Seeker

I hope that the tomato timer ( or Pomodoro technique ) works for you. I always though I was quite self-motivated, but I had difficulty stopping work even if my productivity was rubbish and then ended up exhausted and tired the following day. Using the technique has really helped. I am quite evangelical about it and recommend it to anyone who will listen to me. ( friends are starting to get annoyed methinks!)

Matilda

Ok, I'm not quite so smug....did not go to the gym as hubbie was late home.
Chilled out with a beer and a curry instead - well deserved every now and again after a hard day using the 'little grey cells'!
:$

Yippee
A really great productive day today and lots of good words on paper ( i.e. in the right order and they seem to make sense.)
My cats are getting rather annoyed that my pomodoro timer keeps buzzing every 25 minutes and waking them up - hey, but it seems to work for me and helped the motivation today.

I will feel even more smug when my hubbie drags me to the gym this evening - a productive work day AND doing exercise too. What is happening? I must remember this feeling on the rubbish days.
Sending you all good wishes
Matilda

Hello to all on this thread,

Can I join in? I have six months, or so, to go and fluctuate between feeling that it is certainly achieveable....or it sends me into a blind panic. I sometimes find that  If I let myself "surf" the net and post to forums and go on Facebook it is a distraction; but it is also darned lonely sitting in this office on my own with only a sleeping cat for company!
So some virtual company would be nice!
I might just lurk on the thread rather than be too active. But its nice to know I am not alone!
Currently trying to finish a chapter draft by the end of this week as we have visitors at the weekend and I want to enjoy myself without the guilt!
Matilda;-)

I did some history archival research for one of my professors and got paid the hourly lecturer rate for the university, I was rather lucky I think at about £35-ish an hour ( then take off tax NI etc)
Other freelance work I know of in the history field ( Oral history interviews) pays the lesser rate of £18 per hour plus expenses.
My suggestion would be to see what the particular local authority pay-scale is for sessional lecturers at their FE college - then you know what they are used to paying for brain-power! But if there is translating work too then perhaps push it up into the higher end of that range.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
Best of luck!

======= Date Modified 19 Oct 2009 13:21:22 =======
I did work as an AL ( Associate Lecturer) for the O U and it was a very good experience, I found that they offered a very structured support network and mentoring system that was more help as than the Visiting Lecturer, hourly paid, posts that I got in other universities. ( Working as a visiting lecturer can be a very lonely experience and very hard work!)

The OU normally say how many hours a week tutoringwill take, and they are quite accurate, but you do have to be willing to be very structured with the amount of time you spend, and be prepared to set aside a block of time when it comes around to assignment marking.

If you can get a position it is worthwhile - and they do tend to keep your application on file. I heard from them about 8 months after I had initially applied for a position. - Their recruitment system is the only thing about the university that is unclear!

I'm at the same stage too, and feeling all the same concerns, All the responses have helped, and thanks Sue for starting this thread.
I try to remember that being able to work in my office and organise my own schedule is a luxury, rather than a prison sentence. But I do try to make sure I get out of the house everyday, either to the gym, to the shop to buy milk, or just walk around the block - I now know all the shop staff to chat too.

I am so glad I decided to look on the forum to find other people who are getting married / have got married whist doing a PhD.  I am getting married very soon, and it is really starting to bug me. ( Everyone seems to think that I have lost my mind by agreeing to get married whilst in my final year - family circumstances prevented waiting) One thing that is very annoying is that people keep ringing me during the day to chat, and see "how the wedding plans are coming along"?  I am normally very good at compartmentalising my research and home life, but friends and family seem to think that "working from home" and "writing up a chapter" mean that I am not actually busy!  I am having to screen my calls!

I think that my advice on how to get back stuck in to work would be to either; lock yourself in your office with the phone muted and email alerts off - just promise yourself you will do 20 minutes, and see what happens.  Or, if you can bear the Undergrads around, go off to the library and plan to do 2 or 3 hours only.. It seems to work with me, I find I look at my watch and 5 hours has passed ( either that or my laptop runs out of power and I realise I have left the cable at home!)
My other half keeps reminding me that although he is at work for a full day, the amount of distractions from being in an open plan office mean that he only really ever gets about one or two hours done a day; so if I manage 3 hours I am ahead of the game, and not to beat myself up that I haven't sat infront of the computer from 9 to 5!

Sorry for random ramblings!
Hope you get back into a work pattern that works for you.
MatildaL