Observe the World, and Write Everything Down
As Socrates once said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Examination begins with observation; noticing something and registering it as being significant. One of the goals of science is to make things better, which requires an understanding of how things currently are. One of the most essential ways to spark new ideas is to observe the world and see what makes you confused, upset, impressed, or simply wondrous. Inspiration for new hypotheses, experiments, projects, and methods can be found in the world around you. Sometimes it is the shortcomings in current approaches that stand out, inspiring you to innovate better solutions. Other times, observing what works well in fields outside your expertise can inspire you to implement those same approaches in your own work. Often, observations that appear completely irrelevant can inspire solutions to the problems that feel intractable. It is impossible to predict where a good idea will come from, but by practicing the skill of observation, you can allow yourself to explore a higher quantity and a wider range of ideas.
Observing doesn’t have to mean just looking around you, but taking in information from a multitude of sources, such as through reading books or talking to other people. It is easy to get caught up on focusing only on the things that need to be completed in any given moment - remember to look up occasionally. If you have made it here, you are likely a naturally curious person who wants to understand the world around them, so try to make small transitions toward greater observation. While this time spent observing may not seem valuable in the moment, it is quite likely that observations thought to be unrelated may end up coming together to inform new ideas.
You can enhance your natural tendencies towards curiosity by putting yourself in a mindset and in situations that encourage observation. Instead of walking to and from classes looking at your phone, try to look up around you. Instead of letting your mind drift to the next assignment or task to be completed, try to pay attention to conversations you are involved in. Always pay attention to what catches your attention, ask yourself why, and make notes of what you discover.
One effective way to hone your ability to observe is to write. I know that I have fallen into the trap of thinking that I will remember my most recent great idea in a few days, or that I will remember exactly how and when I performed a certain experimental protocol, or that I will remember that question I had about the paper I was reading. We all have so much going through our heads at any given time that, chances are, we will not remember that thing we thought that we would. The easiest way to avoid this frustration and the time that comes with trying to remember what is just out of reach is to record as much as possible. It is so much easier (and quicker) to write things down as you go than trying to remember things later.
In your lab, you should always have your notebook on hand (whether digital or physical) and take notes methodically. While it might seem time consuming at first, I find it to be rewarding both for my productivity and in and of itself. You will soon know the joy and pride that comes with filling your first notebook and switching to a fresh one. Note-taking is important both inside and outside of lab. Your brain doesn’t stop based on your location (sometimes it might be nice if it could!), so you should always be prepared to write things down. Outside of lab, you may not always have a notebook, but you likely have a phone or something you can make a quick note on. I like to have different notebooks for different things. One for research and one for to-do lists and general thoughts. Even if you don’t have time to fully flesh out your notes in the moment, it is much easier to take a few seconds to note down your thoughts than spending the time trying to remember things later on (or worse of all, never remembering them)! Once you start writing everything down, you will likely wonder how you ever functioned without doing so.
An added benefit to writing things down is how our brain processes information. While you might be able to keep a vague idea in your head, the act of putting it to words forces you to elucidate exactly what you mean. If you noticed an intuitive similarity between two equations, writing them down will help you identify exactly where that similarity lies. If you find yourself confused about a research concept or experimental protocol, writing a question down will help you specify exactly which step is causing confusion. You may even notice that while writing things down, you add structure to your thoughts and generate more insights and connections between your ideas. This can become part of a virtuous cycle of observation; noticing something, writing down your thoughts, and realizing more nuanced observations through the process of writing itself.
