Procrastinators Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from chronic procrastination.
Finishing my Thesis
Hi, I gave a (very long!) introduction in the introductions section - "Pulling myself back from the Brink". (http://procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/4281) I am going to keep a log here of each day. So that I have some encouragement and record of how I am doing with getting to the end of my long due thesis.
11 August 2012
Most of the day was spent procrastinating watching tv or on the internet. I was worrying about not knowing how to start my final chapter of my thesis. It is 9.30pm now. My behaviour today has cost me $71 in tuition fees today.
I read the The Little Guide to Un-Procrastination by Leo Babauta. I am have decided to face my fears and conquer this problem slowly but surely.
I will start working in 10min slots from now for one hour and go to bed by 10.45, so that I can wake up at 6.30 everyday from tomorrow onwards.
Any other academics in here?
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Encouragement
Can I just offer you some words of encouragement and support as you go through the day working on your thesis? You probably won't see them until the end of the day but I think it's always nice to know when someone else is sending you positive energy and good thoughts across the ether.
Also, I love your checklist - I particularly find being in the present helpful, as often as I can manage it. That, and using timers!
So go you, keep it up, you're doing the right things! I hope you have the productive day you deserve to have!
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." (Anais Nin)
Thanks Salamander! I am
Thanks Salamander!
I am struggling to keep pushing myself further. Really appreciate your support!
5 October
Leaving past behind. I had some below average days with 2-3 hours and some bad days. A couple of days had to do other stuff.
Im going to update every 1.5 hours with 7x10mts. Now it's 12.10 pm. Next update at 1.30pm lunch time with 7x10 mts
2PM - I did only 10mts but then got distracted reading other stuff. I cant afford to do this anymore. No more reading other stuff. I will update after 3 x10 within the next 40mts.
Welcome back thesis
Let's save ourselves some money
by being good 
, progressing and making ourselves happier. 
PErhaps set yourself a real deadline for certain sections, and then work towards it as if it is your LAST CHANCE to be allowed to do it.
I'm here for 3 more days, hope I can be of some sort of support, and help you find back your flow/muse of work.
Hi Wolke, sorry couldnt stay
Hi Wolke, sorry couldnt stay earlier! Was trying to do work but too many people around so couldnt go on the site! I hv 2 more hours so im going to try and make the most of it...sleep well and hope u hv a fab day tomorrow! Ill try and catch you at (my) night time tonight!
encouragement for thesis
Yay for not giving up, restarting and making progress!
You can do it!
30 September
28 September - only 3 x 10mts. From not facing my fear
29 September - This was my day off, so I can resume with confidence and recharged after trip
30 September -2.55pm ok so here i am. I resisted for 2 hours doing things I absolutely did not need to know. I dont know if i even remember much from random stuff I read which did not mean anything to me. If i dont do my work properly today, I will feel anxious and depressed by end of the day.
My immediate plan is to to finish this section in 2hours. I can do this by devoting myself and my full intellectual capabilities to my task for most of 2 hours and by not reading things I dont need to be reading even if it sounds like it is related to my work.
I will keep updating here every hour to keep myself on track. The aim is to get in 5x10m every hour. Starting now. Next update at 3.55pm.
3.50 pm update - Done 5 x10mts and made some progress. I should be working faster to finish the section in one more hour. I am taking 10min break now.
Go thesis!
Hope your next slot of time was also good. I realised the following today, don't be afraid to ask for help from those who offered a 100 times!
I've actually been successful today through a whole new way of working: together with my partner! As we're going on a 1 week holiday, we realised I'd never finish in time without help. So, my partner actually typed up some notes for me and did time-consuming tasks that another person can do. Not only is it helpful, because I don't have to type those notes anymore, but also: I was able to concentrate far better feeling less isolated and alone! So even if you work on different things on the computer, both focusing in the same room can be very motivating. Started at 9.30am and now (some breaks of course, but) it's 1.40am in the morning and I'm still working and feeling happy-ish!
