to reiterate:I have a plan, basically to continue as before, just to keep going with what was working. The thing is that I'm just not comfortable with being broke, so I am just going to try to set myself apart and do what I need to do and give it a shot.
It's going to be tough, but realistically it's quite a competitive world out there, and I have my work cut out for me. I think my strategy is ok... just got to be consistent, work really hard, get comfortable, breath, don't forget sleep and rest, and I think I will be in the right direction in 6 -12 months. Let's go go go!!

i think a problem is that you feel the need to make yourself schedules. learn to train your mind to piece that stuff together in your head, to the point where making the schedule is just for "protection" against distractions -- an outline, and i will personally guarantee your physics work will be better.

interesting take... You're right I should ask myself questions such as "What needs to be done? When I am going to do it?" , rather than trying to force everything to work into some mastermind routine. Then the point is less about the routine, and more about the work itself.

I have been constantly preoccupied with my commitment to the program and financial issues. It's basically eaten away my entire month of june. I think it's ok, as long as I come out with the correct decision. I believe I do have the correct decision. Here's how I came up with it. I remembered back to when I was an undergraduate and I was doing a senior research project in astrophysics. I didn't do any work all year even though this was a yearlong credit course. In the last two weeks I wrote my thesis, a very stressful experience, it was a terrible quality, hastily written paper, and I'm surprised they passed it (in fact it would have been better for me if they rejected it). I had been playing online poker all year, and not doing my work. I don't want to relive this scenario. Money is important, but in this particular case what matters right now is that I maintain my personal integrity*. I am very easily distractable, but I refuse to allow myself to be distracted from the goal this time. This will involve some sacrifice of time, but it seems like a correct sacrifice. Time to get to work!!

* it's not really clear to me how I would make extra money in any case other than working at McDonalds or something like that. The amount of time I would lose doing that would be much better spent towards quickly getting my Phd and then getting a higher paying job after that. So really it seems like all this deliberation was a waste of time. I choose to stop deliberating over nonsense and start working!!