Can anyone give me some advice? I am coming to the end of a huge project which I have worked my guts out on and in the final furlong I am finding it near impossible to see things through. I have to sit at my computer all day as a kind of war of attrition because it seems to be the only way i’ll get a reasonable amount done (which normally would have taken a ‘reasonable’ amount of time). I distract myself, get sick of myself, can’t think, it’s terrible. When I look through what I have done the next day, it normally seems pretty ok, solid work, but it was agonising to do, took all day and it’s not like it is world changing stuff, just that I am very invested in it. I have always had a problem flaking out, seeing things through and I’m sick of having to MTFU and bulldozering through what should be the home run, spoiling the rewards of hard work. Anyone help me think round this?

sounds like you need a long weekend off

Me too, let me know if you find the answer. 🙂

Don’t the rewards come afterwards, not during the final bit? Everyone has to man up and put the effort in for the final bit (you should try writing up a PhD thesis!) so either be honest with yourself and man up, or if you’re too heavily sunk take friday off and have a long weekend.

Take some time away from it. You have lost your perspective perhaps?

I used to slump, then I changed what I was eating. Food and mood etc… Drinking plenty of water and snaking on fruit while I was working. For me it was about small changes like that. Also what’s distracting you? If your spending more time worrying about what CD is playing then dump the CD player.

Hope you get it sorted and I’m sure the rewards will come afterwards. Treat yourself to a long ride somewere picturesque when it’s completed. Good luck.

thanks so much guys! this is the crazy thing, the bits that should be a pleasure — the bit where the rider does up his jersey and sits up on the bike at the finish– is the bit that is difficult. I literally have to write the last paragraph of my penultimate section today before i can begin that long weekend, barely five lines, but i feel like i’m losing it, it’ll get done, but does it have to make you feel wretched in the process? bleugh!

posting here is obviously partly a distraction from the work

thanks so much guys! this is the crazy thing, the bits that should be a pleasure — the bit where the rider does up his jersey and sits up on the bike at the finish– is the bit that is difficult. I literally have to write the last paragraph of my penultimate section today before i can begin that long weekend, barely five lines, but i feel like i’m losing it, it’ll get done, but does it have to make you feel wretched in the process? bleugh!

Well theres 5 lines right there. Although the last line did taper off

Sounds like you got a kick from solving the problems and now solved your motivation is flagging to carry on and do the final polishing up. The battle’s already been done, you are just tidying up, which is boring.

I am like this all the time 🙂

I have to sit at my computer all day as a kind of war of attrition because it seems to be the only way i’ll get a reasonable amount done (which normally would have taken a ‘reasonable’ amount of time). I distract myself, get sick of myself, can’t think, it’s terrible. When I look through what I have done the next day, it normally seems pretty ok, solid work, but it was agonising to do, took all day and it’s not like it is world changing stuff,

I agree with all the above but then my understanding stopped. Normally when I start a project Im like this.

The immensity of the work to do, deciding where to start, the fact the finish line is so far away its seems like I’ve loads of time and having to do the background reading etc etc etc ..

There seems to me like a million reasons not to start something, the only time I do work solidly is when the project is coming to an end in terms of both timescales and work to do.

At that point Im much more focused everything I do seems one step closer to finishing and achieving something. I cant really understand not wanting to finish something once your’ve put all the initial effort in.

I can understand not wanting to put any effort in at all though.

So basically I have no understanding or advice to give you sorry…

another thing is when ‘it’s on’ i find i can only sleep like a minimum amount, just enough to do the work then collpase.

However, the support so far is great, also oddly reassuring to know scu98rkr has the exact opposite problem. i’m all about the chase me. but actually, i’ve nearly done what i was talking about having to do, though it ended up being more like 30 lines. cheers!

Is it perfectionism? It is with me in circumstances like these

You’ve worked on it so long, invested so much, you can’t imagine the thought of stopping and that being it, not being able to change and improve it?

It’s never going to be perfect, it can’t be. But have the confidence that the work you’ve produced is good quality, and the final paragraph is going to follow in the same vein. your assessor’s opinion of your work is not going to be decided by the final paragraph.

Put your pen down (metaphorically) give it to someone else to read, make any suggested changes you agree with, hand it in, and go for a bike ride!