• Question: What do you do if work gets a bit dull?

    Asked by anon-186440 to Verity, Trystan, Raquel, Danny, Catherine, Andy on 5 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Danny Ward

      Danny Ward answered on 5 Nov 2018:

      When my experiments are running and there is not much else to do, usually us scientists read scientific research papers. These are like scientific magazines filled with the latest cutting-edge scientific findings in our field. We have to stay up-to-date with all the scientific developments so that we can make sure our work doesn’t miss anything

    • Photo: Catherine Smith

      Catherine Smith answered on 5 Nov 2018:

      If I’m stuck in a rut during the day I sometimes go for a short walk to get some fresh air, or make a cup of tea. If it’s a bigger bit of work I am finding a bit boring, I try to break it down into really small steps and tackle them one at a time. That way I feel like I am making progress more quickly!

    • Photo: Trystan Leng

      Trystan Leng answered on 5 Nov 2018:

      The first thing I do is anything else! Go for a walk, watch some TV, read a book, focus on something else for a while. The next thing I do is try and look at some different research questions – there are always new questions to be answered!

    • Photo: Raquel Medialdea Carrera

      Raquel Medialdea Carrera answered on 5 Nov 2018:

      I always try to do as many different things as I can. I never have time for work to get dull!
      There is always so much more to learn, to write and to do! 🙂
      That’s one of the good and bad side of epidemics, there is always a lot to do! 🙂

    • Photo: Verity Hill

      Verity Hill answered on 5 Nov 2018:

      I’ll usually go and get a cup of coffee or tea in the coffee room and chat to other people in the department
      If work is dull because I’m stuck, there’s often someone who can suggest an answer I haven’t though of before! If not, it’s just fun to chat to people about something completely different for a while

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