During my time in the lab, 3 full years now, I feel like I have been pulled in every direction. This month on top of doing my normal project I have been helping one of the graduate students with his tasks while he works on his prelims (the large examination he must pass in order to continue his training towards a Ph. D.). It seems that every time a new project comes in I start it and get it going before someone new comes in and takes over.
Does anyone else feel like their project is always shifting around in lab? How do you adjust and make a story out of all the different research? I just worry sometimes because I have worked a little on a lot of projects that I will not be able to mesh it all together and make a thesis. Suggestions are much appreciated!
Overcommittment is a big challenge. I actually like having too much on my plate - because then I can pick and choose and not really eat it all. But you'll all have to learn how, even when you're in this state, to focus down and get things done.
ReplyDeleteOne key tactic is the deadline. What a great name - when you get to this line you're dead...
Anyway, the grad student in this lab has an externally imposed deadline: his prelims. Since he's got them, he has to set aside the lab work. Your deadlines for your theses will be different; they will be self-imposed. This is a big part of why planning and scheduling matter. If you don't set out a series of deadlines, you'll never finish. You can't assemble a thesis from a bunch of isolated work. For a while at least, you've got to choose a focus and set aside the time to accomplish it.
Prioritizing commitments is often one of the most difficult things we have to do when doing research. I also have a bunch of little side projects that seemed totally unrelated to me, but remember that your lab already does very specific research in one field. As Professor Kubarych pointed out, the best scientists are those that can make connections between two seemingly unrelated things. That is where interesting research lies, and chances are some of your side projects (like mine) actually do relate in some general way. Figuring out what you've done and how it relates is a really good exercise that isn't as simple as one might think. I think the main thing that has to be done when writing anything (whether it is a book, paper, or journal article) is figuring out the story you want to tell. I've been told repeatedly that there is no possible way everything you've ever done in lab can make it into your thesis; settling on a story you want to tell and using the research that you've done that best supports your story is an important thing to do. I'm working this problem out for myself at the moment as well, and it's certainly not the easiest thing in the world.
ReplyDelete