Starting foundation results

Today I got the data and started replicating. Not much done as most of the time involved seeing how I would merge the three datasets together. Also 11.30am starts have not sped up the course of work.

Eureka breakthrough idea!

For the past 3 days I've been at the research centre (11am starts) trying to think of an idea for the PhD topic. My original idea brought forward was not interesting enough and needed to be sexed up paraphasing my supervisor in charge. In the 2 days prior I was dreaming up other ideas, but it was only until the third day (and final hours) did I realise how to sell the original idea I had. Now I'll need to write a brief motivation for it. Shouldn't be too much of a problem now.

Got a breakthrough idea after seeing supervisor

Saw my supervisor, got idea and bludged the rest of the day. From tomorrow I'll be at the reserach centre so hopefully productivity will be 1000% from now. I see lots of write up happening.

A weekend not well spent

Well I think I've found a topic, though I need to ween out the major studies to see if it has been specifically done or not. Otherwise I still haven't finish writing up and wasted my sunday playing Code Age Commanders and reading an internet satire site xmission. I have yet to kick my addictive habits.

Still no security for the research centre either. I'm hoping if I work at the centre I won't be so slack as home or in the uni office due to the open office setting.

More slacking off

Today I worked out what kind of topic to do, though need a spin on it to sell to the sponsor. Tonight I slacked off and played the alternative ending to King Kong game on PS2 when I was meant to think of the research question/angle to put on the paper. Oh well.

Two more days

Talked to my supervisor yesterday and we've decided on some solid replication work to begin with, so today I've been reading up the papers. Also decided to do RA work only during the night so that I can clearly focus on PhD work and can get more done. Also trying to get WRDS data, its a fair bit of stuff compared to Aussie data but shouldn't be too bad.

I guess I will have to read up further to get more ideas and understand how papers flow on their research questions and ways they use to answer them.

Literature review and dreaming up methodology

Today was spent watching two movies on the 1000 movies list (Fight Club and City of God) and finding papers from RFS, JoB and JFE. I did not find many papers but I found one close to the topic I will be doing. Firstly do a US one and then the Australia one should be relatively easy.

Now I will have to write a decent literature review, which was meant to be due tomorrow. Lets hope the powers that be are not pissed! How I don't like writing waffle waffle....

On procrastination

The PhD is a 3-4 year full-time course. All you have to do is write a research thesis. This may sound hard but isn't given the time given. What is the challenge is to have self-discipline to do it. This means even more discipline than in an Honours year course.

Currently I have not gotten into the knack of it. I am trying to understand why. Hopefully through writing my progress and what I do day to day I will get there.

The start of a 3-year war

Since the 1st of January 2006 I have landed and hit the ground running on a Finance PhD. Up til now it has been more procrastination then actual solid work. I hope that writing a blog of what I did on the day we force me to reflect on my progress and give me more motivation.

Atm, it would be possible for me to work from 9Am-12PM with lunch, dinner breaks + 2 hour travelling time = 10-12 hours of worktime every day however I only really use about 2 hours of that time effectively on the PhD.

The other times it is fuelling my game addiction, sleeping in, surfing the internet/ reading news. I hope to curb these habits.