Six Stages
I was tasked to do research regarding our specialties and to interview someone who has experience in the role that we wish to know more about. In those two months, I was given options and ideas about interviews, how to be ethical, and how we should conduct it. I figured I would be able to find my interviewee easily, so I focused on researching more as I believed it will take more time.
In the end, I had to scramble to find an interviewee, but I was eventually able to confirm one through personal connections. Even then, he was only available on certain days, so I was able to conduct the interview a few days before the deadline. I was able to gather enough information for the research and finish it.
Description
Feelings
Before I realized the amount of time and commitment required for the interview and primary data collection, I was quite content and relax in doing the research and assessment. The moment I did get the realization, I was frustrated and extremely stressed as I didn’t know what to do.
Luckily, I was able to find an interviewee, but I felt a bit guilty as I was asking for an interview as soon as possible instead of giving them more time. He was understanding but I still felt bad for it. It pushed me to make sure that the interview will be done smoothly and in a comfortable pace. Looking back, I was quite happy with how it turned out, but it could’ve been better.
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What did went well throughout the research journey is the collection of secondary data. I was able to do proper and in-depth research and did quality work before the deadline. What didn’t turn out properly was my time-management and priorities checking. I should’ve focused on confirming an interviewee and scheduling the interview first as it is not something that is fully under my control unlike researching.
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Evaluation
Analysis
I believe the reason it happened like this is because I do not feel comfortable with looking for people and I feel unsettled when I get rejected. Due to that, I lose motivation more and would prefer to just do the research as I find those easier to do. This tendency to complete easier things first is called “task completion bias” (Gino & Staats, 2016).
There’s also a term called the “path to least resistance” (Beaton, 2017). It means that low-hanging fruits, the easier tasks, are more appealing to me. I think dividing the bigger and harder tasks into smaller and easier tasks will be helpful in my future endeavors.
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I have learned that I should divide my work more appropriately and try to fight my own biases. If I had just done a proper plan for the whole research journey and stuck with it, I wouldn’t have experienced extreme stress and could possibly add more quality to my research without worrying about the deadline. Lastly, I should do things that are outside my comfort zone more to become more flexible with tasks that I find hard to do. Constantly adapting to my current situation and positioning.
Conclusion
Action Plan
