Tips and Fixes for Researchers

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Why is research a tedious experience? Here are a few reasons, and fixes.

1. Most research requires plenty of frustrating alone-time with books and other instructive materials. And some people are not cut out to be alone. Such people will feel miserable when alone with books for more than a few days. When this duration becomes weeks and months, they grow impatient, get out to party, and find it difficult to scoot back to the desk.
   
   Here is a fix for this problem: When you feel like being alone in your lab or library is too long to be alone, take a break. But before you take this break, decide how long the break is going to be. And when you get back on time to your books, reward yourself with something you love. When this goes on for a week or a month, give yourself a longer break- may be a day or two, a weekend away from work.
2. Most researchers find it difficult to organize the ideas they have gathered/thought through. It can be difficult for large projects that involve many complicated ideas that interact to give your thesis its flavour.
   
   Here is a fix: Once you stumble upon an idea, and know that it is going into your thesis, write the heading and a small explanatory paragraph (synopsis) in a separate sheet of paper or a file. Keep adding to this file as you get more ideas for the thesis. By the end of your reading phase, you will have a number of such synopses. Now you take these small paragraphs with headings and arrange them on a table. What you see before you is your thesis- spread out. You can now jumble them in the best fashion that fits your purpose. Once you find the best organization, file the paragraphs, and start writing!
3. Most researchers find it difficult to sit and write. Reading is one thing. Writing is another. You not only need patience, but also discipline, peace of mind, organization of ideas and the best of yourself. So for most researchers, writing becomes a painful and never ending process despite the deadlines.
   
   Here is a fix: Before you write something, you make a plan. Let this plan be complete with a list of ideas, intentions, references, and goals. So when you finally sit to write, you have a plan to follow. And you know where you are, and when you will be able to finish.
4. Most researchers hate editing. Editing is a damn bad job because it needs endless hours of re-reading your own writing. You need to have patience.
   
   Here are two fixes: a. Give an incubation period of at least a week before you begin editing anything you have written. If you try to edit your writing soon after writing, you may not be able to see the glitches, because everyone likes what and how they write. So give some time before you edit. b. If you have a dear friend who is good at writing or logical thinking, give a manageable part of your draft writing to this friend. Let him/her take time and comment on your writing so that you can sit and correct yourself. 

Now, are some of your research problems solved? If not, do not be frustrated. Know that there are thousands in the fraternity/sisterhood. Our tribe is large, and all of us wallow in similar pain. This is a dirty river we ought to cross to string those two or three letter degrees to our names. Let us just do it.