My
project is looking at the relationship between planning, goal progress, and
happiness. The basic idea is: if you plan to get 10 things done, but you only
have enough time to get 5 things done—you’re probably going to feel kind of
down. Because of this, it would probably be better for your happiness to plan
and get 5 things done. I came up with the idea for this project because I have
always been a goal oriented person. I have usually been able to make consistent
progress towards my goals, but I was never able to make progress on all of my
goals. Any joy I had from making progress on one goal was usually offset by my
disappointment over not progressing in my other goals. Talking to other people,
I started to find out this was a pretty common problem people had. I was
motivated to pursue this project because I knew it would benefit me, but also
because it would benefit a lot of other people.
Speaking
of goals, this project also plays a vital role in my longer term plans. After
getting my bachelor’s degree, I plan to pursue a PhD program in Industrial
Organizational Psychology. Industrial Organizational Psychology is the study of
human behavior in the workplace. When I apply to programs, this project will
show potential grad schools that I am capable of coming up with and executing
my own research ideas. Working on this project also gives me a realistic job
preview of what to expect in graduate school and after, if I choose to become a
researcher.
What
I actually do on a weekly basis varies a lot. Research consists of an
interesting dichotomy of tasks. Everything I do is either the highest level of
intellectual tasks or the lowest level of menial tasks. For example, one day I
may be thinking about the scientific and philosophical arguments for my
project, and discussing that in depth with my advisor. The next day I could be
filling out paperwork, saving links to articles, and punching data into
spreadsheets. The menial tasks may sound boring, but they are actually a
calming break from rigorous intellectual tasks. Currently, I am creating the
survey and practicing writing what will hopefully be the research article that
comes out of this project.
I think the main thing I have learned this term is that you need find a balance
between structure and flexibility. You definitely need plans in order to
succeed at research, but you also have to be able to accept that those plans
could change completely at any moment. I think finding this balance is a true
challenge for most people, we all either love structure or love flexibility. I
think the solution to this dilemma is to think of things that could possibly
change or go wrong, so that you’re prepared if it happens. Also keeping
yourself emotionally detached from your project is vital. You’re investing a
lot of time and energy in this project and it’s easy to get emotionally caught
up in it. It’s an amazing feeling to be passionate about what you’re working on—but
you don’t want to have a mid-semester mental breakdown because you find out
your project is going to take three months longer than you expected.
