No Let-Up Till the End

 As I was struggling over my PhD today, it occurred to me that it was wildly optimistic that once the hard part of nailing my conceptual framework is done, I would be able to breathe easy. From then on, I would be able to coast to the finish. That is starting to look increasingly unlikely now. I was hoping to have my conceptual framework done by the end of the month, but it doesn't like I will be able to achieve what i thought was a generous target at the time. This PhD sometimes feels like a blackhole. How much ever time, effort, blood, sweat and tears I put into it, it demands more. So, maybe, I am going to have to accept that it might be a slog till the very end. No let-up, no breathers, just a mad dash to the finishing line. I have been given four months extra instead of the three I asked for and it seems like I will use every minute of that. I don't know for sure how much effort is required to bring it to an acceptable standard. That is the nature of the game, all time lines are estimates. But, it feels like I will require a superhuman effort to get there. So be it. I don't see any other option, other than to quit, which is not really an option.