More research isn't always better

Occasionally, we have tendency to look for more information even when it does not cause us to take action. Here's an example: let's say your thesis explores the intersections of music and architecture. You start by scanning the literature on these two disciplines. Naturally, you have access to a lot of architectural works, and through investigation, you discover some works on music. 

After some study, you decide that your project will focus on the rhythmic aspects of music and how that can also be interpreted in spatial rhythms through architecture. This becomes the focus. As your presentation approaches, you determine that in order to have a "strong idea" that you need to learn more about how musical instruments are made and how their structural qualities are similar to that of buildings. This will deepen your understanding of the dichotomy you're exploring, you think.

Going further down this rabbit hole, you begin to also examine the physics behind vibrations and how they produce sounds, searching for a way to attach this to your ideas about building and space. In the end, your focus on rhythm is lost, and your progress stagnant. You would have been better off staying focused on the task at hand, which was how rhythm in music could be interpreted into the rhythmic qualities of architecture. More research led to poorer results. Often, the pursuit for more data can end up being a counterproductive one.

Perfectionism leads to procrastination

With the start of the spring semester approaching, many students are gearing up for thesis, culminating a long trek of rigorous academic study. As is the case with many projects, excellence is a top of mind issue, something well placed, but sometimes ill-suited for success. An excellence mindset that is, or rather, a symptomatic characteristic of perfectionism. We want our thesis presentation to be perfect (because if we're honest, the presentation is what we're working toward, more than the project).

With perfectionism comes procrastination disguised as work. Especially when it comes to theoretical and conceptual discourse, there is a lot to know. We think of the highly-educated jury we will have to face, the reading list we received from our professors, and the long aisles of knowledge in the school library and cogitate as to how we can strengthen our pursued idea. Searching, searching, searching, but little work happens. If only we could gain more knowledge, we could present our undeniably profound idea to the panel in May. We do nothing in an effort to do too much.

You'll never know everything

Don't use "research" as an excuse to not make progress this semester. Making concrete decisions and taking a position can be tough when it comes to design, and especially when it comes to your final thesis project. But, you can never know everything, the jurors will always bring up stuff you weren't able to think of, and in the end, there will be aspects in your project that you will need to improve on.

If you stay focused, and refine a well thought through idea, your discussion will go well. And anyways, when the presentation is over, you'll have commenced a whole new chapter in your journey.