SMARTCUT #9: Get Out of Your Own Head

Academics and researchers are often stereotyped as being lost in their own thoughts. However, the penultimate smartcut is all about trying to tackle this tendency: GET OUT OF YOUR OWN HEAD.

This is important on a few levels.

Take writing for example. When I was a post-doc, colleagues would often tell me that they were “thinking” about their next paper … but not actually writing anything down. The result? Papers that were eventually written in a last-minute rush and which failed to communicate what they intended to the reviewer.

It’s a similar story when it comes to grant ideas. Sense checking an idea with others BEFORE you invest a lot of time and energy into crafting the perfect proposal can ensure you’re heading in the right direction.

Getting out of your head means you can see your thoughts more clearly, which is the vital first step to shaping and refining them. Ultimately, it is taking action—putting pen to paper, typing up random thoughts before you have a solid plan, or speaking with others—that allows you to stop going around in circles.