Support to Thesis
We are rooting for you, Thesis! Sending you positive and fighting mood ;)
28 September
I didn't write down details of hours worked properly although i scribbled some here and there and i dont know quite what is what.
24 September - 25 x 10mts. This was the first day of work that i was proud of after a while but i think i started pretty late
25 - other important things to do plus lack of sleep means had to rest.
26 September - 5 x10 i think in the morning. I started early but couldn't sustain myself and gave in eventually and spent time surfing internet and feeling guilty and anxious.
27 September - Had to take day off. I could have done 1.5 hours of work at the end of day but screwed up coz didn't focus.
day of rest
Keep going thesis! A day of guilt free rest is tricky, I found journey's post on this here really resonated with me.
I wonder if getting a weekly day of complete rest into the routine can help to support one's recovery from one's chronic procrastination? World traditions seem to indicate having this is our natural work rhythm, whether it's a sabbath, a Jewish 'Shabbat', an Islamic 'jumu'ah', a Buddhist 'Uposatha', or a secular 'day of rest' etc.
Ok, gonna get off the internet now and back to my fairly guilt free-ish day of rest.
Coming back soon Thesis?
Hi thesis,
I hope you are doing really well. There are 3 possible reasons for your absence here, I think.
a) You're doing so well you don't need the website, it only distracts you.
b) You are taking some time off/other obligations.
c) You are having a problem with your thesis; are at a halt /struck by anxiety
I hope that a) is the case. If it is b) or c) though, solidarity, and I look forward to seeing you again here.
Things are hard on my side too, but it can generally go quite well when I go into the chatbox with postivie energy. I just have to work harder.
See you soon and BEST wishes,
Wolke
Glad that i already managed
Glad that i already managed to talk to u directly and update u! thanks for looking out for me :) ill try and work hard n get back into some sort of momentum!
23 September
21 September - 16 x 10 mts done mostly at the end of the day on the chat box. But towards the end i had opened up heaps of papers and was spending time trying to decide which ones to save and read for later. I needed to more judicious in the the way i was spending time
22 September - 15 x 10 mts. I was feeling anxious all day wich started by me reading uncessary stuff and finding it hard to reign it back. At the end of the day i worked myself into a bit of moentum and finisehed 15 bursts. If i had done the same earlier in the day, I would have had a very satisfactory day. I must aim to start on a good note, and even i i do slip up, i can still make my day better, at any moment that i choose, rather than giving up and despairing.
Have to rememmber my written note about looking fear in the eye. Be bold, be brave. Move aside.
Ok today had some family commitments, but now im here. I will get 5x10 mts done by 7pm. In this time I would have written 200 words at least.
21 September - Note about Getting into the FLOW
Update for 20 September - 14 x10 mts I struggled all day in trying to keep going at work. I kept getting distracted, reading other stuff, making myself anxious. Wolke inivited me to work but i still resistend until towards the end.
And then something magical happened. Yes , it was the chatbox and the encouragement, and had a good motivational mood going but also I realise what was missing from the time when I was getting a lot done. Back then, I had was in the FLOW. Somehow it had gone missing and I didnt know what was missing and how to bring it back.
But yesterday Wolke asked me an important question, what am i going to achieve in next 10mts. So then i set myself a task to do with 4 x10mts or whatever, and then suddenly i was working towards a small goal with the end plainly in sight. That got me in flow and juiced. So the Flow is about setting a time challenge, but achieveable ones and then workign towards it, rather than saying ill do2 hours of 'work'. That is not going to be productive.
About 3 weeks ago when i was going good, that's what i was doing. I was setting things to finish and working towards it, fighting the clock, racing, moving forward, challenging myself. And you know what, we are all familiar with this thing as procrastinators. When we rush towards that last min deadline thats what we are doing, we are getting in the flow, becoming adrenaline junkies, workign against the clock. So we need to replicate that with every bit of work that we do. Set challenges, realistic, but tough ones with a clear end in sight, not one chpater, 3 days, 1 week etc. What can i complete in the next 30mts and then give it ur damn best.
