Rising Panic.

Because I am a glutton for punishment, I decided to count how many days until my thesis defense. 58. I would like to point out that 58 is a number less 60. This means, in less than two months, I will need to defend a thesis, which, as of now, is still two chapters shy of completion. Since I am incapable of doing anything half-assed, I felt further compelled to subtract my non-productive days. 5 days in Knoxville, TN for the Particle Accelerator Conference (with a hopeful side trip to Dollywood), 2 days in Las Vegas for a bachelorette party (really more like 3, since I should give an extra day for recovery) and 4 days in Georgia for a wedding. This reduces my already paltry 58 down to 46/47, depending on the count. I am heading out of the "less than two months" territory into a much less comfortable "month and a half" region. I think the word of the day is: CONCERN which might soon be followed by FREAKING-OUT.

Then just to add insult to injury, I have come down with a rather vicious cold. A hacking cough, a runny nose (which is now sore from extensive blowing) and a very husky voice (actually more sexy/cool than irritating). My high hopes for a very productive week might be foiled by cooties, if I don't recover promptly. Getting concerned, very concerned.

Comments

[Tom Weidig]

Good Luck!

I was in a similar situation some years ago.

And I spent more time modelling how-much-time-do-I-have-left than spending time writing my thesis!

So stop thinking and start writing! :-)

Tom

[mick]

Good luck Caolionn, keep at it.

I was in a similar situation, um, about two weeks ago. Now I'm a postdoc on the other side of the planet. I don't think I was really in the right frame of mind to finish my thesis untill I was completely terrified that I might not make it. It's really amazing how much work you can get done when you are thinking in this way...

Good luck, and remember to bug all of your fellow PhD students, postdocs, and faculty for heaps of help in the next few weeks.

mick.

[little miss demosthenes]

caolinn, a word of advice:
the main thing is to NOT freak out.

...

okay, who am i kidding?

freak out.

---
my *actual* advice~

from where i see it, there are two ways to go about this, and fortunately, the two overlap. the
first is logical, but requires a big leap of faith. the second is more plausible, definitely uglier, but will work no matter what.

i have a deadline myself [jan 21st, my birthday] to finish a novel ive started not long ago. after breaking things down, it seems like every month i need to write 6000 words [10 pages according to my parameters] for 5 months straight in order to pull through. that doesn't sound bad.

until.

i realize that i probably will waste a half a month for homework and tennis meets, plus another two months for learning math i should already know, plus another two months to possible jobs im accepting...

well, you get the idea, because you're most likely busier than i am. besides my packed schedule there are also lazy days and vacation days just like you have written.

but, the most frustrating thing is, when i set aside time for me to type away, the words simply *won't come out.* i can probably stare at a blank document for more than 30 minutes before realizing that im just *not going to write today.* and *then* i have these sudden urges to grab a computer during the most inelegant times -- including: when im at a friend's house, in the middle of a scrabble game, on the toilet, in class, on a car ride, and during maldacena's virtually incomprehensible lecture. [i will *not* go there. all you need to know is that some people from argentina, while intelligent, are not great at speaking loudly and clearly in english].

so the whole point is that i never actually work during designated work times, and that inspiration is wicked because it strikes at really bad times. then i forget what i wanted to write because im either too busy to jot something down, or i have no access to something to jot down on or with.

the first approach is to simply not worry about it and trust that you will have productive moments. the more you force yourself to sleep, for example, the less you will probably sleep, because you're caught up in thinking about how much sleep you're loosing during the time you could actually be sleeping. instead, relax and inspiration will probably hit because that's how it is, and utilize inspiring moments.

the second approach is to forget all this idealistic mush. inspiration may apply to fiction, but is pretty difficult when it comes to a dry technical document. relax, like suggested above, and put it off to the last moment. because that's what everyone does. [people who have been through your ordeal can testify to this statement made by a high school student]. it *is* amazing how much you can get done with intense pressure. granted, you'll probably cut a few years off of your life [who doesn't?] and end up extremely tired like some shadow of a hangover, but you'll have made it through, right? isn't that what you're worried about?

so the two main ingredients are
1) relaxation
&&
2) relaxation

the rest follows naturally. if you're inspired, that's awesome, and if you're stressed, that's normal.

good luck
-demielah

[Aaron]

Don't freak out... FREAK OUT!
http://www.carolmarksmusic.com/music/IceHouse/freakout.mp3

;)

[Scott]

They make you finish your thesis before you defend it? Things in App Physics and EE at Stanford were so much more laid back... but not for the better. It was one year to the day from the time I defended, to the time I turned in my thesis... not recommended.

By the way, you probably work with a friend of mine... T. Plettner. I heard he recently accelerated electrons (at Hepl). We are all very happy for him.

[Caolionn]

Physics doesn't require you finish your thesis before you defend, but my advisor does. Apparently, he let one student do it and vowed never to let it happen again. I tend to agree with him, since I would prefer to never look at the topic again once I defend because I am already very tired of it.

Yes, I know Tomas. And, yes, they have gotten some good acceleration results at HEPL. We were all (E164) very happy for them.