Reading and Note-taking

I have a terrible problem when it comes to reading secondary material: I read far too much of a book and take too many notes. I write everything I can down 'just in case'. However, although this is my natural inclination I have had to change for the PhD reading as there is simply too much to be done, and too little time. Here are some tips - for me, but hopefully can be used by anyone!

• Start with the intro and conclusion. If you need to read some of the filling, do, but only after reading these chapters first. Often they will have most of what you need.
• What are you looking for? + The author's theoretical/philosophical/methodological bias and the strengths and weaknesses they have, comparing to your own and the argument you are wishing to convey. + The author's arguments. + The aim of the work. + The author's references: this will often point to their bias' but also will give you more reading lit. + The author's conclusion.
• Always be critical and open-minded about the literature, it may surprise you.
• If it is 'periphery reading' (not directly related or secondary lit) don't spend hours taking notes or feel guilty that you are slacking because you haven't written a mini-version of it in your own fair hand. Instead, if you need to read some of the filling skim through the intro, if it is looking relevant and exciting then settle-down and write away. More notes the better. Lots and lots of lovely notes!! BUT if it is inly a bit relevant, put the pen down and just read it. Miss whole paragraphs. Get the gist according to the criteria above: argument, theoretical direction, main points and findings/observations.. then write down your impression *at the end*. This will mean it is concise and also help you to read in a more efficient, informed way. You may even skip the paper-notes altogether and write the abstract and your thoughts straight into your reference manager (endnote for me). As you can have themed groups when you come to write the chapter/lit review it will be there waiting, and you can get the book out if you feel you need to and read it more slowly then - when you KNOW it will be helpful.
• If it is a BIG report/book that you have slogged your way through and written gazillions of notes you probably won't remember how great they are when you come back to use them in six months time. So write a synopsis and a few choice quotes that summarise the brilliance of the report and your thoughts on it, and put this on top of your notes in your file. Sounds obvious but sometimes I am so enthusiastic I just assume I will be bound to remember it... and I don't; I just feel dread at having to go back to it!

That's it for now. Mainly: keep it short and sweet; intro and concl first, look for the author's arguements and theoretical direction, question how the article relates to your ideas, discard.

x J

Thursday 3 July

Arg how did it get to Thursday so quickly? I keep thinking it is Tuesday.

I have been a-working hard this morning! We have the plumbers round to do some over-priced, unnecessary work on our bathroom today (eta: 8.30.. still no sign) but our landlords insist and so we, naturally, comply. Working from home this creates a number of conundrums: we will have to make a lot of tea for them, messing up our day being scrounging, stay-at-home tea-makers; we can't go to the loo (I drink 2 litres of water a day and go quite frequently, obviously); we can't shower after the gym (will have to do it at the gym which means I will come out dirtier than I went in) etc etc. I am not happy. And we haven't got good relations with them because they are doing this work that doesn't need doing, they never call and let us know when they are coming (Tuesday this week it was meant to be) and now they are late late late. I am angered! And I would put money on the fact that it won't be finished by the weekend so w will be showerless all weekend. Arg.

I have decided, as well, to call off the bbq tomorrow and cook keralan fish curry and lemon rice instead. I am relieved about this because I was going to have to be marinading chicken tonight and making home-made burgers... This would have been a pain and I would have been worried about juggling kebabs, chicken thighs and burgers on my first dinner soiree. As it is it will be quite easy and, hopefully, delicious.

Arg it's Thursday! This is (still) not good! I have been reading the chapter through again and it is a good template that needs fleshing out and bringing up to PhD standard really (not that I lay any claims to knowing what the chuff that is meant to be...). So today I will dig out all my sources that will help with this and start at the beginning...

I have also realised that I have to re-file all my sources from when I did it last September. I now have different thematic foci and have run out of folders. This is Not Good. Especially because as I go through I will have to put each source into endnote. Endnote is confusing me too - how am I to put in a chapter from an edited book?! Am sure it isn't going to work properly and I will end up doing everything manually anyway. Not as bad as when my Sup did his PhD though - writing it all out by hand. And then re-writing it. Having to get sources solely from the library, no internet. Trekking for days and paying exorbitant prices for fieldwork... THAT is getting a PhD.

Back to the grindstone!

Where are the plumbers?!

x J

End of another day..

