I get tickled when people ask me where I am at with the thesis, and before I can answer their question, they either say that they know it is a bad question, or that I must be nearly done, because “they heard about my good progress a while back.”

I know they say this in the kindest of ways and to wish me well, but also to cheer me on. But, when for instance, I have not had a moment to look at my work for a month and I am confronted with this question, I encourage myself to find some time somewhere so that I do not have to mumble the same answer .

However, even when you meet the person on average once or twice  a month, and are struggling with time for data analysis, the answer is not going to be too different. Sometimes in a day, I get a paragraph in, but I cannot say that I wrote a paragraph, because they see the doctorate in chapters. I see it in paragraphs. So I have learnt, that when people ask me where I am at since we last spoke, to thank them for encouraging me on, and to ask them where I had told them I was. I treat them as cheer leaders. And we all need cheerleaders on the doctoral journey.

Now, having said that, it has been a month. With exam supervision and marking and work allocation, and elections in the country, I could barely get my head out of the water. But I have now written two pages and drawn one diagram 🙂 for an interesting correlation. That is progress,only, I wish I could meet someone who asks me if I have a diagram.