Lab Philosophy

At the SAGE Lab, we aim to do careful, useful science without losing sight of the people doing it. This page describes how we balance rigor with personal sustainability: taking the time to produce trustworthy work, investing in the skills that make it possible, developing efficient habits, protecting time for deep work, and building a sustainable writing practice.

Measure twice, cut once

The saying “measure twice, cut once” comes from woodworking: before cutting a piece of wood, measure it carefully, because a rushed or inaccurate cut can waste the material and cannot be undone. The same principle applies to research. Before committing time, participants, funding, or a public claim, we should pause long enough to check whether the design, data, analysis, and interpretation are sound.

In modern academic environments, there is a pervasive push to move quickly and produce continuously. The appeal of anti-perfectionism is understandable: it is a legitimate reaction to a system that can demand output at the expense of personal balance, mental health, and thoughtful work.

The approach we prioritize to resist that system without burning out is twofold: accepting that our approach may take more time, while also trying to shorten that timeline by developing more efficient habits. We focus on the work that matters and resist the pressure to hurry when doing so would weaken the science. This is in the interest of better research and the greater good, while preserving the balance that makes sustained work possible.

The Pareto principle is often interpreted to mean that the first 80% of a project may take 20% of the effort and therefore seem worthwhile, while the final 20% may take an additional 80% and therefore be discouraged. In empirical science, that final effort can be where careful checks reveal important problems.

However, the cost of rushing is not trivial. The replication crisis in psychology and the social sciences shows how errors can do more than produce a misleading result in one paper: they can send subsequent work down an unfruitful path and waste years of attention and resources.

Taking time to quality-check our work may slow publication, but it gives us greater confidence in what we publish. At the SAGE Lab, we aim for robust methods, statistics, and interpretations: work that is carefully designed, transparently analyzed, and proportionate to the evidence. Measure twice, cut once: the time spent checking our work is part of the work itself.

Sharpen the saw

Doing high-quality science requires more than enthusiasm; it requires a mastery of fundamental tools and methods. As Stephen Covey emphasized in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey, 1989), we must take time to “sharpen the saw”—developing core capabilities that make our primary work more effective and reliable.

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my axe.” — Attributed to Abraham Lincoln

Investing early in foundational skills requires effort, but it pays off throughout a research career. These skills make difficult work more manageable and leave more room for careful thinking.

We encourage all lab members and prospective collaborators to actively develop these foundational capabilities. Explore our guide on skills for research at the SAGE Lab to see the specific technical and methodological areas we prioritize.

This is our long-term perspective: build lasting competence rather than continually chase the next quick output.

Develop efficient habits

Upholding high standards of excellence and integrity requires cultivating the habits and mindset of a highly effective person. Just as we sharpen our technical tools, we must continually refine our personal systems for managing time, energy, and attention.

High performance in science is not about working until burnout; it is about deliberate self-management, continuous optimization, and personal development. Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for sustaining exceptional long-term performance.

We encourage lab members to look for ways to constantly improve their personal effectiveness. The following books have been particularly influential in shaping our approach to personal management and productivity:

• High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way (Burchard, 2017). Focuses on deliberate habits—such as generating energy, raising necessity, and demonstrating courage—that sustain long-term success without compromising well-being.
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey, 1989). A classic framework for personal integrity, proactivity, prioritizing what matters most, and seeking mutual benefit in collaborative work.
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (Allen, 2001). A practical workflow system for capturing tasks, clarifying commitments, and organizing actions to maintain a clear mind and reduce cognitive overload.
• Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength (Baumeister & Tierney, 2011). Examines the science of self-control, ego depletion, and how to structure environments and routines to preserve mental energy for what truly matters.

Deep work and slow productivity: Cal Newport’s influence

Our lab mentality is strongly influenced by the writings of Cal Newport, whose work advocates for depth, focus, and sustainable achievement in a world dominated by distraction and superficial busyness.

Modern academic life can easily degrade into reactive communication—checking emails, responding to messaging channels, and attending fragmented meetings—at the expense of sustained intellectual focus. We actively resist this trend by adopting principles from Newport’s key works:

• Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World (Newport, 2016). Scientific discovery and rigorous scholarship require long periods of uninterrupted, focused concentration. We protect blocks of time for deep thinking, reading, writing, and complex data analysis.
• Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout (Newport, 2024). We embrace a pace of work that prioritizes doing fewer things, working at a natural intensity, and obsessing over quality. Meaningful scientific contributions are built slowly and deliberately over time.
• A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload (Newport, 2021). We aim to structure lab communication intentionally, reducing hyperactive hive-mind messaging so members can spend more time thinking and less time managing inboxes.
• So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love (Newport, 2012). We adopt a “craftsman mindset,” focusing on acquiring rare and valuable skills through deliberate practice rather than waiting for motivation or passion to strike.

Writing and navigating academia

Writing is not merely a vehicle for reporting finished research; it is the primary medium through which scientific ideas are clarified, structured, and evaluated. Developing a regular, sustainable writing habit is essential for academic success and scientific communication.

To navigate academic writing and career growth with clarity and purpose, we recommend the following guides:

• How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing (Silvia, 2007). A concise, practical guide to overcoming writing blocks by establishing regular, non-negotiable writing schedules and treating writing as a routine habit rather than an emotional event.
• The Compleat Academic: A Career Guide (Zanna & Darley, 2004). A comprehensive resource for navigating the academic profession, offering practical advice on grant writing, publishing, teaching, research ethics, and career development.

By combining rigorous quality controls, deliberate skill building, efficient personal habits, deep focus, and sustainable writing practices, we aim to build a research environment where both science and researchers thrive.

Explore current research projects or read about skills for research at the SAGE Lab.