I failed again! I didn't hardly do anything!! I am cross with myself but determined to make it up tomorrow. I am getting a bit stressed and think I am getting to that place where you end up doing nothing and being glum and disappointed, then suddenly, one day (soon I hope) you get up and it all seems much more manageable and ka-boom! Work is being done. Is like 'thinker's block'... hehe.

I am a bit freaked out because it has got very dark outside all of a sudden - like, really really dark - and really windy. Like a witch must be flying overhead. And I am all on my todd. Eek! I am afeared of the evil atmosphere that seems to be looming over my house... Luckily Richard and Judy (TV chatshow; brainless nonsense with ludicrous - and unwittingly funny - hosts Richard, and, yes, his wife Judy...) are not yet talking in tongues so I shall put this odd turn down to meteorological causes only... For now.

I bought my friend her 30th beeday pressie today: zorbing. It is a day-out pressie, and she gets to be strapped into a massive inflatable ball and pushed down a hill in it. She likes being put in dangerous, adrenaline inducing situations so I hope she likes it. I am also going to get the 'Tao of Pooh' book, which explains how Winnie the Pooh is akin to the Chinese philosophy of Tao. Seems quite good and we came accross it for the first time when we travelling as wee 22 year olds back in the day... so i thought it would have a personal resonance and it is a philosophy of life for the new decade... I hope these are good presents and not too naff or inappropriate. I fret about stuff like this. My other friend is getting a lovely necklace and I think she probably only wants one or two necklaces - are bound to be a few of them cropping up as it is quite a lovely but obvious pres perhaps?! Arg I feel like a bit of a cow saying that! Am not though!

So what did I do today?! Oh, oh, R and J are sidetracking me by introducing a feature about how dogs and cats will behave oddly after the death of a loved one because they sense dead people. And are showing a clip of a cat being odd from the film 'Ghost' when a dead Patrick Swayze is in the room... I love how they take this so seriously! Do they think the film was a documentary?Bless. Not that I am necessarily a disbeliever, no sir, but they just take it super-seriously and this is rather comical.

Anyway, anyway. I did read through the work for the chapter I have done so far (about 3500 words) which has been copied-and-pasted from a dissertation and from my previous chapter and I am pleased to report two things:
1) There is a vague outline which can easily be fleshed out. It obviously needs to be made more rigorous, a proper argument needs to be introduced and it lacks structure and coherent analysis. The writing is a bit poor as well.
2) I noticed this! Woo! So I must be getting better without realising it because a lot of this chapter is from a dissertation I got a clear distinction in last year for my MRes, and now reading it I see a few clunky phrases and weak analysis (although it was meant to represent a certain type of discourse rather than be completely analysed itself. I must remember this). I can clearly read my own work and be objective about it. This is great.

So I have an outline to develop which is great. I was so worried about reading this work and thinking it was great as it was and being stuck about how to develop it into a chapter. Also, I read my chapter outline from my chapter plan and it was really useful, reminding me of what I want to do with this section. Woo -ha! I felt really miserable about the PhD this avo as well. I was reading a forum and there were a few posts about being stressed and unhappy and worrried and I was thinking 'well, I am quite happy in my work', and then I got all worried and thought maybe I was being stupid and should be more worried, and thought the reason I wasn't worried was because I probably didn't work hard enough. And THEN I started to think about how I had to write this chapter and then the next one - having worked out my methodology - then had to do fieldwork when I have never interviewed anyone in my life, then wondered what if my volunteering placement is awful and useless and I hate it, then wondered what if DB hates it, then thought what shall I do when I get back and have to do analysis: how do I do this?! And then I thought how do I write it all up? I can't write it up, I don't know anything. I am of average academic ability, how am I going to write this thing up properly? Am I deluding myself by thinking that the work I am doing now is going to be anywhere near good enough?

Arg. And then I read more of my chapter work, criticised it, re-wrote a rough plan and felt much better and almost competent. Leave tomorrow to tomorrow eh?

Back to R and J, I have an animal-death intuition story, although I think it could also be called an animal-death coincidence story... When my pet fish died (see 'chaz the fantail goldfish' ) I buried him and then sat outside reading my book and Jeremy the cat-from-next-door came and sat at my feet, as if to keep me company because I was petless now. I felt really comforted and DB came out and saw us and commented too. Silly I know, but I really loved that cat then. And he has never done it since... spooky.