Appreciation
Hey thesis buddy,
I am glad I unconsciously said the right thing. :) Small goals in terms of work do make the bursts concrete, definitely makes a difference. Thank you for reminding me of that.
Yesterday was indeed really good, I was absolutely buzzing from the good vibe of work in the chatbox. It's amazing how much happier we are when we get work done. Might as well be happy more often and work well more often
. Felt very guilt-free too.
Thank you for your help and I am going to try and stay in a flow for a least a few days. :) Let's join forces more often.
Good luck and good focus!
Thesis to Wolke
It's been downhill again toiday, i dont nknow why. im so stressed. ill be in the chat box back in 15mts. Urghh.
Wolke to Thesis. Over.
See ya soon then.
We can do this. There's some space on my flow for you! Do not panic. :)
Great that you got back
Great that you got back into the flow of work!
I like the wording of Wolke's question - achieve! I'll try using that... but I run into trouble when I try to do things quickly to beat the clock. My mind starts racing and I can't focus on actually writing. But I can set goals for a few sentences or a paragraph in short bursts.
Keep it up!
19 September
I have been struggling with procrastination again. I have been surfing net reading things i dont want to read, wasting time that I cant afford to waste, choosing anxiety over calming productivity. I am at my wits end. I had other stuff to do in between in relation to my paid work but even that took 3 days longer than it should have. All of today is gone. I am feeling so desperate and worried. I have been avoiding posting here as well. I am worried i am going to screw up everything again.
Ok now i will start working without touching internet. I have to take charge. I want to. I want to give myself another chance instead of drowing in self-pity and task aversion.
Update - I did 2 x10 and then was clicking on other posts in this forum randomly for about 5-6 mts. Ok back to another 10. I also need to set some small targets so that im not just counting down 10m slots for the sake of 10mts.
19 September - Update
I did only only 5 x 10 on this day. Did not get any momentum, kept wanting to do other things, feeling unmotivated. I think primiarily it was because of a lack of getting into the FLOW. I will update in the next post about the FLOW.
Be my work buddy today?
Hey Thesis,
I f you are also here today, I NEED a serious day full of progress and am going to give all I've got, all day. Perhaps if we work together we can stimulate each other and deter news reading and net surfing?
I'll be in the chat box, in case you want to team up for focussed 10-minute bursts.
Best of luck!! You can do this.
Wolke
im so sorry i couldnt drag
im so sorry i couldnt drag myself to work and when i finally got to the chatbox u had already gone off. Sorryy! :(
Done Wolke!
Omg thank u wolke i have been despairing here all day. I will be in the chatbox in 15mts and I will have about 3.5 hours of solid work time before bed time in which we can accomplish much i hope!
Best of luck
Thesis, do not give up! Look back at what you accomplished, how you encouraged a lot of us showing the progress you made. Don't rest on your laurels just yet, but keep working hard.
I would suggest disabling your router, but then the chatbox would also not work for you anymore :) I hope you can get your 3.5h of work in now! I'm cheering you on, I believe you can do it.
Thanks Yoh! Your support is
Thanks Yoh! :) Your support is much appreciated and makes me feel more encouraged!
14 September
Update for 13 September - So I only managed about 5 x 10 mins in the time I had after about 5.00pm onwards. And that too most of it was done at the end. I think Wolke is right, i need to treat my bursts, 10mins with more passion and respect rather than trying to let it ring through so i can chalk up another line.
It's 1.30 now. I will update at 2.30 with 5x10 GOOD mts.
Ok it's 2.30pm and I did only 2x10mts. After 2nd 10, I felt like reading some random news and clicked on it and kept reading. I will have to get my tickometer going for acts of will power to encourage myself to stay on task.
