Diving into the world of healthy writing, I tackled the big task of doing a literature review. Typed in my search terms, and bam! Got hit with a ton of results – cue the mini freakout. I was feeling lost, doubting my ability to wade through all that info. Took a breather and realized I needed to make friends with the research game to get some solid content out.

Real talk, research takes time – Sheridan Henness, a seasoned senior medical writer, even says a narrative literature review can gobble up around 25 hours. So, accepting that research is a time muncher is key for keeping it real.

Now, how do we organize this research chaos? Start broad, says Henness. Grab recent review papers to get the lowdown on the topic. And mind mapping? It's a genius move to get those ideas flowing and make sense of it all. Crafting a clear research question using frameworks like PICO is the secret sauce, according to RaeAnna Jeffers and Henneke Duistermaat.

Next up, plan that search strategy, have a flexible outline, and break the work into bite-sized pieces. Throw in the Pomodoro Technique – work for a bit, chill. Keep things systematic by jotting down findings and tracking time.

To stay focused, ditch the distractions. Clean up your workspace, mute notifications, and maybe use apps like Forest or Freedom to keep the web temptations at bay. Find your golden hours for productivity, sprinkle in breaks, and don’t forget to treat your body right with sleep, good eats, and some exercise.

Ah, those research rabbit holes – we've all been there. Create a stash for interesting but off-topic finds, set time limits on distractions, and stay disciplined, just like Sheridan and RaeAnna suggest.

So, wrapping it up – researching like a boss needs planning, organization, and a dash of discipline. It might seem like a mountain, but these tricks can turn that research peak into a manageable hill for a more chill writing experience.