Choose Deliberately

A fantastic post by Marc Lauritsen that came my way via the Attorney at Work Daily Dispatch inspired Today’s Tip. Marc’s post asked readers to think about recent decisions they helped make and whether they did a good job of choosing.

Choices are part of every aspect and many, many moments of every day. In terms of legal research, deliberate choice should be a decision point that you make with each research question, each search string, and most importantly when planning your research path.

As Marc suggests:

Be mindful when you find yourself facing a choice. Don’t just think about what you’re choosing; think about how you’re choosing.

Recognize that a choice is a project. You’ll improve your chances of a good result if you plan and manage it as such.

I have written here before about habits in choosing sources and habits in the way you use specific tools, but I like the way Marc articulates choice in his post.