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Attention all academics and others working on open-ended projects!

I am working on a project with a huge amount of data. As always, my task is to find the most interesting parts of the data and the appropriate model to use. The issue is that the path from here to completion is non-linear. There are many possible paths and I'll need to try out many of them. I'm sure this is familiar to you academics out there (and to others as well).

The problem is managing time while I'm doing this. What happens in practice 1.I get analysis paralysis and can't do anything because I can't decide on which route to try first.
2. Once I do try something, I stay on it too long. I spend too much time learning software commands, etc. for the benefit I get. And then I neglect other routes.

Has anyone found a way around this?

Thanks!

jkenton's picture

Huge Data Sets and Analysis Paralysis

I'm an academic.

The only comment I have for you is to go back to the beginning of the project, where you (or your group) specified what you were trying to do while collecting the "steaming pile" of data. Somewhere in there should be some research questions, or project objectives. Those things should steer the ship.

If you're just going fishing, I'll quote an old sailing adage: If it doesn't matter where you wind up, any wind will get you there.

Good Luck!

 
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