Be kind to yourself

Just like an extensive excursion, your research project will from time to time put you on edge. However, pressing on with a grudge may easily cloud your decision-making capabilities. You’ll be looking for those shortcuts, elect not to visit the areas that sound particularly promising—you just want the journey to be over with. Particularly in tricky terrain, taking the shortcut might not only be a pity, but could leave important and particularly valuable bits of your journey untouched.

Consequently, before you commit to any rash decisions, wind down, calm your mind, be kind to yourself, and only then take substantial decisions. You are on a long-haul trip—try to be merciful to yourself. If you think about it (and if it helps you to think about the situation this way), the project does not matter that much. Realistically, hardly any people are going to take note of your project. And if it does not matter that much, why not just try to enjoy it somehow? You will only be able to make your project matter to others if you yourself can at least partially enjoy it.

Research, to a degree, also means finding a good balance between ambition and relaxation. This balance can be hard to find, and it’s likely more useful to think of this balance as oscillating rather than static. At times, you will push harder, at other times you will need more slack.

(This is a preview section. The full chapter on this topic continues with the sections “Rough coordinates”, “Train of thought”, “In essence”, “To reflect”, “Two travellers’ tales”, “Devil’s advocate”, and “How to tackle”.)