I know it is a long time since I wrote anything on this blog. All I can plead is that I have been busy. There is less time than I would like but actually having a time limit is focusing me pretty well. Today, I sent off the last of the transcripts to my supervisor. Now I can say that they are all safely transcribed. So that is part of the revisions done.
So now I start working on the thesis proper. To get myself going after the break from actual writing I have signed up for #acwrimo. I have been debating whether this is a good idea. My experience is when I do join in this style of competition I promptly perform less well than normal. On the other hand, I really need some trick to get the brain engaged in the hard work it needs to do. The thing is to choose a challenge that will stretch you. I think I have chosen fairly well. The challenge that I have taken is to redraft my introduction by the end of the month. This weekend and next to concentrate on writing the bit on believing and belonging which the three weekends after wards are to concentrate on filling out about the main theorists in my thesis. The first has some new reading in it, while the second part which is three times the length is actually me drawing on stuff I already know. The advantage of this is it will allow me to redraft my methodology before Christmas. Having that out of the way would be pleasant, as it means that I can then spend the time between Christmas and New Year working on the interviews (editing and coding). Thus, I would be better prepared for tackling data chapters in the New Year.
That said another pressure is I have decided I need to get fit and that means exercise. So I cannot spend all my weekends solely working on the thesis. I need to be efficient. There is a method in this madness. By the time I got to being examined in June I had become so caught up in the process of finishing my thesis that there was a danger that it would swamp me. The idea is that with the increased exercise it will mean that I have to disengage from my thesis and keep it within bounds. I also have aims and ambitions for my attempts at getting fitter so I have a focus for that as well. As my plans become more settled maybe I will introduce them to this blog.
