After reading the Ph.D students' guide in Science

"Guide for PhD students (and post-docs) aiming for a successful career in science"

I came across this article when I was surfing job posts in the Science Magazine. It is like a wake up call. I wish I had read it when I started my Ph.D study, so that I would work harder, plan my days and weeks more carefully, keep a good lab book and write it up everyday, go to as many seminars as I can, and most important, make the most of any opportunities to network and talk about my research.

But what do I know. I probably would not realize how important most of the points listed in the article were back then. Life is a process of learning. For certain people like me, we only realize/learn what's important from the lessons life taught us. We live our lives, we make mistakes, and we learn from our mistakes. This learning style seems to work ok for me, I am on the right track of my professional development. But what difference would it make if I change my life style? How much more could I achieve if I plan my life instead of just live it? Should I at least give it a try?