How not to slack off ?

Living in US sure has way too many distractions. For a easy going graduate student, who wants to experience everything his university provides, life seems like an adventurous journey of Indiana Jones. But its usually not very late until you realize that Mike Slackenerny used to feel the same way when he was in his first year.

How not to get distracted is the big question. But do not get excited, I am not giving out the answer in public. At least, if I knew it. Since I too am a grad student who gets distracted by every little video that comes out on stage6.divx I can kill to know the answer (kill mosquitoes not homo-sapiens). In theory one could find millions of books and sites which claim that they know the answer. But as Morpheus one said, knowing the path is different (and boring) than walking the path. So I am going to try out something different this time.

1. Using Google calender, I have put up milestones for the entire month. For example, finish reading with Network Coding till March 7, start searching for wireless project ideas on March 10 and so on.
   
2. It is very important to make realistic targets. I remember one of my friends, whose plans for the final exam read like: 'Finish entire syllabus of Physics and Chemistry till Monday, redo all the 15 assignments on Monday night, do all the practice problems in the book on Tuesday morning, etc'. Trying to poke a hole in the sky might make you a better archer but eventually you will get frustrated with constant failure. You might take consolation in the fact that you have done good work and the aim was just too high anyway. But this is when you make failing a habit and lower your confidence. You start taking challenges which are either too easy (so that you are sure of completing them) or too difficult (since failing it is already your second nature). Again, from experience, if targets are constantly on the higher side and you happen to achieve one of them, it does feel great at first. But the victorious feeling tends to persist longer than it should and starts affecting the next target.
   
3. I think if targets are spaced out properly, I will be able to take out time and be guilt free at the same time.

Let us see how this one goes.

Update (3/5): Here is now my calender looks now. The brown entries correspond to day-to-day activities and commitments. The blue entries correspond to the milestones set by me. It seems to work out well so far since I am able to achieve my goals and do even low priority tasks (such as going to the gymnasium).
By the way, the cool photo is from Google calender. And it seems DivX Inc. took my comment to heart and shut down stage6.divx - God bless them.

Doing Better Research

I have been slacking off a lot recently. I think it is time for a little retrospection.

1. Listening to presentations: This is something I am very bad at. Usually most presentations are not in my exact area and the presenters are not always very good ones. They always begin well by giving a broader picture and the motivation for their work. This part usually interests me. But soon I start getting lost into the mathematics and eventually loose interest. Trying to take in information like a sink is neither interesting nor recommended.
• The mathematics part usually involves description of some tools or techniques the author has employed. Since my work also involves use of such tools, it is a good idea to try to make a note of these.
  
• To benefit fully from a seminar/presentation, I think it is necessary to know atleast the basics of that area. Thus it might be a good idea to do a google search on that topic before hand, and spend about 15 minutes reading the basics to get started, before the presentation.
• Whenever there is a waning of interest because of too much mathematical details, it might be a good idea to stop listening to the presenter and go up one level. Remind oneself of the point the presenter is trying to make by doing this proof. Try to think beyond the presenter (what he might have done in his later slides, what should be the natural extension of the work and what could be some practical issues with the presenters implementation ?)
2. Reading papers: Depends upon if the paper is in my area or not.
   
• If it is, I must spend atleast half an hour contemplating what the author could have done after just reading the abstract. Since I have been doing research in that area, understanding what the author is proposing simply after reading the abstract may not be that difficult. Of course, later that paper has to be read in detail and possible extensions should be thought of.
  
• If, on the other hand it is something that I have to learn, it might be a good idea to read the abstract, introduction and conclusion. Write down what is being proposed and what could be the possible extensions. Then move to the system model. A research journal entry should follow.
  
• If it is something I am just using as a look-up for use in my research, glossing over it should be fine. But do not look up unless you are absolutely sure you can not solve the problem by yourself. Simply Googling whenever in doubt is NOT recommended.
  
3. Attending classes: This of course have many caveats.
• Mathematical details cause loss of interest: Follow the same strategy as presentaions; try to think of possible implications and applications of the course material in your research.
• Mathematical details are too trivial: try to find shortcuts. Correlate with other non-trivial parts.
  
• Class is a bouncer: try asking more general questions (such as the intuition behind the results). Create analogies and ask if they make sense. Do not let the instructor think that you are able to understand.
• Class itself is quite trivial: fall asleep and make sure to snore as loudly as possible.
  
4. Keeping up the motivation: try reviewing what has been achieved in the last week. Compare it to a more productive week you have had in the past.