Before we jump into today’s Playbook I want to: thank you for being a subscriber 🙏🏻 You have been with me for a while and I appreciate we can keep in touch weekly. ask: Is there a specific question or issue you would like to address in Research or Personal Knowledge Management? Reply to this email and let me know—I’ll make it the focus of a future issue. Hello Reader, Today I want to share something personal with you rather than the usual how-to. I hope that is okay. I am a multi-passionate...
11 days ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, The topic for today’s newsletter comes from a reader’s request: How do you use active note-taking to formulate a research question? Creating a research question isn’t something we do in one go. It is an iterative process of reflection, research, and refinement. Active note-taking, where you actively explore and express your thoughts through writing, is crucial in this process. So, let’s break it down step by step. Step 1. Reflection Let us start from where you are. The goal here...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hello Reader, When I studied in Brazil over a decade ago, my friends often mentioned the story of an “eccentric” professor (a real person). Legend has it that he would travel to the countryside on weekends, without Internet or electricity (!). He would bring a printed article he wanted to study and pen and paper for his reflections on theoretical math. He would spend the weekend deeply engaging with that study, taking breaks, enjoying nature, and sleeping at sunset (remember, no...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, In the last weeks, I have been connecting with researchers on LinkedIn and asking them a simple question: “How are you making your research journey enjoyable despite the pressures and uncertainties intrinsic to research?” I believe research should be enjoyable and easy. The more enjoyable, the happier we feel and the easier the process becomes. The easier it becomes the more positive impact the result of our research can create in the world. Today I would like to share two of...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, Some people believe you should struggle when doing research. I disagree! Challenging? Yes. An uncertain journey? For sure. But a struggle? There is no need for that. Instead, let's remove as much friction as possible from our learning, thinking, and writing processes. In today’s Playbook let’s review 4 steps to remove friction from your research. 1. Start a conscious Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) practice Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) is the coordination and...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, Most people complaint they don’t have an overview of their knowledge: What domains of knowledge do you know the most about? What are your particular topics of expertise? How does your knowledge transfer between domains? How does your expertise differ from the expert next door? Those are questions that everyone wanting to be original should know or occasionally think about. Of course, you can always take a piece of paper now and start reflecting on these questions based on your...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Hello Reader, Today we discuss bias in research and how we can deal with it. It is good to have an opinion, but we don't want the result of our research to be "just our opinion". Instead, we want to understand a phenomenon in a "realistic" manner. We try to be "objective". Unfortunately, it is impossible to see the world without having a perspective. So, on a personal level, objectivity is impossible. Instead, every time we see things from a given perspective, we are introducing bias. Every...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Hello Reader, Have you ever heard about "serendipity"? Serendipity is the occurrence of a happy or beneficial event by chance. Many people have heard about serendipity, but I am always surprised by how few have experienced it in their research journey. It feels like a light-bulb moment, those times when you shout “A-HA, I see it!” or “OH! I didn’t know that! That’s pretty awesome!”. Here is how Tyrone*, who joined the Prolific Researcher Mentorship programme last month, puts it: In knowledge...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, How do you deal with the feeling of "accomplishment"? After spending days reading and making sense of vast amounts of information without a single deliverable, it is natural to feel a bit "down". How do you boost your motivation by KNOWING you are making progress, in those cases? How do you know you ARE making progress? In research and learning, accomplishment and achievement are often related to something we deliver to others. But the natural flow of research means we will...
4 months ago • 5 min read