HOW TO DO YOUR BEST RESEARCH

IGNITING YOUR PASSION FOR SELF-REALIZATION

HOW TO DO YOUR BEST RESEARCH

HOW TO DO YOUR BEST RESEARCH

7 Steps towards your Best1 Focusing on Doing ``Great Research''

2 Time/ Work Management

3 Mastering the Art of Communication

4 Understand the Psychology/ Sociology of Research

5 Embrace Rejection as a Growth Opportunity

6 Specialize but Also Be a Generalist

7 Do Work that you Love

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F OCU S ON D O I N GG R E AT R E S E A RCH

To do great research: you must aim BIG

(1) The importance of setting goals

(2) it is worth setting yourself high goals.

(3) The importance of hard work

The dynamics of research(how success breeds on itself)

Actionable tip: work extra hard early

Work with people doing/ who can do great research

Work with research leaders Become a research leader (by assembling a great team

& building your brand)

Understand what drives you (and your team)!

Specialize but also be a generalistDiversity breeds creativity/ innovation

2

W OR K / T I M EMANAGEMENT

Work Management

Work prioritizationthrough an example

ImportantStuff!Urgent

Stuff!TrivialStuff!

Filling your life with unimportant stuff leaves little time for other more imp

things

After wasting our time on useless things, our next focus is on urgent stuff (most of which is

unimportant)

Resultantly, you don’t get enough time to do what is most important.

You don’t have time for many things that you deemed impor-

tant!

ImportantStuff!Urgent

Stuff!TrivialStuff!

Take 2

There’s always time for what’s most important (if only we can prioritize

it).

Do the most urgent non-important stuff then

You may get time to batch in your leisure unimportant stuff

We can do a lot (only if we could learn how to prioritize)

Doing the right thing vs. the right now thing “The trap many people fall into is to allocate their time to whoever screams loudest, and their talent to whatever offers them the fastest reward. That’s a dangerous way to build a strategy.”― Clayton M. Christensen, How Will You Measure Your Life?

Time management

Not Urgent; Not Important

Urgent; Not Important

Urgent; Important

Not Urgent; Important

Will bring increasing value

The Junk Use of Time Aimless Internet browsingChecking of Email/ Whatsapp/ TwitterSitting around and gossiping Overeating/ Oversleeping (Most) Meetings!

Most of us realize the danger of wasting our time in these matters (and many of us are able to plug this time waster).

Some tips:Take steps to move away from distraction.

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Where we are most deluded(things that will tire you)

This (i.e., spending all your time on things that are urgent but not important) is the main reason that most of us are leading non-productive lives

Why are so many things urgent?

Much of this urgency is self-enforced … the world will still work if you are less urgent about these matters.

Mostly the urgent things arise from poor planning (yours or someone else’s).

Answering emails in real-time. Phone-calls/ meetings/… (they don’t contribute a lot to your mission/ values/ goals).

3

Urgent; Important:  Where We Should Prioritize

Such tasks get done.

You have a deadline-driven project.Your family events that require you to be there. Your prayers

2

Where You Can Benefit the Most — Bull’s Eye

Everything that you do to improve your quality of life and quality of skills and your relationships.

Examples:Reading the Quran Birr-ul-Walidain: doing good to your parents; visiting them .. speaking to them kindly Time for gratitude/ shukr. If you learn new skills; it’s not urgent, but it’s important. Improving relationships.Personal development.Long-term thinking/ planning comes in this category Seizing new opportunities. Problem prevention. Preparation and planning.

You can make these tasks urgent, by identifying a completion date.

(Things that will fulfill you)What Matters Most, Matters

Most!

1

Not Urgent: Means no time pressure.

Balancing work and life

Credit: James Patterson, “Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas”.

Keep things in their proper place“Image life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. They are called: work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you’re keeping them all in the air.But one day you finally come to understand that the work ball is made of rubber - if you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.”

The correct balance: Quranic guidance

“... And do good as Allah has gone good to you.”(Surah al-Qasas: 77)

“And seek, through which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and [yet], do not forget your

share of the world.” (Surah al-Qasas: 77)

The Complete L i s t (Aga in )1 Focusing on Doing ``Great Research''

2 Time/ Work Management

3 Mastering the Art of Communication

4 Understand the Psychology/ Sociology of Research

5 Embrace Rejection as a Growth Opportunity

6 Specialize but Also Be a Generalist

7 Do Work that you Love

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