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Planning & executing
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Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Aug 11, 2021 at 02:13 PM
I’m probably revealing more about myself than illuminating issues for others, but… This is really all a matter of discipline. Any process will work if you’re disciplined in following it. No process will work if you’re not disciplined. I guess the key is finding a process/tool that makes it easy to stay disciplined to following it. The problem with CRIMP (at least for me) is that it becomes a built-in excuse for not being disciplined.
Posted by Simon
Aug 11, 2021 at 02:17 PM
I hear you! Perhaps we can start a CA (CRIMP’s Anonymous) group and give out chips when we’ve not purchased any new software for a period of time?
Stephen Zeoli wrote:
The problem with
>CRIMP (at least for me) is that it becomes a built-in excuse for not
>being disciplined.
Posted by Lb
Aug 11, 2021 at 05:06 PM
I’d fall off the wagon too much.
Simon wrote:
I hear you! Perhaps we can start a CA (CRIMP’s Anonymous) group and give
>out chips when we’ve not purchased any new software for a period of
>time?
Posted by Dr Andus
Aug 12, 2021 at 12:12 PM
Dellu wrote:
>I always plan to accomplish a task: often it is a research. I start to
>read papers and books on the topic I want to publish. Then, after a some
>days of reading and researching, the ideas in some of the works i read
>would nudge me to a different direction. As I learn some cool problems
>and ideas, i slowly, often unintentionally sway away from my original
>plan and move to a new topic.
>- and, then spend some time, on the new topic—-again the same thing
>happens.
>
>I have so many unorganized notes and unfinished projects. This is so
>annoying.
>
>What method or tool do you guys use to keep yourself on line to your
>plans?
It sounds to me like there are a lot of different processes and stages mixed in here, with different time frames.
My suggestion would be to break down and model the entire process (whether as a flow chart or a set of lists), so that you could develop specific workflows and toolchains that suit each stage.
E.g. being at the exploratory stage, where one is developing a research question, exploring the literature, developing ideas etc. is very different from the development stage, where one would be aiming to develop specific e.g. 10-k word articles for specific academic journals, and then that’s different from the publication management stage, where it’s about tracking at what stage each draft or conference paper or journal paper under review is.
One can develop specific systems (workflow + toolchain combination) to deal with each of these stages.
This is not only about information management but self-discipline management and focus management, so different tools and approaches are required.
One challenge is that these stages and processes overlap. So while you’re starting to work on (and being distracted by) a new problem or new paper, an old paper resurfaces after being rejected by the nth journal, needing further revisions and resubmissions, and so on.
So one can be distracted from one research process by another research process, and both are important. Then it becomes a prioritisation issue, i.e. working on them in discrete time periods (finishing one thing, before starting with another).
But all of this is easier said than done.
Posted by MadaboutDana
Aug 12, 2021 at 01:35 PM
I like Franz’s ultra-simple, time-delimited approach – after 30 minutes, what have I achieved, and how will this affect my research priorities going forward?
What new priorities should I add to my list? And which should I abandon?
Neat!
It matches my own experience of the gradual unfolding of a subject area, when ongoing research often reveals aspects that didn’t figure in the preliminary overview, but turn out to be highly significant.
Dr Andus wrote:
Dellu wrote:
>>I always plan to accomplish a task: often it is a research. I start to
>>read papers and books on the topic I want to publish. Then, after a
>some
>>days of reading and researching, the ideas in some of the works i read
>>would nudge me to a different direction. As I learn some cool problems
>>and ideas, i slowly, often unintentionally sway away from my original
>>plan and move to a new topic.
>>- and, then spend some time, on the new topic—-again the same thing
>>happens.
>>
>>I have so many unorganized notes and unfinished projects. This is so
>>annoying.
>>
>>What method or tool do you guys use to keep yourself on line to your
>>plans?
>
>It sounds to me like there are a lot of different processes and stages
>mixed in here, with different time frames.
>
>My suggestion would be to break down and model the entire process
>(whether as a flow chart or a set of lists), so that you could develop
>specific workflows and toolchains that suit each stage.
>
>E.g. being at the exploratory stage, where one is developing a research
>question, exploring the literature, developing ideas etc. is very
>different from the development stage, where one would be aiming to
>develop specific e.g. 10-k word articles for specific academic journals,
>and then that’s different from the publication management stage, where
>it’s about tracking at what stage each draft or conference paper or
>journal paper under review is.
>
>One can develop specific systems (workflow + toolchain combination) to
>deal with each of these stages.
>
>This is not only about information management but self-discipline
>management and focus management, so different tools and approaches are
>required.
>
>One challenge is that these stages and processes overlap. So while
>you’re starting to work on (and being distracted by) a new problem or
>new paper, an old paper resurfaces after being rejected by the nth
>journal, needing further revisions and resubmissions, and so on.
>
>So one can be distracted from one research process by another research
>process, and both are important. Then it becomes a prioritisation issue,
>i.e. working on them in discrete time periods (finishing one thing,
>before starting with another).
>
>But all of this is easier said than done.