Finish my PhD

I’ve had a bad week. I was sick, and then Isabelle was sick, so this is my first day at work, and child care could call at any time to tell me to pick her up. In theory, I could have worked at home while she slept, if she had slept.
I went to a good workshop two weeks ago which gave me lots of ideas that I need to get to work on, but I have to catch up on paid work too if I want to contribute to the household. My very patient husband didn’t complain at all, but it can’t be fun for him to get home from work and look after a sick wife and daughter.
Oh well. It’s nearly the weekend.

Tomorrow I fly to Saydney for a week-long workshop. It should give my ideas a boost. It’s all been a bit flat lately. I’m not enjoying work (as a researcher) and that’s affecting not only my mood in the short-term, but my motivation to finish, at which time I’m supposed to go full time at work.

I’ve been working on an ugly bit of my paper today. Pages and pages of maths that just wont add up. My husband eventually convinced me to get a computer at home so that I can write when the inspiration hits, and they just rang me to confirm that it’s on its way. At least that way I will have Mathematica there so I can finally work out how to use it and that shouuld speed up this section. I just want it to be over.

I’ve done nothing useful all day, and my husband just called and asked if I would finish early and come into the city to celebrate the end of his exams. I’ll have to leave in less than half an hour, but instead of making the most of my last thirty minutes, I’m still procrastinating. What’s wrong with me?

I still feel like I’m about half way through. My three years is up, and so the deadlines are starting to get closer together. The scholarship runs out in a month, so that should be good incentive for me to hurry up and finsh so that I can get a real job. It’s heartening to know that many people have successfully finished after going through this patch.