“I need to do more…”
When researching, it can be tempting to continue researching.
There is a pull to continue reading and doing, perhaps ad infinitum, as if we needed to consume more in order to accomplish some goal of understanding. It certainly can feel like you are being productive. The paths are set, the tools are ready, the habits are there.
Some resistance paradoxically manifests in a desire to consume more, thinking that we’ll somehow understand without ourselves involved in the process. It is something of a subtle resistance or procrastination that appears to prevent not only an end product, but more importantly, a full understanding of an idea.
To get to a full sense of understanding, one needs to actually take time to play with ideas. We need to pull back from reading in order to reflect, think about conflicting ideas, consider what we know and don’t know, and maybe write in a creative exploration. It is important to beware of when consumption is preventing one from achieving that next level of understanding that only comes from the self.