I am chilling out this evening - no work, no exercise. Am meant to be doing some work for DB so I can buy a new dress for a wedding I am going to at the end of the month. My one from last year doesn't fit me any more with this new exercise regime I have developed! Woo! It is bloomin' gorgeous though so will be sad to see it go. We are going to the wedding in Bath so have to go a day early and are staying in this lovely B and B. Am really looking forward to it because the b and b will be all romantic, Bath is a beautiful part of the world and I love weddings. After we are heading to Cornwall to see our friends for the rest of the week. SO my plan is to get this chapter done, then bug*er off for a week, then come back and re read it and put it to bed to start the methodology chapter... We shall see, but I think it is good motivation. I feel bad though, especially when I read forum posts like 'working on my birthday' or, 'never have a day off'... I just don't exist in this whirlwind realm of PhD-land. I do sometimes, when a deadline is coming up, but generally like to think that slow and steady wins the race... I think when I get back from fieldwork and am analysing etc it will probably be this manic land of work, work, work. But then I have another 18 months from when I get back until my submission deadline. Is this tight? I think it should be quite manageable. I read one post, once, where the lady said she had got her PhD in social sciences and drank through it and had time off and didn't have a totally fretful time of it... I love that lady. There is no point me flogging myself more when my Sups and me are quite happy with the way it is going, just to say how hard I work to other people is there???

I have to go now and get myself ready for the psycho-sob fest that is hollyoaks...

x J

Late Late! 2 July 2008

I am late. Very late. I woke up late and have been faffing on the internet for the past hour with NO intention to work. How bad is that?

I have now run out of excuses and should get down to reading what I have written for this chapter so far...

I don't want to!!! Maybe, ok, I make myself read this chapter and then I can go and have a break for lunch. Then come back this avo ready to plan a plan and do some bloomin' work.

Ok?!

yes miss.

x J

Terminado

Well, after reading four articles of the last book, I have finally finished the self development reading. This is with quite a sigh of happiness because I can now start on more tangible work. A lot of it was very illuminating so I feel quite learn'd.

So onto a new chapter tomorrow, quite literally! It has been a lovely sunny day today so that helped with my reading, managed to concentrate for quite some time today... I probably worked for 6 hours with some time for faffing and wondering (and wandering).

My nails are a state.

Righty. Am off now because I have reached my target and worked hard for it. Am so pleased, so pleased to start doing 'proper' PhD work again tomorrow. My Sup is back off his holidays on Thurs so I will email him maybe on Monday, and arrange a meeting... Maybe on Weds in case he drags me in asap. I would like to have some ideas to show him...

Tomorrow:
read through the work I have already done. Think about what I want to do with this chapter. Make a vague plan of sorts and start reading through the sites! Maybe will need to read some Foucault and CT... Arg. If it looks ok I should start thinking about writing something for publication, maybe somewhere not to demanding to start with. Opinion piece so to speak... That would be thrilling. (sounds sarky, but am being truthful - I would be soooooo excited to get something published!)

I hope everyone else is having a good day!

Byzle

x J

Better today! 1 July 2008

Happy Tuesday!!

Today is such a better day! I was up at nine and the sun is shining freely outside... I feel like I have the whole day to work and am not feeling so fatigued and bogged down. Hurray hurray!

Today I shall finish that book. It is going to be the last book I hope, then tomorrow... eek my next chapter!!

I hope the sun stays out, then I can go and work out in it later...

On a less cheery note, I am wearing a new head band which is very pretty and actually makes me look rather nice even in my scruffs but it is pinning my ears back like a headbrace. It hurts me. Is this normal?!

Speak soon chicos

x J

End of Monday... woo!

Ok dokey. Today really hasn't been that good, but then again, it hasn't been that bad.

*I did my chores in town so the rest of the week is very predictable
*I completed one of the important books and realised actually, it wasn't *that* important. Hurray! I also had a look at the one for tomorrow and that looks pretty easy to get through.

SOOOOO
Hopefully by the end of tomorrow I should be ready to start Chapter Four! I will sort out a new plan if I need too - I want to start working out my methodology by July 21st which would give me two months before we leave. Eek!

Tomorrow I shall:
*Finish this book
*Spend the rest of any day I have learning some language.

Woo! I am dreading, absolutely dreading starting Ch. 4. BUT am glad that I can start it soon and get to grips with it. It only needs to be a draft at this stage afer all...

Draft schmaft. I am hopeless at doing work in a rough way, it always has to be 'just-so'.

Until tomorrow!

x J