Lucy Taylor provides some suggestions of things to consider when starting a PhD, such as identifying a work/life balanace, set yourself goals early, write down everything and backup your work. This reminds me of posts from Gayle Munro and Deborah Netolicky sharing some of their experiences. I think that some of these lessons can be applied to any sort of extended project. See for example Ryan Holiday’s research steps or Alex Quigley’s discussion of how to write a book. For more on research, check out this list of recommended books. via Chris Aldrich