This is post 2 of a sequence on my framework for doing and thinking about research. Start here.

Before I get into what exactly to do at each stage of the research process, it's worth reflecting on the key mindsets that are crucial throughout the process, and how they should manifest at each stage.

I think the most important mindsets are:

Truth-seeking: By default, many research insights will be false - finding truth is hard. It's not enough to just know this, you must put in active effort to be skeptical and resist bias, lest you risk your research being worthless.
Prioritisation: You have finite time, and a lot of possible actions. Your project will live or die according to whether you pick good ones.
Moving fast: You have finite time and a lot to do. This doesn’t just mean “push yourself to go faster” - there's a [...]

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Outline:

(01:44) Truth Seeking

(06:59) Prioritisation

(12:24) Moving Fast

(18:25) Taking action under uncertainty

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First published:
April 27th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/cbBwwm4jW6AZctymL/my-research-process-key-mindsets-truth-seeking

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“My Research Process: Key Mindsets - Truth-Seeking, Prioritisation, Moving Fast” by Neel Nanda

LessWrong (30+ Karma)

“My Research Process: Key Mindsets - Truth-Seeking, Prioritisation, Moving Fast” by Neel Nanda