Graduate Research: Thinking

Never-Afraid-Sit-Awhile-Think-Lorraine-HansberryMake time to think.
No seriously, make time to think. Schedule this, too. (can you tell I like schedules)?
At the very least, accept that this is part of the writing, or pre-writing process. Great writing doesn’t just happen. Spontaneous brilliant thoughts don’t just happen either. We’ve got to make time to think. Yes, we’re constantly thinking about concerts, meet ups, a great date, vacation or our next Snap. If you have time to think about these things, you have time to think about your research. You may need to find a place that is good, grab a fidget or a comfy chair, go for a walk in the mountains or around Wash Park – but make time to mull over what you’ve been reading and analyzing. We’ve got to give our brains time to make new connections and see relationships between ideas and concepts that are new or at least new to us. This may sound a bit silly – it did to me at first – but it really is helpful. So, give it a try.