I probably need to give myself small targets as well even if its just like 35 words every 10mts. That will make me more focussed during the10mts i reckon.
Ok next update at 4pm with 6x10mts.
13 September 2012
Update for 12 September - 20 x 10mts = 3 hours 20mts. I had anxiety but getting on the chatbox helped and working with a few people. A large part of the time was spent reading stuff Im not sure really helped me a lot.
I want to be focusing on writing primarily and reading only when I absolutely need it.
Today - Work and other stuff that i was helping out with took up time and I was feeling anxious and could not start work again for a long time today. I am wondering what has changed since those days of intense concentration and lot of time spent on thesis just recently. I think im getting anxiety get the better of me, when i should be just focusing on 10mts at a time. Also, Im getting depressed about time passing by so fast and looking back and feeling bad each time about how i was working so well and now it is looking so hard all of a sudden adn that makes me feel worse.
i should not be looking at the past and future and should be focusing on the present. I should just bring myself to start,commit even to two minutes, just to get momentum and the subsequently motivation. I am upset and worried about the financial implications of what is happening and this is paralysing me. I even resist coming to this site sometimes because in my head it means ive to face my failures and then face the mountain of my work.
I cant believe im this close to the end and cant bring myself to pull myself over the edge. ok this is distracting. Can i do one min of work now? i think i can. it's not that hard to get started. it actually has a calming effect on me. Why resist what actually makes me feel good and choose what actually makes me feel worse? Like i was reading somewhere, i should leave aside my emotions and let me start with 2 mins. I will update in 2mins.
Ok so i did 10mts and wrote 30 words. That is a whole lot better than doing nothing. Although there is not much time left today, It is still better than leaving it for another day. Whatever I do, even turning a page, writing a word, working for ONE minute, it is taking me closer to my call. When I dont do that, I will have to eventually do it, and usually at a time when it is heaps worse for me. Leave the past behind son. It is what it is. Leave the future for He who gives us sunlight and air to breathe. Anyway I have to use my brain in someway in the next 10minutes. I might as well use it in something which makes me feel better at the end of it. Ok back to another 10.
I will be congratulating you soon.
Hey Thesis,
Good to read your update and that you still come to this site. It shows courage. If you were not coming, it would equal giving up.
You're still here and still working and that means you will finish! I think what we need to avoid is fall into habitual behaviour. Either by focusing on past or future fears and anxieties instead of focusing on NOW, or by treating bursts loosely because we've been at it for so long now that we're getting bored/unmotivated. To get motivation back, like you said, we need to do some successful work! So as in the first weeks you were here; a burst is only a burst if you start it saying/thinking: the next 2, 5 or 10 minutes I am going to give FULL focus and WORK hard (and be proud, satisfied, relieved and happy at the end of it).
Most of your work is already behind you, for which you can already be proud. Now just focus on the next hour and ensuring it has at least 4 good bursts. Sleep well, eat well, pollute your lungs if you need to ;) and take it by the hour. All other things are irrelevant. You will succeed.
Best wishes, we'll both get there. Because we keep showing up. :]
12 September
Update for 11 September - i was anxious again and let myself do other things and then found it incredibly hard to return to my work even though I thought it was only for 10mts. So iin the end I didnt manage to get anything done from 5.30pm onwards. i was so upset and anxious by the end of the day.
Today - I got in about 30mts ago and havnt started work yet. I just joined the chatroom and going to start with 10mts along with Kromer.
I have to just think about this 10mts and nothing else. just this 10.
11 September
Update for 9th September - I did 14 x 10mts only in the end. Very unproductive. I struggled with starting and then I kept getting drawn to other things.
What didn't work for me - thinking about an impossible deadline. It would have worked better for me to reschedule the deadline and give myself something realistic a challenge, but not too far away that I start to slack which is what happened the next day.
