Study Motiviation - Tumblr Posts
2.8.2024
The past few weeks have been absolutely insane; although stressful due to long hours in the lab and balancing a million things, I can't recall a time I've learned more in such a short period. There is of course still SO much I don't know within my field, but it's satisfying to feel myself becoming more knowledgeable by the day.
Towards the end of last semester, I spent some time reflecting on how my first year was going and considering how to really develop as a researcher. The gap between a first and second year PhD student is huge, in my opinion--since I switched fields from undergrad, it's probably even more true in my case. I did learn a lot last semester, but I was still settling into a new environment and program. There is a lot to get adjusted to in this lab; it's huge, a bit chaotic, and used by multiple groups.
I am finally feeling more confident and independent, so I think this is the time to really grind in order to be where I want to be going into my second year. In addition to ramping up lab work, I've been trying to read way more. For each article I read, I also make a slide in an ongoing PowerPoint that summarizes key findings and any notes or questions I have. This isn't so much an organizational method (I use Zotero for that) as it is a way to follow interesting threads in current research and develop a habit of active reading.
If anyone has a reading practice that really works for them I'd love to hear about it :)