What motivates one to do research. Researchers don't usually see their research or work as 'work'.
I had rather call my research as creative work, since that is actually what I am doing. The motivation in doing research, in being able to stay in the lab throughout the day even during weekends is basically the idea that what you are doing is fun. If something is fun, wouldn't you want to do it all the time.
But even during work, there are periods when you are slumpy and not getting much work done and other periods when you are really really productive. Now, what is the reason for this?
People may call this the 'cycle'. But looked into a little more deeply, it may become clear that productivity is either motivated by deadlines, either set by your advisor or yourself or because you have suddenly entered an interesting phase of research.
Interest in the research area in general is a must, but that alone may not be sufficient, since there is a tendency to get lazy. What's needed is a vision, a vision that is both short-term and long-term. A vision of how you think your research should be unfolding as the time progresses. This vision is essentially a way to set deadlines for yourself, but a vision is something more than that. A vision is a dream that gets lived as time passes by. A vision when 'well-visualised' can be really motivating, since your vision shows you doing great things in the future and you can't wait to get started towards that path. Living a vision or a dream is the best thing that can happen. That's why visions are so powerful and form the basis for a long-term motivation in research.
I had rather call my research as creative work, since that is actually what I am doing. The motivation in doing research, in being able to stay in the lab throughout the day even during weekends is basically the idea that what you are doing is fun. If something is fun, wouldn't you want to do it all the time.
But even during work, there are periods when you are slumpy and not getting much work done and other periods when you are really really productive. Now, what is the reason for this?
People may call this the 'cycle'. But looked into a little more deeply, it may become clear that productivity is either motivated by deadlines, either set by your advisor or yourself or because you have suddenly entered an interesting phase of research.
Interest in the research area in general is a must, but that alone may not be sufficient, since there is a tendency to get lazy. What's needed is a vision, a vision that is both short-term and long-term. A vision of how you think your research should be unfolding as the time progresses. This vision is essentially a way to set deadlines for yourself, but a vision is something more than that. A vision is a dream that gets lived as time passes by. A vision when 'well-visualised' can be really motivating, since your vision shows you doing great things in the future and you can't wait to get started towards that path. Living a vision or a dream is the best thing that can happen. That's why visions are so powerful and form the basis for a long-term motivation in research.
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