Whether it is in study, scientific research, or in life, there will always be various problems. As long as we are trying to improve ourselves, we will always encounter obstacles in our progress. But you can't stop your improvement and improvement because of obstacles, difficulties, or unknowns. The world is beautiful and life is full of beauty. Please remember that life is not a simple check-in. Let us do things seriously and strive to be the one we like.
1. Change a place with one shot
The first pitfall I stepped on was to change a place with one shot. The research was not done thoroughly, and it was a waste of time . In detail, in the first few years of my Ph.D. study, I promoted several small research topics, but they were all scratchy. When I encountered some difficulties and felt that the research was difficult to carry out, my first reaction was to escape rather than solve them. problem, and be passionate about it. In fact, many problems encountered by scientific researchers are common. If there is no public literature or similar methods to solve these problems, then this is a place worth studying. It can not only improve their own work and promote research, but also contribute to others. work for reference.
Scientific research is not a physics experiment class, it is not about doing it superficially to see a phenomenon. Scientific research requires the systematic support of theory, experimental results and analysis. If you don’t organize, analyze, or discuss the experimental results, if you don’t have the ability to judge the experimental results and their value, and if you don’t have the speculative ability for targeted improvement, it may be difficult to make results. This also led to the fact that in the first few years of my Ph.D. study, there were very few results that I could condense.
In fact, there are still many small problems worth studying in this world. As a doctoral student, you don’t have to be obsessed with studying big problems, and don’t be greedy to solve so many small problems. It’s good to focus on one problem you encounter and make a little progress. .
2. Ignoring the importance of long-term accumulation
The second problem I encountered was ignoring the importance of long-term accumulation, including input accumulation and output accumulation . For so many years during the doctoral period, although I have read a lot of literature, I often need to collect a lot of solutions and clues when encountering practical problems. It is a simple reading and summary when writing coursework, reviews, and small articles. I'm ashamed that I didn't develop the habit of insisting on typing every day. In fact, you should insist on reading high-quality articles in different fields, which will help to broaden your horizons, cross-application, and use similar methods to solve problems in this industry. If you insist on reading two documents every day, there will be at least 3,000 documents in five years. Pay attention to 20 scientific research lectures and academic conferences every year, and get in touch with at least 100 industry elites and their cutting-edge research in five years. pity…
In terms of output accumulation, I personally lack effective summarization of the documents I have read and the results of stage work, and lack of knowledge screening, collation, condensing and expression. When reading a Ph.D. or doing work, we must pay attention to output. This is our personal value. If we can input widely, and further remove "noise" and amplify valuable information or results, then we are a qualified (excellent) system and produce excellent work. When I graduated, I found that the output during my doctoral period was only a few published articles, a large thesis and a few PPTs, which felt a little thin. In fact, we still have a lot of thinking, mistakes we have made, and ideas that have been confirmed or falsified are all worthy of being recorded.
Life is short, and there are explanations for what you have done, inspirations and thoughts, which makes the time and energy you spend more valuable. Moreover, when you want to form a display (such as a thesis), you find it convenient to have a lot of available materials, and all you have to do is "processing".
3. The work is not organized and the work habits are poor
If the work is not organized and the work habits are poor, a lot of time may be spent on useless work . For example, when you turn on the computer, can you quickly find the processed data, drawn pictures, and downloaded documents, or is it like looking for a needle in a haystack? When doing experiments, do you habitually return things after use, and whether the instruments are placed at hand? , Is the experimental operation rigid or unfounded, and often "jumps".
I think the work style is best to pursue "clean" and "slow". "Dirty, messy and urgent" not only does not benefit the advancement of work, but even leads to the collapse of the overall work, "laying mines" for the future. Haste makes waste, the links are not solid, and the results lack inspection and review, all of which may violate the taboos in scientific research. How to do it fast? It should be practice makes perfect and increase the output per unit of time, rather than reducing working hours, taking shortcuts and cutting corners. Therefore, slow down when you are not proficient, and when you do more, the improvement of work efficiency will come naturally.
Sometimes we are anxious because we lack planning. We are always anxious for 2-3 days or 2-3 weeks, but we don’t understand the 2-3 year goals and work plans. If you plan very clearly, then patiently, repeatedly grinding and processing a part, waiting for a handy equipment, these things do not need to worry, even if it is a scientific research project with a deadline. Try to extend the timeline as much as possible, have a basic estimate of the cost of each link, and then work according to the plan and personal rhythm
Continuing the pits stepped on in the scientific research mentioned earlier. In fact, I just think of what to say, and there is no strong logic or primary and secondary relationship.