Update for 10 September - i was busy with my work commitments most of the day till evening. After that i had about 4 hours where i could hv done work but my mind was not it and I could not concentrate. I guess because i had gotten myself off a seemingly hard deadline, i felt like procrastinating. But in the end I lose momentum and confidence in myself.
I also consciously chose to not update on this site although I was here during the evening. That is really bad. I must keep record of my failures as well as success. I kept surfing net, reading about random news, doing all sort of stuff. Today I look back and the glaring, evident truth is that I have made my life just a bit harder by choosing to what I did for teh last couple of days.
But I have got to put it behind me and move on now.
11 September - pretty busy all day organising stuff so far which was unvoidable and needed to be done. Ok so I can start work at 5.30pm.
5.30-6pm - 3 x 10 = Look at create structure of chap n changes to make
6.8 - Finish intro of chapt.
9-12pm - Finish first section of chapt.
N early there, thesis
Dear thesis
It is all adding up. Whatever the lapses, everything you do increases what you have done so far. You're doing well. A little bit at. Time is a great idea. When I was at this stage of my thesis I made an arrangement with a friend to send her what I had done each day. It worked quite well, but would have been better four times a day!
And remember the WOW creature...
In sympathy
Mole
9 September
Update for 8 september - 18 x 10mts. In the end, it was in the evening that i was able to overcome the feeling of dread and get some stuff done. I remember when I first started posting here a few weeks back, it started off exactly like that and then gained momentum.
Today
I have some other work to complete and so I am going to do 2 hours of that before I get on to my thesis work. I am going to give myself 8 min on each task max, so i can get through them as fast as possible. Setting timer to 8 min and starting now.
4.20 pm - i started ok with doing my work but then i let myself read other stuff and then i found it incredibly hard to come back to work. I was getting more and more anxiious and stressed and more compelled to do something else other than work. I dont know why my brain was not reacting rationally. Luckily i managed to get to the chatroom and Alunja who was there, helped me start with 10mts.
i have 6 x 10mts so far. I have to really make it a point not to let myself be distracted by reading news etc. When i was working well, i used to come in and get straight to the 10mts. After a break, i would get back and sit by pressing the 10min timer on. I am getting stressed by some deadlines which seem impossible and that is part of the reason for the procrastination. But i think if i can get something done its better than nothing at all, becayse i will feel worse in 30mts, 3 hours and horriblee in 2 days if i still have everything to do still.
So i need to just think about this 10mts and push everything else out of my head and work calmly. I am taking a break now. I will be back in 10mts.
Will work 10 x 10 mts slots in the next 2 hours and update at 6.30pm
8 September
Yesterday was off because of family commitments and it stretched throughout much of the day. Today I am back at work early and hope to get a good chunk of work done today. Momentum has been slow. I need to ease myself into work and get moving.
it's the last stretch. Come on!
Update in 2 hours at 11am with at least 10x10mt slots done.
- Read through entire chapter and comments - 4 x 10mts.
3pm
Finding it so hard to focus. Sigh. Good thing is I got the rest of the day off to focus on my work. I only have 3 x10mts of work today. Just feel so unmotivated and lethargic all over again. I need to break it down to convince myself it's possible I think.
I will start a 10min slot at 3.15pm after a smoke and see how i can direct myself towards my happiness. Tired.
7.25 pm - 12 x 10mts so far which is 2 hours of proper work. I can't believe the day has gone and i was free all day. Sigh. I will try and not worry about that work steadily now that i have some momentum.
Finished reading chap and taking some notes.
Will work on first sect now. I estimate about 2.5 hours of solid work.
7.30-9.30 - at least 10 x 12 mts and will update.
6 September 2012
So i finished what i had to do by morning of 4th september. The rest of 4th september i should have rested and relaxed but I gave in and i did not. The effect flowed on to 5th september and i let myself down again. Today i finished with my other work at 3pm and i could not get started again.
