In this society that emphasizes competition and mastery to create value, so many people say you have to focus on one thing to be successful, but no one really says how to do that.. When I was younger I heard that advice, I decided to focus on neuroscience, but even within this field there's actually millions of potential things to focus on.
If anyone wants to share their method/s of deciding what to devote serious time to, feel free to reply
@axoaxonic I didn't but my path wasn't the easiest and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. Peter Dayan once told me (when I went to him for advice early in my neuro career) that I should anyway expect to relearn and fundamentally change my approach to science every 4 years or so. I think he was about right.
What works for me is to identify a target at the horizon of knowledge, for which there is, or I can conceive of, an angle of attack that is inexpensive and feasible, and that the result won't be "yes/no" but rather deliver a resource (data, tools, concepts) that others – and my future self – can build upon. If on top of it I happen to like it, there's even more of a chance I'll go for it: human motivation matters an awful lot.
I think value is to be found in many types: mile wide/inch deep; inch wide/mile deep; hedgehogs vs foxes; Michelangelo vs DaVinci.
Moreover, we can’t deny our natures. To some extent, we just have to add value via what we’re most drawn to.
But yes, you’ll ultimately have to pick something to work on (as you can’t work on ALL the interesting things). Sometimes it’s helpful to acknowledge when all the options before you are good. I like to call those champagne decisions. My favorite type!
@NicoleCRust I believe I'll always be deeply interested in a lot of different things and weave them together, I 100% can't turn that part of my mind off, nor do I want to. I'm mostly amazed at people's ability to focus on one research topic, even if it's just for a year or two before going to the next, making some really solid work happen. Even DaVinci finished paintings.
When everything's interesting or all the champagne on the shelf looks good, usually the best thing to do is to pick whatever one you're drawn to and go and enjoy it. That's the most important part anyways in "no wrong choices" situations, the unique experience the choice results in.
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