An effective user researcher has 5 key habits: 1) Doing thorough groundwork and understanding business objectives like a detective; 2) Preparing for any issues that could arise and keeping research on schedule to avoid last minute problems; 3) Focusing on users during research sessions by making them feel comfortable, asking open-ended questions, and maintaining neutrality; 4) Synthesizing findings like a guru and communicating feedback clearly; 5) Revisiting their approach as needs change over time. Upfront work helps ask the right questions and design useful research, while preparation avoids surprises and maintains quality. Making users comfortable helps get richer insights and fosters trust.