I've outlined some struggles of the academic researcher's mind which no one talks about.
1 - Don't let the idea of mortality stand in your way.
What else to do? A life of worry or a life of doing? Maybe, you too, get the impression that a lifetime is not enough to tackle the complex issue you want. In my field, neuroscience, I am aware every second of how little we know, and would actually know about the way our nervous system functions before we die. I face a great pressure in choosing a topic, in constructing a theory, and actually getting to understand it inside out. Around 80 years* is not enough, if you never write down and communicate your ideas. While it's fun and definitely one could empathise with the struggle, entertaining philosophical debates without an actual product is selfish. Throw it at them in a form they will recognise.
2 - Don't let the idea of finite time stand in your way when you finally decide on a project.
I just mentioned "pressure in choosing a topic". This should be easier, shouldn't it? Ask yourself: What is it that you're interested in? Why? Why are you so interested in it? Please just answer a chain of ten "whys", and you will be closer to defining a field. Then, look for people with similar interests, talk to them - really, read their work, it could inspire you - and see what the requirements are to be able to pursue that interest.
Once you decided, don't think you will have to cover it all in a finite amount of time. Start easy, and structure your speculations from there. This is some advice I've recently put into practice: ask a simple question initially, and develop the next steps afterwards. It is beautiful to think a theory could be complete from the beginning, it gives you a sense of achievement because you completed 'a task', but assumptions without data could drive us into confusion. Yes, you might not have time to reach the end, but nor was Rome built in a day.
3 - Don't let the idea of inability to change the project as you go along affect you; you can always change!
Coming back to the earlier point, a theory is not developed in a day. At each step, you have to troubleshoot, before moving to the next level. I find this hierarchy based methodological approach annoying too, but I learnt the hard way, through research experience, that it is the way forward. A project should be re-evaluated at every step. You might encounter something which shifts it 180* and you need to be prepared, and importantly, open to it.
4 - Stop separating your colleagues in you and them. ultimately you all share a goal or two.
It is a competition they say. But is it? By working closely with my lab I discovered that it was impossible to advance if we weren't all on the same level of understanding of the exact problems we were tackling. So invest in creating common ground. Do not separate yourself, because - I need to quote Pink Floyd - "United we stand, divided we fall".
5 - Accept the fact that while you could definitely be inspired by a random moment (eg a random conversation with a stranger), you could as well not, and that is fine too.
It's normal to have a perfect picture of everything, and it's ok to be open enough to let it change. Rigid thinking is a problem. Relax too... but don't become emotionally disconnected to your work. Only true passion is inspiring for the next generation, and you really want to foster some love for science, so people will continue your work and that is ultimately going to contribute to the bigger picture.
I find myself going on holiday, being at a festival for example, thinking I cannot benefit from conversing with random people who share very different belief systems from mine. We should start by giving it a chance - work related or not, communicating with other people is always something we should engage with. The british nation is a perfect example in this case: no one masters small talk as they do. But when people click, that can be forgotten.