I think my golden rule is when tired and feeling at the edge, DO NOT start doing something else, because it will end in regret days later and lot of needless anxiety. There is no happiness there.
I have lots of stuff to do this evening and tomorrow morning. What I can do is a bit of work from now for half an hour. And then if i can put in another 30mts later in the day thats where it will be. Then I can recommence my work from 2pm tomorrow.
I will do 2x 10mts now to plan out structure for this part. Just deal with things slowly. I dont need extrinsic help to prop me up all the time. I can do much on my own.
You are doing it! You are succeeding.
Not long now thesis. hang in there.
Take it by the day and continue working, writing, rewriting.
Soon it will all be over and handed in.
Have faith!
Thanks Wolke!
Thanks for the encouragement Wolke :) Trying so hard to hang in there!
3 September
Update for 2nd September - 28 X 10 = 280mts. Evenign chores took up other time and I did a bit of study before I thought it sensible to get to bed before i end up wasting time.
Ok today is deadlline day for what i have to do. Was teaching till afternoon. I can start work at 3.45.
I want to target to finish work by 12pm maximum. I can do it if i work hard and smart and not give in to anything and not take too many breaks.
Ok
So 3.45-5 - Finish NON.CONG
5-6; 6-7.30- Finish Comm ct.
6.20 pm - I have 8 x 10mts and need to get through the section soon. I am panicking a bit but i just need to sit down and focus. I did 8 x10 in a row actually and then had some other stuff pop up which needed dealing with and got dinner. Ok lets think about this clearly.
6.30 - 7.30 - Finish section
7.30-9.30 - Finish Comm ct.
10.30-12 - Finish S.C. S.
I just need to focus and get through it instead of worrying. Start with 10min now. Next update at 7.30
How did it go?
I'm a (now ex-) academic, and I had major difficulty getting my thesis
done too. Sounds like you've got through the "I'm sick to death of this crap,
surely I've put enough effort in so this should be finished by now,
yet it's not finished!" stage, and are in the home straight.
If you've flipped out and panicked, don't worry. Focus on how little there is left to do now, relative to the whole body of work, and get some sleep (unless you're particularly productive when pulling all-nighters; I totally was, and despite missing the final, final "you will fail if you don't hand in by this deadline" deadline, I still needed to be up all night the night before I handed in).
You may feel like you have to 'do yourself justice' and make your thesis as perfect as can be while in the process of writing it. I made this mistake, and it leads to a very frustrating time writing, and major disappointment when your supervisor tears it to shreds and makes you correct large portions of your 'perfect' chapters.
A much better approach is to just work on getting it done. Obviously, the first thing you need to do is a bit of brainstorming
about what needs to be covered in the chapter, make a list and put the list in
order. Then, when writing, don't even bother to try doing it "well", don't worry about grammar or spelling, don't even worry if you think it's coming out wrong, just try and get rough ideas flowing, and flowing continuously (and when you've made a point well enough, move on to the next one in your list - you can always come back and add to it later). The aim is to make it good enough for you to know roughly what you meant to say when looking back on it, not to have a final version. Then take a break completely from the section you've written (very important), perhaps writing a different section or doing some teaching, before coming back to it for a read-through and correction.
Editing after writing (including moving whole sections around/deleting massive sections) is much easier than editing during writing, and the less you feel invested in a particular way of saying things (because you spent so much time dredging it out of your mind and making it perfect), the easier it will be to edit/rewrite it to actually make it perfect. Reflection on what you've written and second drafting/editing it is what will make it good, no one gets it right in the first draft!
Hope you were productive! How about a quick copy/paste of the list to let us know how you did?
Dave
Thanks Dave
Hi Dave, thanks for that fabulous post of advice from someone's who's been through all this! I will definitely try to keep in mind all that while getting to the finish line.
I actually took a break from the section i was working on because it was going slow and finished another section and now back to working on this.
Update for myself - 11pm
I have 28 x 10mts so far.
