Skim first. Commit later. Especially with academic papers—read the abstract, the intro, the conclusion. That’s where the heart of the argument is. If something’s only tangentially related, make a note and move on. If it references something more specific? Chase that reference. Be ruthless with your time, gentle with your curiosity. And if the idea ... See more

Researching isn’t just a way of finding facts. It’s a way of finding voice. Of sculpting meaning out of uncertainty. I don’t research to be right. I research to feel closer—to myself, to a question, to an idea that won't let me go.

Research is an art. A soft craft. A quiet ritual. Not the sterile kind you’re taught in school—full of rigid referencing and bibliographies in 11-point font—but the kind where you sit hunched over your desk at dusk, reading something half-relevant, and stumble upon a sentence that makes your stomach drop. That’s the magic part.

I used to research as a student. Now I do it in the hours between a full-time job and the rest of my life. But the impulse—the desire to understand the world more deeply—remains the same.

To research is to follow a scent. Sometimes you know what you’re looking for. Sometimes you don’t.