Frustration is a fuzzy teacher

Any demanding research project is a trek fraught with odd hurdles, momentary disorientation, bad weather, and increasingly sore feet and mind. Of course, you toy with the idea of simply leaving it be, calling a taxicab, riding home, taking a shower, and sleeping in your own bed for the first time in weeks. But then again, the wilderness won’t explore itself.

Consequently, some discomfort during your thesis is to be expected. Two of the key capabilities to keep in mind here are, first, to tell discomfort you can live with from discomfort that is wearing you down, and second, how to cope with the discomfort or adjust what causes it. Mere unreflective enduring of discomfort risks allowing the sensation grow into a pain and possibly into immobilization. Something you don’t need during an exploration. Be mindful of what bugs you, set it in the context of your goals, evaluate the discomfort, and find ways to adjust to endure or alleviate the sensation before you get stuck.

Research, to a degree, also means maintaining your ability to perform on long-term projects. This might be the most meta-level capability trained by actively conducting research: in most cases, it’s an endurance test for your mind. If you consider it as such, make provisions, and remain attentive to the sensations you experience along the way, you will fare better.

(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”.)