I have finished one section that I was meaning to get to at the end. But it has taken a fair bit.
I think I need another 45 mts of full on concentration to finish up this section and then 2 hours to finish the next section.
And then another 2 hours to fix up bits throughout the chapter.
So break for 10mts.
12am - Finish current section.
Go home and help fix up the stuff which needs to be done.
1am-3am - Finish last section.
3-3.30am - Finish conclusion
Sleep
7-8.30am - Finish fixing up randoms bits. - see if i can do this earlier if i am stuck in between.
No worries
And to add to it: Remember, in all likelihood you are one of the 3-4 people in the world that'll ever read your PhD thesis (sadly). You don't get a grade, it's pass or fail, so it's only got to be "good enough" - and you don't have to second-guess it to death; to a large extent your supervisor can sort out what needs doing. S/he will most likely tell you if s/he thinks it needs more work!
Sounds like things are moving. Keep at it, and remember to keep those sugar and caffeine levels up (or to give yourself a break and go to bed if you need to)!
2 September Sunday
29 August was bad. I let myself slip into an old habit and didn't sleep a wink. I was so upset with myself the next day. I had some bad news regarding my draft chapters as well which needs more revision. And eventually I did not do much for the past few days. I am going to think of it like a break. I was not well as well.
I was also so worried about the changes that I have to make that I could not bring myself back to it. But today is Sunday and here i am early and nice. I missed out on posting on this site for the first few days ssince i started this thread. That is no good. Anyway I am back today. My aim today is to get back into my productive self and let go and forgive myself for all the mistakes and errors i have made. I seek forgiveness and I seek help. So it might take a week longer to finish PhD than i thought. So what, it's better than not getting started on finishing it at all.
Slowly, one step at a time. One feet in front of another.
Will re-post just before heading to work.
Feedback
Oh no, sorry to hear about the changes you have to make, especially at this point!
I have been totally derailed from work several times because of feedback from my supervisor and committee members. It's so hard to deal with! I try to follow the advice of the other person who commented, but still it's hard when you put so much time and effort into it.
12pm Update
I got into uni because I figured I work best from here. It's 12pm now. I am going to break down the work for this chapter into pieces that I can handle. I have 3x10min so far.
12-12.30 - Fix Intro
12.30-1 - Lunch
1-3pm - Fix N.C. Sp.
3.30-6.30 - Fix C.C. sect.
7.30 - 8.30 - Fix concl.
8.30 - 9.30 - Fix in bet. sect.
2.30pm update
First task actually took 9 x 10mt slots instead of 3 x 10mt slots. Shows how much i understimate the time i need to do things and also probably shows that im working quite slow.
Given this, I should probably revise my target times and not frustrate myself when it doesnt get done.
Ok so far today i have 12 x 10 mt slots. Of these 9 x 10 has been done since 12pm. 3 before lunch and 6 after.
10mins break and and I will update at 4.45pm with another 10 x 12 mt slots done. Will finish fixing up this section in 2.5 hours i.e. 15 x 10mt slots maximum.
5pm update
I only have another 5 x 10min slots, some of it was spent moving written stuff around and fixing up stuff. Some distractions including breaks, phone calls, msges in relation to an evening chore, and then wasted some time looking up stuff related to financial aspects.
I have till 6.30 pm and then have to head back home to sort out some stuff. Can I get in 13x10mts in this period? and finish that section? It will be such a load off my chap to finish by tomorrow if i can do that. Anything else i do now, wont feel anywhere remotely good as that feeling. Ok I will give it a go and start 10 min NOW.
POINT TO REMEMBER FROM MY DISASTROUS COUPLE OF DAYS - You give in, thinking it will make u feel good, it never does. I dont have a single example of a time when at the END, i felt better. Why bother then? Why worry with what gives u the opposite of happiness and contentment. Every 10mins makes u feel better and you are marching towards your goal. Commit. Follow through.
