Kaplan, J., Clemente, E.C., Graham, L. et al.
Every failure is a step in the right direction
After creating the lightbulb, Thomas Edison once said: “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” Maybe scrolling mindlessly through TikTok videos for hours each night is one of YOUR steps? Try it out!
Ideas come when you least expect it
It’s a well-known fact that the best ideas come to us in unexpected places and times. For example, in the shower, or right before falling asleep, or while binge-watching a month’s worth of TV shows in a weekend you had dedicated to writing your thesis. NEVER do the obvious thing and force yourself to write–you will miss out on the serendipity in science!
Sleep is crucial
If Isaac Newton had not been dozing off under an apple tree, he may have never discovered gravity when an apple fell on his head. Rumor has it he was sleeping to avoid writing his graduate school thesis. Be like Newton and sleep often, especially in precarious places!
Stand on the shoulders of giants
Be sure to watch TV shows or movies that have characters who are scientists. If you take a few notes, it’s basically the same as being in the lab doing your own research! And who knows, maybe the incredibly inaccurate depictions of science will help you think of creative new ways to describe your own experimental shortcomings.
