Being productive in the lab
posted on January 23, 2016


How to be productive in the Bayesian Behavior lab

Konrad just got the idea that I should write what kind of behaviors are useful to be productive. This is work in progress. Send me suggestions.

  1. Be motivated. Work on the topics that excite you (sometimes there is stuff that needs to be done but there is a lot of flexibility).
  2. Train. When you join the lab write a paper or two quickly, just for the training. Then write something truly important.
  3. Work hard. Time put into science has a highly superlinear effect on science output. This is because there are many baseline time expenses such as reading papers, reading email. Doing new employee orientation etc.
  4. Fail rapidly. When trying a scientific idea, start by doing it quickly (no problem cutting corners). Then once you are convinced of the idea do it well.
  5. Collaborate. When starting a new project, think collaborators first. Who could help you do it better? Faster? Has more experience writing papers.
  6. Be proactive. Come see Konrad. Tell him what you think. Ask questions. Make sure your projects are on the top of his pile.
  7. Network. By the end of your training you need to know all the important people in your field. Plan this foremost for conferences. Plan conferences with the main objective of getting to know the right people.
  8. Be a nice person. Socialize with the lab. Arrange lunch.
  9. See Konrad and explain how I could improve this list.

Should you be in the lab in the first place? Read this