Last update for day - I had to wind up at work at 6.30 to do some errands which were unavoidable and now its 12.30am although I could have gotten back to work at least 30-40mts ago. Lot of other urgent stuff which needed doing got done, but the deadline is not going away.
i will do 9 x 10mts exactly and go to bed by 2.15am. Morning must prepare to teach 10.30-12pm
Thesis
Dear Thesis
I do hope you don't mind me inserting a comment here but I just want to send you some big supportive thoughts for this gruelling last few meters to your finishing line. Please be incredibly kind to yourself. I think one of the hardest things is thinking you have just about got there and have used up all your physical, intellectual and emotional resources and then being told there is yet another hurdle to be jumped.
Remember It is a fantastic accomplishment to have got this far. Imagine a little someone sitting next to your computer saying wow all the time. Have a piece of paper next to you and make a tick every time you edit something...
Good luck with it . Hang in there,
Mole
Thank you Mole
Hi Mole, thanks for your encouragement! I am slowing getting back into it now again after that bit of dissapointment. I am definitely thankful for your supportive words, it feels like I'm not in this alone. Little guy next to computer says wow for writing this msg! hehe
29 August
Update for 28 August - I woke up in the evening and did only about 4 x 10mts.
Today
It's been super slow since i handed in the other stuff yday morning. My momentum has sort of dropped. It's an old habit of relaxing once i have rushed through a deadline. But actually i hv a couple of more things to hand in as well, so it's not even done but im slowing down.
This morning I got in an found it hard to start. I was on the chat box and got some inspiration and managed to get moving a bit. I have 4 x 10mts but i need to work hard and fast like i did the last 2 weeks. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS. The light is there at the end of the tunnel. Be determined. Never never never never give in. YES, i've goosebumps now!
Ok what is troubling me is i dont seem to quite know how to revise this section. I'm sort of struggling with it and that's affecting my motivation. I will have lunch now and I will give myself a time deadline to finishing this section, and give it my all.
So lunch now.
1.20 - 2.30 - 6 x 10 and finish the section
2.45 - 4.30 - Finish next section.
Next update at 2.30
3.50pm update
I did only 5x10mts since 1.30. I couldnt concentrate and kept going overwhelmed because I didnt seem to know what quite to do. But most 3 x10 was done just before this update, so getting some momentum.
I will update in an hour with 5x10 mts done.
6pm - I've been procrastinating even more. Usually i would be tempted to disappear from here, but i need to log it. I hvnt done much work at since my last update. I think 2x 10 at best. I had a task that i couldnt get my head around. I couldnt figure out how exactly to organise the section and ive been trying to figure out since earlier. Because there is no progress, and no momentum, it makes me feel more unmotivated. Now I have decided to skip the section and move on. But because I wasted so much time procrastinating today, I can't bring myself to start on it again. My supervisors are waiting. My family is waiting. My life is waiting. What am I doing?
In the same boat!
Hi Thesis!
I too am trying to finish my phd thesis, a full draft by Friday Aug 31st, and I've been having so many of the same struggles and thoughts as you. I decided to register on this site a few days ago after reading your post about not sleeping etc. It sounded exactly like what went through my head 10 min before procratinating on this site to find some motivation. So you are not alone!
Anyways, in response to your above post about being stuck because you don't know how to revise the section - been there lots - I am trying to give myself time limits for being stuck and if after about 30min, I don't move forward, I move on to something else. Cause there's always something else to work on. I also have another document to write down my thoughts, distractions, guilty and motivational thoughts, like a diary. But when stuck, I try to write in there what I'm thinking and why I'm confused, what I'm trying to say, what it's about, what needs to be done even though I don't know how to do it. It also helps to copy/paste the section into that or another document "rough draft" that I can totally mess around and then I don't feel the same hesitation as I do with editing in the actual thesis document. Maybe that will help?
Keep up the great work! You've come sooo far and you're almost there! :)