Slow Carb and Sugar Rush Science

A naive musing on the philosophy of scientific research and beyond.

This (naive) post is all about science and life as I currently see it.

Sugar rush science

Those who have had the opportunity to conduct or engage in scientific research have likely experienced the blistering (sugar rush) pace of inquiry that quickly ensues. In this competitive landscape, timing is nearly everything, and being left behind can be detrimental for one’s continued career in science. Moreover, one is often seen as a scientific thought leader for being the first to publicize a novel insight or development, which is likely a positive thing. However, in this post, I would like to challenge readers (and certainly myself) to expand one’s viewpoint on this topic, as the future of science (and life) depends, in part, on how we normalize the pace of our work.

Slow carb science

Seasonality is a core component of slow productivity, a rebuttal to the annual trend of increasing the pace of our lives. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many knowledge workers (not only researchers) could identify the impact that full-time remote work had on their sense of personal and professional sustainability. Burnout (an opaquely defined concept, which may be related to a long-term misalignment with one’s values) gripped many individuals and drove them to seek new work arrangements or lifestyles. However, the scientific (work) “treadmill” continued (and continues) to zoom forward. If we are to identify a sustainable means of structuring our work, we must start with the fundamental questions, “What are my values?” and “Am I OK as is?”. If the answer to either is fuzzy, we are most likely treading through our lives with “unstable footing” (as I have often experienced for myself). Moreover, I argue that the nature of the work we choose to do (and ultimately may accomplish) is a function of these values and self-views (e.g., a short-term value system may lead to narrow and uninspired research).

It takes tremendous courage and commitment to adopt a growth mindset not just for our professional lives but also for our relationships and personal development. Part of this growth may include honestly assessing what we want out of life (by way of our value system) and what we are willing to give up for the loved ones in our lives (also part of our value system). In these internal dialogues, it is easy to mistake one of our many parts for ourselves, which underscores how important it is for us to intentionally bake in an integration practice into our daily schedules. This has become an essential part of my daily routine, and I recommend those interested in learning more to explore frameworks such as Internal Family Systems or the Enneagram to discover more of what may be waiting to be discovered. As we discover more of our core values and patterns, we can begin to do the hard work of integrating our personalities through relationships and professional commitments built on intentionality and vision.

Strategic splurges

With deep insights about ourselves and those in our lives, we can start practicing seasonality in all its richness, deeply working with the time we’ve allotted to the task of building career capital and investing in our chosen communities. As in nature, there are times for scurry and times for limited hurry, and the ratio of the two should hopefully be small and predictable (to some degree). In fact, this intrinsic pacing may yield better and faster results in our professional pursuits due to increased clarity (i.e., not fooling ourselves and letting gradient descent lead the way). It’s hard to imagine such a trajectory played out in our lives will not impact what kinds of work we choose to spend our limited time on.

Cheers.

Alex