One of the things I'm re-learning as I continue on my doctoral research journey is this—that critical thinking and a broad, open mind are two crucial characteristics that need to be mastered and maintained. The sheer volume of material available at my fingertips (through electronic library systems) is mind-blowing. A simple search on "governance AND high-growth" revealed thousands of peer-reviewed academic articles and books. With this volume of material, where do I start? Clearly, my searches need to become more refined and more specific (and they are). I've found it relatively easy to go down seemingly interesting and relevant pathways, only to subsequently find that I'm miles away from where I need to be.
Learning involves the management of tensions. On one hand, an enquiring mind is good, very good. On the other, the vastness of the pool of information is such that you simply need to become ruthless about what gets explored and what gets left. The question that begs to be answered is: "How do I manage this tension"? As I continue to write my research proposal, I've embraced two techniques that seem to be serving me well:
- Manage my research time ruthlessly. For me, this means 1/4 of my time reading books, 1/4 searching and reviewing academic articles, 1/4 thinking (often as I ride my bike!), and 1/4 writing. Without this guide, it would be very easy to gather stuff and miss the thinking and writing parts.
- Ask and answer two questions immediately after reading any title or abstract. How does this fit? Why does this fit? By ruthlessly asking and answering these questions, I've been able to reduce my reading list by 40-50%. That's got to be good for time management!
- Like many things in life, managing the doctoral research workload is about managing tensions effectively. What works for me may not work for you though. And that's OK.
How do you manage the tension between effective enquiry and information overload?