How to Work on a Consistent Schedule

The research phase of my original work project is going smoothly and consistently. I consistently do research for a couple hours a couple days a week, and I’ve been able to remain organized and efficient in my work. So far, I have not had to rush to log hours or stress about not putting in enough time and dedication for my research. I’ve been looking into topics that my mentor and I have discussed - I’ve learned so much, but these are such broad topics that I am having a bit of trouble deciding what is most important to retain and apply in my final project. For instance, I have learned a lot about mass timber wood in the past week - its creation, uses, effects, and benefits - but I have also found myself looking too deeply into the specific uses for each type of mass timber wood. It may not be entirely relevant that nail-laminated timber and cross-laminated timber are slightly different. I’m glad I’m learning a lot, and it’s all very interesting, but I have to remember to keep the big picture in mind.

I’ve only had a few mentor meetings so far, but they are very consistent and very helpful. There are still a few procedural aspects to civil engineering that I don’t completely understand, but my mentor has been able to help me understand as well as he can from a remote setting. There’s a little bit of vocabulary that I don’t have any experience with, and coming across some of these terms so frequently in my research constitutes more than a mere Google search - I’ll need my mentor to explain some things in a way that applies to civil engineering as a career, since a Google definition will not suffice. I’m looking forward to clearing up some terms with my mentor at our meeting tomorrow, and I’m hoping to discuss steps in my research, and what I will be keeping in my final product.