8 Comments
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Sara Mani's avatar

Yes, I really get this. Research sounds like something anyone can do, and in some ways it is. But doing it properly is a different thing.

I also know the rabbit hole part so well. You follow one idea, then another, then suddenly you have ten more questions. I think the skill is learning when to follow the curiosity and when to bring yourself back to the actual question.

The messy drafts, the questioning, the going back to the data again and again....that all felt very familiar.

Katerina Schmitt's avatar

So pleased this resonated, I know from talking with other PhD our brains are so different, inquisitive, often not on task but trained to recognise this and return to it.

Messy drafts and not knowing is normal we are told it will make sense soon....lol

Man With No Name's avatar

This was a great reflection of your PhD journey- i like how it has transformed learning from a task into a curiosity-driven process for you - and bveing prone to "rabbit holes" you've learnt to balance creativity and exploration with focus.

Katerina Schmitt's avatar

Thank you for your kind words.

Katerina Schmitt's avatar

Yes I agree, they make learning more enjoyable.

Amy Catherine's avatar

As challenging as I found studying towards a Masters degree some years back, while working and caring for my then, one child - having timelines, submission dates and space to spill out case studies and research onto paper proved super helpful for my otherwise unorganised mind! I’m enjoying reading your research diaries - thank you for sharing ✨

Katerina Schmitt's avatar

Hi Amy, Thank you for being here! Oh wow so you know how difficult it is, it feels like Iam relearning to learn so open to ideas 💡 keeping my mind on task is a challenge:-) Yeah timelines and dates help for sure! I love my note books too...lots of scribbing goes in there. Thank you for enjoying the research diaries, and sharing the journey with me.

Amy Catherine's avatar

Thank goodness for beautiful notebooks and online organisational tools!