Dr Nick Oswald
Founder, Bitesize Bio
Appears in 71 Episodes
Getting Dead Practical about To-Do Lists II: Overcoming Task Avoidance
#78 — In this episode of The Happy Scientist, we dive into the emotional patterns that hinder the smooth operation of any to-do list system.These emotional barriers ca...
Does Your Science Box You In?
#76 — At the heart of the scientific method lies the idea that perspectives are not static—they evolve, shift, and intersect as we tackle scientific problems from diff...
Patience and Getting What You Want. Are They Compatible?
#75 — We're told from a young age that patience is a virtue. But does that hold up to scrutiny?In some respects, it seems so, given that impatience can be annoying to ...
What Makes it Onto Your To-do List and Why?
#74 — How we feel about completing certain tasks and the people they involve have a massive impact on whether or not we do those tasks or how quickly and carefully we ...
Why Keeping Your Options Open Is Holding You Back
#72 — Freedom is not having lots of options—it's choosing between them. You are free to choose.Now think about that in the context of your research project and career....
Urgency. How to Keep it From Ruining Your Day, Project, and Career
#70 — Academia can seem like nothing but deadlines. Experiments, people, reports, and objectives compete for our immediate attention. Sometimes, rightly so. But you ca...
How to Deal With Challenging People In Your Lab (and Beyond)
#69 — Challenging people. You get them everywhere. Your lab—and beyond.There's the one who block-books instruments for two weeks straight. There's the one who barely s...
How to Earn Respect In Your Lab, and In Your Field
#68 — Respect is an interesting measure of a career. We all know colleagues we respect personally, or professionally, or intellectually. Sometimes one person captures ...
What To Do If Your Love of Science Is Fading
#66 — Do you ever think: "I don't love science anymore"?Many of us have doubts during our scientific career and question whether the passion or enthusiasm is still the...
You, Yes YOU, Need To Learn To Accept Praise
#65 — Do you feel awkward responding when someone genuinely compliments your work? Have you ever had a backhanded compliment or dubious praise? It seems like it can be...
Catalysts for Advancement In Your Scientific Career
#64 — Catalysts aren't just for chemists anymore! The best practices you bring to the bench can be invaluable tools beyond it. In this episode of The Happy Scientist, ...
Focus — Your Lab Superpower
#63 — Discover the art of focus. Dive into its macro and micro applications. Begin with the bigger picture—your career, then ripple inward to your organization, team, ...
The Most Effective Way to Protect and Expand Your Own Interests
#62 — Looking out for number #1 was fashionable in the 80s. Now it's almost a rude comment. But if you're not looking out for yourself, who is? And what's the best bal...
Dropping Grudges Will Change Your Life. Trust Us.
#60 — Have you been wronged? Are you righteously indignant? Are you that most popular of characters today: a Victim? In this episode, we will give you the keys to set ...
The Importance Of Questioning The Status Quo
#59 — “It’s always been done that way.” Maybe that works for double-entry accounting (which hasn’t changed in a thousand years), but not in the lab. We humans may love...
What You Can do to Improve Yourself and Your Science
Remember when you were a wide-eyed child and you dreamed of being the person who would invent some world-changing gizmo? You had lots of ideas back then. But now that ...
How to Do Labwork with Minimum Stress
Is your lab a pressure cooker? You’re not a pot roast, so such an environment is not for you. But can you do anything about it? Fortunately, yes! This episode will unp...
How to Hotwire Your To-do List for Maximum Progress
In this episode, we will offer you a simple test that will clarify the proper priority for any item on your to-do list – or reveal that it shouldn’t be on your list at...
There’s No Such Thing As a Comfort Zone
Who was that wise, compassionate, brilliant person who decided for you what is comfortable and what isn’t? Oh, they weren’t so wise, compassionate, or brilliant? And t...
What Can Science Learn from Other Disciplines?
Maybe you think there is too much to know about science without having to incorporate other fields. In fact, your own sub-sub-specialty is overwhelming enough! But thi...
The Risks of Having to Be Right
Unless we’re wrong, having to be right all the time will lead to lots of problems. (See what we did there?) In this episode, we will explore the risky nature of needin...
I Hate Math (and Organic Chemistry and Applied Physics)
Early on, you discovered you liked science class better than other classes, say composition, or history, or literature. There is nothing wrong with preferences. You ma...
Things to Love About the Lab
While it’s easy to complain about what’s lacking, it’s productive to focus on what’s going for you, what’s working for you, and what’s supporting you. Awareness of the...
Coping With The Parts of Your Job You Hate
If it wasn’t for the tasks, the people, the bureaucracy or the pressure, you would love your job. After all, no other careers have these demands… Hmm, perhaps your exp...
How to See Your Blind Spots
And the blind shall see! It’s easy to acknowledge we don’t know everything but it can be hard to admit we don’t know when things get specific. It’s even harder when we...
How to Reason With the Unreasonable
Ah, reason. It can be so comforting. But to the uninitiated it can be quite frightening. In this episode, learn how to spread your hard won reason without causing a pa...
Can There Be Freedom In Science?
Freedom has been associated with politics, philosophy, lifestyle, morality, relationships, even guns. But what about science? In this episode, we will posit the import...
Something Better Than Work—Life Balance
Ah, the elusive fantasy of work — life balance. Think about it, can you name anyone who consistently delivers on it? If you have ever experienced a magical moment that...
How to Deal with Burnout
In this episode, we will decide whether you need a break, a nap, a vacation, a new job, or a new career. You don't have to burn the candle at both ends to make a succe...
Let’s Talk About That Voice In Your Head
Do you have someone chattering at you all day long and that someone is you? If so, you're in good company. This is the common human condition. Sometimes though it feel...
