Back in 1897, Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal -- winner of the Nobel Prize -- wrote a book called Advice for a Young Investigator. He argued that instead of spending hours reviewing books, lectures and broad research, scientists should focus deeply on a single object of study. This state, he wrote, “refines judgment, enriches analytical powers, spurs constructive imagination, and -- by focusing all light of reason on the darkness of a problem -- allows unforeseen and subtle relationships to be discovered.”
