just reached the fourth level

I just came up with this "7-levels-of-enlightenment" kind of model for doing a PhD, and thought it might be fun to make it a post. This is based on observations of some colleagues, some friends, and myself. Listed are the level, a description of a candidate's main activity, and his/her emotional state.

First Level:
writing a proposal/applying for a position

-> anxiety/uncertainty

Second Level:
starting your project, fieldwork, experiment etc.

-> euphoria

Third Level:
realizing what has gone wrong, or what simply does not work

-> frustration

Fourth Level:
accepting that the likely result will not match your initial plan

-> fatalism

Fifth Level:
restructuring the available sample/data material

-> numbness

Sixth Level:
deciding on the new goal or deadline, and gritting of teeth

-> determination

Seventh Level:
approaching the end, struggling to deliver in shape and on time

-> exhaustion

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P.S.: If you are already (or almost) on the seventh level and wonder "what now?" you can find a comprehensive "six-week plan for recovery" at Just Another Day in Paradise, Maria's blog.