4. Lack of craftsmanship
A large part of the reason for not making excellent results is the lack of craftsmanship . I saw a sentence on Zhihu before, to the effect that: Our inner self-conceited mediocrity ruins the excellent life we were able to pursue. If we are satisfied with what we can do, we have already lost what we can do. better self. Since ancient times, outstanding craftsmen in big countries have repeatedly polished and tempered their works, paying attention to details and even being critical. Putting aside the consumption caused by excessive pursuit of perfection and diminishing marginal utility, most ordinary scientific researchers should moderately pursue excellence and strive for excellence in their own work and output.
There are two aspects to note. If you are a doctoral student mainly doing experiments, their data and results usually rely on a stable and reliable experimental platform, even if this platform is not designed and built bit by bit from scratch, at least you need to keep participating during the Ph.D. maintenance and optimization. This platform can be said to be the "core engine" of our work, whether it is for effect exploration or idea verification. Therefore, we must spend time polishing a stable and durable platform with reliable performance, rather than a package of stacked instruments that can be built and disassembled casually, with only a very low degree of integrity and reproducibility. Imagine such a platform: the screws are not tightened, and they will fall apart if you touch them; And just use it; the understanding of the performance of each instrument and each subsystem is very rough, and I have not explored it clearly. How can such a platform produce excellent results.
The second is to display the results, such as papers, reports, ppt. These all take time and repeated revisions and polishing. Some people are used to taking every piece of their output seriously, just like their own face; some people don’t even want to take a second look at their own works, and always hope that others can improve them, such as brothers and mentors , professional institutions and even reviewers. There is no denying the improvement that professional ability can bring to the work, but we also need to have basic ability and self-awareness. Just imagine, if you don’t care about your own work, who can worry about it for you, and then deliver everything you want to your hands, everyone has their own things to do. Looking back on the papers I wrote, is there always something unsatisfactory? Are scientific research reports and book reports rushed in the middle of a hasty deadline, and the content cannot be read carefully at all? Fluent, detailed ppt and fluent and confident expression, when I took the stage, I was "drawing my sword and looking around at a loss".
In fact, there may not be many decent opportunities in life. If it is so rough every time it is displayed to the outside world, it is better not to export it. The initial image is always deep and difficult to change in other people's minds. These works and achievements are part of our lives, and they are also the traces we leave to the world. We should treat them with heart and polish them with the heart of a craftsman.
5. Not assertive and confident enough
Looking back, one of my major deficiencies during my Ph.D. study was that I was not assertive and confident enough . Part of the reason for this was my personal personality, and part of it could be attributed to my lack of solid learning and my lack of understanding and thinking about experiments and their phenomena. In-depth, less experienced. In the process of communicating and negotiating with my mentors, seniors, and other seniors, I always tend to cater to their views, and I always don’t think deeply and dialectically about the opinions and statements in textbooks and papers. In fact, as a scientific worker, the most frequent action should be "questioning", and the most frequent words should be "what do you mean", "why", rather than "ummm, yes". Don't always acquiesce that others are right, and don't acquiesce that you are right (this will be added later). Science is developing, and only opinions that have undergone long-term precipitation and a large number of factual demonstrations are reliable. Many extended and deliberate views are likely to be taken for granted by the author. After we have experience and understand how academic achievements, including articles and works, are formed, we should have a deeper understanding of this.
Therefore, mentors, brothers, and even the authority of big bosses are not necessarily right. We must be humble and admit that they have more solid training in scientific research than we do, and because they have been working in the field for a long time, they are not familiar with the phenomenon. The regularity and relational thinking ability are better than ours, and the experience is richer. However, only objective facts are the absolute "authority" . If you devote more time and energy to this issue, and have more in-depth thinking on experimental phenomena and sufficient literature research, then there is no need to doubt the relative correctness of your views. When we realize the above, we can debate with our mentor. As small as whether to use A or B for a certain English word, how to describe a certain point of view; as large as the subsequent optimization direction and application direction of the experimental system; or the value of this achievement, which part of the result should be highlighted, and which journal to submit to ; You can stick to your own point of view on these.
I believe that the instructor also hopes to see that you have a point of view and the ability to think independently, rather than a nodding machine and a vassal of his thoughts.
