I am in my final month at the moment facing a pretty hard deadline (date already extended twice) and desperately trying to get my full draft finished to send to my supervisor in time to read. Utterly miserable that it has taken me well close to 5 months to do my redrafts - most of these chapters needed a good rewrite though to be completely honest - but I've lost a lot of faith in my ability to finish. To top it off I just can't see the value of my own research anymore. I know comparing yourself is pretty self-destructive but when I read other PhD theses, mine feels like a joke. Sorry - ranting a little! Has anyone else had the same experience of submitting their full draft close to deadline? Any advice on the last month, and how to beat it? x

It can be done. Make a realistic timetable of what you are going to do each day over the next month and stick to it.

Yes of course, I handed my thesis in days before the deadline, like pretty much everybody I know.

Think about it this way: you still have 3 months after submission before the viva, and then you will likely have 3 more months after the viva for minor revision. So you could still be working on your thesis for a further 6 months before its really done.