Habits Not Hacks
The same research problem can look very different from the other side of the bench.
Short, paired research-life stories help trainees and mentors recognize what is happening, see what may look different from the other side, and find a clearer next step.
You do not have to read everything. Start with something you are dealing with now, or browse the topics below.
Start with the situation
What are you dealing with right now?
You do not need to know what category it belongs in. Choose the situation that sounds familiar and start there.
Our meetings are not working
Prepare more clearly, communicate what matters, and leave knowing what happens next.
I am running out of capacity
Recognize overload and competing priorities before pushing through becomes the default.
Feedback feels harder than it should
Explore how feedback is given, received, understood, and turned into action.
I am trying to make a career decision
Think beyond titles and timelines to what fits your current season.
How Habits Not Hacks works
Read your side. Look across the bench. Take one step.
Read your side
Start with the trainee or mentor perspective closest to your experience.
Look across the bench
Read the paired perspective and notice what was not visible at first.
Take one step
Reflect, start a conversation, or use a practical tool.
The goal is not to decide which side is right. It is to make the next conversation easier.
Start with a paired topic
Read the perspective closest to your role, then look across the bench. The value is often in what becomes visible only after you have seen both sides.
Mentor Meetings That Move You Forward
Walk into one-on-ones with more clarity about what you need, what to ask, and what should happen next.
Designing Mentor Meetings That Build Trust
Make meetings useful without turning them into another status check or list of instructions.
Managing Burnout Without Losing Momentum
Notice when pushing through is no longer helping—and find a more sustainable way to keep moving.
Supporting Capacity Without Adding More
Recognize overload early and respond without quietly adding more pressure.
Conferences That Expand Your Impact
Decide what would make the conference worthwhile before the busy schedule takes over.
Preparing Trainees for Conferences That Count
Help trainees prepare with purpose, use the opportunity well, and learn from it afterward.
Feedback That Helps You Grow
Separate useful information from the discomfort of hearing it, then decide what to do next.
Giving Feedback That Builds Confidence
Give feedback people can understand, act on, and return to without losing confidence.
Browse all topics
Choose the area closest to what you are navigating.
You can always start with a situation above instead. The categories are here when you want to explore more broadly.
Communication & Boundaries
Meetings, expectations, difficult conversations, boundaries, and professional communication.
Self-Awareness & Identity
Comparison, confidence, emotional labor, identity, and how research experiences shape self-perception.
Energy, Rest & Sustainable Work
Capacity, overload, recovery, invisible work, and sustainable ways to keep research moving.
Psychological Safety & Culture
Trust, belonging, lab climate, leadership, and the everyday behaviors that shape a research environment.
Skills, Growth & Competence
Learning, questions, conferences, feedback, technical growth, and becoming more independent.
Career Navigation
Timelines, role choices, transitions, uncertainty, and decisions that fit your current season.
What next?
Recognized the problem? Choose what you need next.
Habits Not Hacks helps you understand the situation. From here, you can act on it yourself or work on it with a group.
Need something you can use now?
Use a worksheet, planner, checklist, or conversation guide to prepare for the next meeting, decision, or difficult conversation.
Explore the ToolkitWant to work on it with a group?
Program Packages add facilitator guidance, paired stories, participant materials, structured practice, practical tools, and follow-up.
Explore Program PackagesA paired story can also be used on its own in a one-on-one, lab meeting, seminar, onboarding conversation, or mentoring group.
Want the next research-life story?
Get new trainee and mentor perspectives and practical resources by email.