Finding it really hard to get back to work on my PhD...

[Maria2007]

Hi everyone,

Am just looking for some advice / support really. I have a 6 month old boy, & am on maternity leave at the moment (until the summer). Still, I'd love to manage to do a bit of work on my PhD... I'm due 3 months more funding (scholarship money) in the summer & then that's it, scholarship ends, which means that if I manage to finish by next autumn, that'll be great, I'll then manage to get a part-time / flexible job. The thing is, my PhD is already done to a large part, but I do certainly need to do lots of 'tying up' work, plus finishing the last 2 chapters which are half written.

We've hired a part-time babysitter who started last month... she comes in 3 times a week, about 4 hours each time, and the idea is that I'll be working from home (from the other room). However, so far- for one whole month- I haven't even done 1 hour or work! When she comes, I either pop in the other room to see my baby () or I go on mumsnet, take a shower, even a nap. OK I realize that resting is something I need to do... (especially since my boy is a relatively bad sleeper) but any tips about motivating myself to work? Perhaps I should ask the babysitter- now that I trust her more & she's really comfortable with the baby- to take a walk of about an hour so that I don't have the distraction of DS being in the same flat as me? Or maybe I should take my laptop & go to a nearby cafe for 2-3 hours? What has worked for other people?

Thanks in advance for any tips.
M.

Start by going straight out of the house when she arrives for one of the sessions a week, to the library or cafe and then build up to two sessions and then three. You need to think of it as going to your part-time job which has fixed hours.

Is there a library nearby you can go to, then you can research and study?

Maybe put your ds in nursery for some of the week

I like the idea of going out once a week... and then twice, and then 3 times (building up). I have worked with my laptop at cafes or libraries pretty much throughout my PhD, so that's definitely doable, & there are lots of cafes in my area. I'm not ready to put him in a nursery yet, I like our babysitter & it's only 12 hours per week so far, so that feels 'right' for me & DP (at the moment). What I find particularly hard, is trying to get back into a 'work mode' when, in reality, I'm in a very different frame of mind at the moment...

I've had to defer my course because of lack of study time. It's so hard isn't it? The thing is when you start doing the work and really get into it and don't allow yourself to be distracted you feel really good. It's when you don't keep the momentum up, that's when things get difficult. It doesn't help if you are tired either.
This sounds odd, but if you can find something that helps you concentrate then that might help. For example, I used to sit at the table against the warm radiator and that would make me more comfortable and more in a studying frame of mind. Maybe filling up a hot water bottle and wrapping it in a towel and putting it under your feet might work. It might sound odd, but it's worth a try. That might look a bit odd in the library or cafe though.

I had dd at the end of my 2nd year of PhD. I started writing a book chapter when she was about 6 months abd it was incredibly tough to concentrate. My brain was just mush. Dd went to nursery 2 afternoons/week.

I took another year out then took up my final year's grant. Actually I went part-time over those 2 years and now I'm writing up.

You must get out of the house to work - or ask the babysitter to take baby out. Realistically, it's probably better if you go out - you can stay out longer (the only problem is nothaving all your stuff with you). It does take a while to get back into it.

Acinonyx- thanks for the suggestions & ideas. Yes, I totally relate to the 'brain just mush' bit... I find it unbelievably hard to concentrate, I've had no success so far in my efforts. However, I'm planning to start going out (as people suggested)- I'll take my laptop and / or books with me, & go to a nearby cafe. That way if it's REALLY not working out & I can't concentrate, I can always easily return home....