, 2 min read
Physical tools to improve research productivity
Using the right tools can improve your productivity:
- I use black gel pens with a large to medium point. Right now, I favor uni-ball 207 pens.
- I always carry a pocketbook. I use it to collect current actionable items. There is exactly one active page at any one time. Once it gets filled up, I move to the next page. For example, I might have a three-item list: “prove conjecture A, find an algorithm to solve problem B, and run script C”. If I am shopping and I have an idea, I jot it down in my pocketbook on the active page. I never delete anything, though I strike through completed or irrelevant tasks. Right now, I am using a Paperblanks back pocket.
- I use larger notebooks to brainstorm ideas. Again, I never delete anything: I move from page to page through a random collection of ideas. Most of the ideas I jot down are wrong. I do not worry about it since my notebooks are just collections of ideas. I only work out details on my laptop. If you see me carrying notebooks, I am probably working on some crazy new idea. Right now, I use Winnable Executive Journals.
- I have a white board in my office, but I only use it with visitors, students or passing colleagues. I never work directly on a large board. I never use a white board for serious mathematics.
You may have noticed that these tools keep me mobile: I can do research anywhere, as long as I have a laptop and an Internet connection. I have no one true workplace. I can work in my living room, in my kitchen, in my university office, in our home office, in my bedroom, in my garden, and so on. Other people use different tools:
- Suresh Venkatasubramanian says he uses white boards and livescribe.
- Ragib Hasan says he likes to use large boards so he can step back and look at the overall picture.
- I believe that Peter Turney uses post-it notes where he jots down ideas. I seem to recall that Richard Feynman also posted notes in his office.
Which tools do you use, and how do you use them?