| > Yes you lose time and focus by dipping your toes into the zeitgeist, but you also make sure you work on things that are relevant. > The closed-door researcher produces more work, but the open-door researcher produces impactful work. These are not real dichotomies. Without defending the shortcomings of the focused, closed-door approach, which you seem to take for granted, chasing the zeitgeist and keeping the door open seem to have little do with staying relevant or being impactful. Relevance and impact are hard to come by altogether, and I think anyone here can think of far more (innumerable) zeitgeist-chasing, open-door-keeping peers who never stumbled upon relevance or impact than those that have. And for as many as they can identify, they could probably find just as many (few) among the focused, closed-door types. Chasing the zeitgeist might make you feel more relevant, but it's generally deceptive. What happens more often, seemingly, is that you get caught up in the countless ephemeral fashions and distractions that blip into and out of the social consciousness, always finding yourself having just missed the opportunity to play some meaningful role in things. Maybe it's because you arrived at the party too late, or you weren't prepared, or you bet on in the wrong horse again, or somebody else stepped in your way, etc. Be careful taking for granted that what feels rewarding is actually bringing you closer to your goals. When you keep getting that wrong in the same way, we just call it addiction. |