6. Take it for granted and talk to yourself
Not only scientific researchers, but most people need to jump out of their own context, perspective, and inherent way of thinking and expression if they want to communicate smoothly with their peers or complete a highly readable work . This point can be divided into two aspects: First, don’t take it for granted that others already have all the information you know. Usually, what you express is often only a part of what you know. Always think about whether you have missed the limit. Conditions and key content should also be expressed in industry-unified terms as much as possible, rather than talking to oneself. Conversely, after seeing (listening to) other people's descriptions, ask yourself several times whether you have accurately understood what others mean. For people with huge gaps in research direction and language habits, only when they adopt standard descriptions that are close to objective facts can communication be smoother, and there will be no wrong words.
In the early submission of papers, many statements were based on my own cognition as the starting point, which was quite bad; when replying to the reviewers’ comments, I didn’t think deeply enough about the comments, and couldn’t grasp the questions the reviewers really wanted to ask . If time permits, the thesis can be left for a few days, and then read through it from a new perspective, imagining that you are another reader, and looking for difficult and ambiguous places. It is best to find a few people to listen to your report and see if your thesis can follow your logic, or it is still confused and incomprehensible.
Seven, ashamed to communicate, afraid to take the initiative to get help
Doing scientific research can never be smooth sailing, and difficulties emerge in endlessly. As a Ph.D., the difficulties you may face include: the dilemma of stagnant research and unsolvable problems; the exhaustion of tight project deadlines and oversaturated personal workload; the pressure of life and emotions, etc. When encountering difficulties, don't always think about carrying them yourself. You can seek and get help appropriately, such as asking brothers, classmates, mentors, and leaders for help. Realize that a person's power is limited.
Sometimes, when you ponder over and over again and search the literature to no avail, the instructor may have relevant experience through long-term work; just disassembled an instrument, and faced with slightly different instructions, it is difficult to start, but the classmate next door to you may have already Use it to perfection; you catch up with the progress of the project, upside down day and night, and have irregular meals, which makes you mentally exhausted and haggard. It is very likely that under the arrangement of your mentor or leader, you will be able to coordinate a few temporary right-hand assistants immediately, and work together quickly and quickly. Complete the task well. Therefore, regular communication and the establishment of close contact with tutors and classmates are helpful for efficient work and collaborative progress.
Don't worry about contacting people and whether asking for help will disturb others; don't think that if you can't solve the problem, you will appear to be incompetent . This is a sign of lack of self-confidence and a lack of responsibility. Timely feedback is much better than a "thunderstorm" at the last moment. In the past, my outreach to help has been responded to in a timely and effective manner, which shows that it works, that we are proactive, trying to solve problems, and learning to mobilize resources. On the contrary, we also want to be a person who can help others at all times. unity is strength.
8. Put too much pressure on yourself
For doctoral students, it is unrealistic to graduate without pressure at all. Appropriate pressure can help improve high mobility and help us make progress. But our body is also like a wind-up machine. If the clockwork is too full, it may collapse. There are many sources of pressure for doctoral students. Sometimes it is the high-quality requirements of the research group’s supervisors and platforms; It's best to recognize which are necessary stresses and which are just extra worries and burdens.
For example, during the doctoral period, I helped the teacher undertake scientific research projects. The subject is close to acceptance, but the test results are not satisfactory. Our research team has a small number of people. Usually, one or two people work all night long, debugging equipment in the wilderness, eating hot and fast food when hungry, and sleeping on the camp bed when sleepy. The progress of the experiment was still not smooth. After reporting to the instructor, he came to debug the equipment with us, analyze the problem, and find a solution. Seeing that we were very tired, he said, "Forget it, pack up, go back and have a good rest and adjust for a few days, and solve the problem first, and don't worry too much." This can be regarded as a failure of the experiment. The main person in charge made such a big move, coordinating manpower, venues, equipment and various resources, but in the end there was no ideal result. Feeling devastated. Seeing my distressed and frustrated look, the instructor said: " It's just a job, don't think too much ", then patted my shoulder and drove away.
The uneasiness in my heart has been relieved a lot. I have always taken the responsibility on my shoulders too much. After thinking about it carefully, failure is the normal state of scientific research, and work can still be promoted without me. It's better to release the pressure, travel light, and nothing is a big deal. That night, I looked up and saw that the moonlight was very good, and I fought for more than ten days in a row, not once was I free. Compared with this moon, which is cloudy, sunny, waxing and waning, and the cycle changes, life is only a moment.
Everyone is different mentally and physically, and has different expectations of themselves. Do things at your own pace as much as possible, finding a balance between stress and relaxation. There is no need to be obsessed with temporary gains and losses, good or bad results, and the speed of progress; and there is no need to repeatedly fall into the comparison with one or two people. These are not the true meaning of our work.
The content is summarized from:
https://www.zhihu.com/question/464787797/answer/2716144635
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