I had blogged multiple times and stopped multiple times in the past. Most of my digital writing, I lost because it was on CMS (content management system) that became outdated, or I got hacked, or I updated, and I did not care to migrate. Social media is fascinating, but individual voices get lost in the collective river, with the pitfalls of armchair activism and click-baiting. How to make sense of it all and contribute? In the last few weeks, I have been thinking a lot of how to organise my thoughts, keep a good order my references (bibliography), track and share my thinking process, collaborate and publish. I also feel the need to progress, not repeat myself and become a more efficient knowledge worker. I just watched this talk and it inspired me to restart blogging.
This talk guides postgraduate students and those thinking of doing a PhD through the vicissitudes of the doctoral process. In a friendly and down-to-earth way, the speaker illustrates issues that many doctoral students face.
There are so many publishing platforms out there to share my thoughts, but I think none will be as simple and imperfect as a personal blog. So, I decided, I will write here notes, and if I want to migrate Squarespace to Wordpress seems easy enough.
“Nobody told me about the importance of having a research diary […] Write the decisions you make and why you made them”
I also enjoyed listening to her talk a second time and share with you the summary of her talk:
- I'm stuck (nobody told me about the need to think)
- There is more (nobody told me to leaving things out)
- I have no motivation (nobody told me "you can do it" so I will not either). "Inspiration does exist, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso (nobody told me about tiny progress). Find tiny progress somewhere else
- I forgot what I did (nobody told me about keeping a research diary)
- Not sure this is relevant (nobody told me about self assurance). Adam Smith is often cited but rarely read Espig-Andersen, 1990, p. 33)
- I feel lonely (nobody told me about the importance of being connected)
- What is the right way? (nobody told me that either)
From now on I will write, even if it is very short, even it is long, even if I am not sure, especially if I am not sure. I am excited by the fact that I will write many things that are wrong, and that I will expose myself to criticism, and therefore give myself the opportunity to progress. Reader, commenter, thank you for being on this journey with me.