Perspective Gained!

Hurrah, I am feeling a lot better about the PhD now, and almost looking forward to coming back!

I had a visit from an old PhD colleague today and we had a good chat. I didn't realise that I have a writing up year still to use - I knew of it, but as a funded person I didn't know it was open to me. But it is! Other ESRC peeps at the Uni are in their writing up year now. Hurrah! I did have an email from my funding contact saying I was registered to be with the Uni until June 2012 but didn't believe them. I wouldn't be funded during this time, and would have to pay the Uni £400 odd to stay on but that will be ok. For a short while. So I have been thinking and have decided to extend the amount of time I have by three months. This way I will have September and November to get back into the work, catch up on literature and remind myself of my PhD and where I am with it. Then I shall have from Dec until June to get my fist draft down, completely, completely - referenced and everything. Then I shall edit and re-write until September when I intend to submit, with a view to graduating in December! All my ducks will need to be in a row though - obviously, I will have to have my Viva etc - all willing I will graduate in Dec. How exciting! My baby will be two then, I hope to have moved to the lovely South and bought a housey, and be looking to my wedding which is planned for May 2012. I definitely want to have finished for then. If I can't complete and submit in september for whatever reason - I spectacularly fail my Viva/can't get hold of anyone to do the Viva then I will miss the december graduation but this doesn't bother me too much, as long as I am graduate-ready :0)

So excited and happy to have a plan! And some space to breathe! I now feel that I can do it, that I am not going to be feeling so ridiculously stressed and cutting corners on being a Mum to get the work done, shouting at everyone and being constantly upset. It will be fine. It is a good deadline too because my friend is aiming to graduate then and it would be lovely to graduate at the same time as her, and hanging around after my colleagues have graduated would be rubbish. And the deadline is still quite tight, which gives me a reason to get on with it, rather than being so easy I can chill for a few months and waste time, or so tight I get too stressed and unproductive.

What is most interesting is that I have realised that I wasn't upset or stressed before about coming back to work per se, just trying to get it done in 9 months was upsetting me.

HUZZAHS!

x J