Friday's Digest - The Newsletter for Doctors & Scientists

Friday's Digest #84

Why Doing Nothing Is Doing Something

Having "do nothing" time, or "headspace," is probably the most important thing you will have on your schedule. Friday’s Digest #84

April 5th, 2024

Friday's Digest - The Newsletter for Doctors & Scientists

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Preface
Main Article
Viewers’ Favorite
Stuff

Preface

It was my freshman year at university, two decades ago. My first year as a student.

My friend and I were biology students, dreaming of getting into med school.

I had a higher SAT score, so I "only" had to get a 90.4 average to get accepted, while my friend had to get a 92.

My friend made it. I crashed and burned on the way. My med school dream ended.

What was the difference between us?

Why did my friend succeed and I fail?

That's the topic of today's newsletter.

Number 84!

(Funny, 84 was my final average back then).

Main Article

Doctors and scientists have different lifestyles.

When the scientist walks into the lab at 8:30, it wouldn't matter if it were 8:45 instead.

When scientists walk into the lab, they will likely see their students working, say good morning, and won't disturb them. They will then walk into their office and start their day, usually calmly.

When a doctor walks into the hospital or clinic at 8:00, it’s almost always hectic. Patients need immediate treatment, and the schedule is usually packed to the max.

Both the scientist and the doctor will work hard throughout the day, but their schedules are so different.

Scientists have something doctors don’t.

It’s called headspace.

Headspace is having time to yourself without anything scheduled—time that you don’t use for anything else aside from being with yourself and your thoughts.

It’s not that doctors don’t need it.

But scientists absolutely must have it.

As a surgeon-scientist, this is one of my major challenges. I need to have headspace both as a doctor and as a scientist.

But combining them leaves me with even less headspace. And that's a different topic we'll leave for a separate newsletter.

Back to freshman Shay.

Why did my friend succeed, and I failed?

Was he smarter than me? Possibly.

Did he study more than me? No. We both studied for the same amount of time.

Did he pay more attention in class? No. We both attended all the courses and shared our notes.

So what was the difference between us?

I had a part-time job. I was an SAT instructor, totaling 12 hours per week.

But my friend wasn't studying for 12 hours longer than me.

He did something else with these 12 hours.

When I was at work, he had time to unwind. To take an afternoon nap. To think. To plan. Time to let everything sink in.

He had headspace.

Back to the present.

Having "do nothing" time, or "headspace," is probably the most important thing you will have on your schedule every day. It will boost your health, productivity, family life, social life, everything.

But how can you have it?

Are you supposed to tell your boss, "Don't disturb me for 30 minutes. I want to sit in my office and do nothing"?

Are you supposed to tell your patients to wait until tomorrow because you need to sit down and think?

In some cultures, the answer is yes.

But if I look at the demographic of my readers, most of us are not that lucky.

So what can we do about it?

I'm glad you asked!

Here are three tools to bring more headspace to your life.

The first is more of a life goal you should always aspire to, but it will be difficult to accomplish.

The second and third ones can be introduced even to the busiest schedules.

🚫 Block Your Schedule

You should reserve 1 hour every day for doing nothing.

Now, don't get angry with me.

Remember? I told you that this is more of a life goal you should aspire to.

A dream job will allow you to have this time for yourself. I'll leave you to decide how to make it happen.

But I want to tell you what you should do at this time.

Hold on tight. Here it comes. 🥁 Drumroll please….

NOTHING. You should do nothing!

Not admin time, no grocery shopping, no phone calls, no internet.

Nothing. Just you and your thoughts.

You can have a notepad and a pencil to write down ideas if you want, but that's it.

NOTHING more.

Okay, back to reality. Most of us can't block that much time, if at all.

Here are my two tools that will give you headspace on a busy schedule.

👣 Walk

Whenever you can, walk.

Use your legs and let your mind wander.

If you drive to work, park at a distance and walk from there.

If you take the bus or the train, get off a few stops earlier and walk the rest of the way.

If you're fortunate enough to work in a place with a garden or a park nearby, take a break and walk there.

Remember, the "Nothing" rule applies to your walk as well. No phone calls, no social media, no YouTube, no email. NOTHING.

Just you, your thoughts, and maybe a notepad.

🌳 Bring Nature Closer

That's my favorite tool because it works so well.

Our brains are wired to work better when we are in nature. This is how we are built.

For example, if you try to concentrate in an office with fluorescent lighting or a forest, you will achieve better results in the forest.

Do you know why? It’s because nature will bring you headspace.

This is exactly why startup companies and big universities invest in bringing nature into their environments.

But you probably can't take your lunch break and head out to the forest, right?

So instead, bring nature into your office. Lift the curtain, and add a variety of plants to your workspace.

Without even realizing it, having plants and natural sunlight will lead to moments of contemplation.

They will bring you headspace.

Happy headspacing!

Viewers’ Favorite

For those preparing for the USMLE, I've just released my second USMLE video to answer all the questions I received after the first video.

Good luck!

Stuff

💡 App I use - Google Sites.

Building a website may seem complicated, but it's actually not. My website has made my life easier in so many ways, and I highly recommend you try it.

In this video, I will walk you through the process.

Epilogue

If you received this newsletter from a friend and would like to join Friday's Digest, visit: https://newsletter.shaysharon.com

That’s it for this issue.

Hope for better times.

Shay

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