Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. Reproduced with permission. Whatever your personal sense of style, try to rein it in and keep your lab bench neat. Ignore the machismo that reigns in many labs, the sense that a Real Scientist doesn't worry about cleaning up junk, and stay organized. At the very least, remove the debris of one experiment before you start another.
Organization is key.
Without a system for maintaining references, data, computer files, and journal articles, you will be hopelessly mired in paperwork within weeks. Keeping control of information is as important as IQ in the lab. It will probably take longer than a week to know exactly what you will be working on and to pinpoint the specific reagents you will need, but there are standard supplies and reagents that everyone needs, and you should set yourself up to do an experiment as soon as possible. Don't use opened boxes or bags of supplies. If you find opened pipet tips, pipets, or tubes, use only what can be autoclaved to guarantee cleanliness and sterility.