Essential Software for a Scientist

I was thinking about the tools I use every day and which ones I would insist my students learn when they arrived in the lab. Here's the list I came up with:

- Microsoft Excel (or OpenOffice) and PivotTables (called something else in openoffice). So, so helpful for analyzing data in tabular format. I would even call them magical. With this and a few other Excel tricks and formulas you can avoid SPSS for pretty much all undergraduate-level statistics - and go from raw experiment output to final inferential statistics in under 30 seconds.
- Inkscape. Terrific free vector graphics editor. So useful for preparing figures and diagrams, especially with programs that let you export to its format from Matlab (search for svg and matlab)
- Version control software (if there is going to be code involved anyway)
- Software-based calendar program, not paper based. That way it can be backed up, and you can do things like schedule repeating blocks of time for classes etc. Then you can feel confident that it really represents your committed time and you won't double book.
- Citation-management software, that integrates reasonably with a word processor. I've talked about EndNote here, but if you're just starting out I'd suggest the free, browser integrated Zotero instead.
- Dropbox
- Automated backups to an external hard drive (I might handle this as part of the lab infrastructure, but if *any* data is to be stored on lab members home computers then they need to have this). For the mac, Carbon Copy Cloner has worked well for me.

30 Minute Writing

I'm very excited about this approach to writing right now:

http://jimdavies.blogspot.com/2010/12/write-in-how-can-i-get-more-writing.html

Essentially, you write every single day, and for 30 minutes of concentration without switching away from your word processor. I've been doing it for about 3 weeks now, and it's helping me just crush through difficult bits of writing, with almost no angst. (I do more than one 30 minute block per day, but widely spaced apart) Awesome stuff. I hope to keep it up for the rest of my professional career, no matter what stage my research is at.

I think the 30 minute unitasking approach could help in other areas of life too. This week I've been doing 1/2 an hour of housework a day, and that has had amazing results too. Hard focus is the magic sauce that makes tasks easy and even pleasant. More and more I realize how precious it is.

Science-based Advice on the Strategies that Work to Achieve Your Goals

http://www.spring.org.uk/2011/02/reaching-life-goals-which-strategies-work.php

• Make a step-by-step plan: break your goal down into concrete, measurable and time-based sub-goals.
• Tell other people about your goal: making a public declaration increases motivation.
• Think about the good things that will happen if you achieve your goal (but avoid fantasizing - see this article).
• Reward yourself for making progress in your goal: small rewards help push us on to major successes.
• Record your progress: keep a journal, graph or drawing that plots your progress.

I like this first because it's based on putting these ideas to the test, and because it generally coheres with other things I've learned (and occasionally posted about) I'm not sure about the advice about avoiding fantasizing. I'm quite interested in the idea of positive imaging, that you should visualize what you want in as much detail as possible, and my intuition is that it could help. Of course that intuition could easily be wrong.