Dear Doctorate Diary This seems to have become a monthly update, what a change from the beginning of my doctorate journey when I faithfully updated you each week. I’ve not made time for much exercise the past couple months and that really does have to change. I managed to complete …
Dear Doctorate Diary I stopped writing here for several weeks because I had suffered a sense of humour failure and all I was doing was complaining. I’ve been busy complaining to myself now and feel as if I am beginning to regain my sense of humour about the absurdity of …
Dear Doctorate Diary After the last two posts I took a bit of a break from writing these posts as I literally did not have one spare minute for this sort of thing. I did consider packing in my doctorate and had a meeting to discuss this with someone who …
Working six – seven days a week and long hours each day continues, but even so it’s been quite a good week. I passed my 3rd doctorate assignment (we only get a pass/fail grade at this stage) and am officially in my second year of being a doctorate student. I …
Things feel impossible right now. I know this feeling doesn’t make me special because most people I know who have already completed their doctorate have experienced struggles along the way. I think my struggle is compounded by the amount of workwork I am having to do. I am only supposed …
Work is a bit overwhelming at the moment so I am spending a lot of my non work time (evenings and weekends), actually working in order to try and get on top of it all. I’m not being very successful but I am just about keeping my head above water, …
I had set myself the target of starting assignment 4 but I spent Saturday having a life and Sunday prepping for teaching this week soooooo…..it didn’t happen. I must make a start this week because I need to have the first draft done by Oct…and actually I should have been …
My eye consultant had a cancellation so he offered the operation slot to me. I got the call literally two minutes after I had walked out of work to start my 3 week holiday. Of course I said yes to the operation date, I’ve been waiting for it since Feb …
It’s been a week with things to make me smile (see, it’s not all histrionics). I finished the first draft of assignment number 3. I’m feeling ok about having to spend my summer holiday working on assignment number 4 (see previous posts for why I am having to work so …
I’ve been on FIRE this week with my doctorate assignment writing! Well as on fire as I ever get with academic writing, and it’s almost as painful as actually being on fire (I’m really not a natural with this academic writing lark). Yes, I have actually been on fire – …