On picking projects (or how I screen opportunities).
I was asked recently how did I pick projects.
Viswanath Venkatesh once told me that people will come to you with new projects every day. The hard part is deciding what you want to do. He was right.
While people don't approach me every day, I am approached by strangers every so often to work on projects.
If you say yes to everything, you will be overwhelmed by projects.
To manage my own workload, I apply three simple heuristics to decide whether to move forward with the conversation.
1. Is it interesting?
2. Does it align with something that I know (e.g., do I have a knowledge stock that I can apply to contribute)?
3. Does it help advance the career of someone that I care about?
These questions are important to me, bc if the answers are yes, I am likely to stay motivated and engaged.
So, if it is three yes's, I dig deeper into novelty and other aspects of the project.
If it is not, the answer to question 3 is something I really think about.
Then I ask myself.
1. Do I have time?
2. Do I have to give something up to do it?
3. What happens if the project isn't completed?
As a scholar, your time and energy are limited. You can't do everything. So asking the question of time + implications from different angles helps me think through if I have the mental bandwidth and resources needed to complete a project.
Usually, and I hate admitting it, I do have to give up something to take on a new project - be it sleep, personal time, or research time for other projects.
Usually, and I don't hate admitting it, there are real-world outcomes for coauthors if projects aren't completed. Note, not delayed, but if they fail to reach publication. It's important to think through those outcomes, before starting a project.
Why?
Because publication impact how people earn and keep their jobs.
If I don't think I have the time, am not willing to give something up, and think the paper has not enough or too much impact on someone's career, I'm apt not to take on the project.
Why?
Because it is important to do what you do well. It impacts your well-being if you are overly stressed by doing too much, you let your coauthors down, and you believe the project does not have a substantive positive impact on papers.
Take time to think about how the project impacts your well-being as well as the well-being of others.
You can't do good work if you are constantly behind or stressed out.
So be judicious in what you agree to do.
Of course, there are other factors that should weigh into a decision - such as trust, track record, and the resources that collaborators bring to bear ...
But those are questions to ask and assess once you've passed that initial phase of "am I interested in the project."
I hope this helps! I hope everyone finds interesting, personally important projects to work on in the coming months.
Best of luck.
Comments