Table of Contents

1. Preface

2. Main Article

3. Readers’ Favorite

4. For The Soul

Preface

We'll begin today’s newsletter with an update on my promise to have healthier habits.

You can read about it here, but in short, I decided to start running again🏃🏼, eat healthier 🥬, and stretch🦵.

So far, it’s been a success. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I do want to highlight three interesting observations:

1️⃣ Asian squat

In the past, I suffered from a recurrent knee injury after running. At times, it even caused me to stop running for months.

This time, I don’t have any signs of it, even though I’m older and in the worst shape I’ve ever been.

So what's different?

I’ve been doing the Asian squat for 5 minutes a day. I never thought it will have such a dramatic effect! I will write more on it in the future.

2️⃣ Running can replace my sleep

I noticed this before, but it’s become more apparent over the last few weeks.

If I sleep 7.5 hours, or run and sleep 6.5 hours, the quality of my sleep remains the same!

This one surprised me quite a bit.

3️⃣ My watch is rude

My Garmin watch is not really nice to me.

It tends to show the real picture. Like when my jog sucked.

The Apple watch I had always said nice things after every run.

But you know what?

I prefer Garmin.

I wonder. What does it say about me? I’ll let you decide 😀

Speaking of smartwatches and cell phones, today I want to talk about something many of us do with our cell phones.

Keeping a to-do list.

But does your cell phone really help you with this?

Number 101!

Let’s do this!

Main Article

Smartphones and smartwatches have revolutionized to-do lists.

Gone are the days when writing on paper was your only option.

Now, we have to-do list apps that keep our tasks organized, categorize them, set reminders, and more.

But electronic to-do lists have 2 downsides compared to pen and paper lists.

They are endless.

And they are designed to be fun.

This is a problem.

To-do lists aren't supposed to be fun or endless.

You should feel UNCOMFORTABLE managing your to-do list. You should want to complete tasks and remove them.

I'm not saying you should switch to a paper to-do list. I use a to-do list on my phone as well (Apple's "Reminders").

But these apps can distract you from what matters most.

So, let's fix it!

Here are 3 to-do list mistakes and how to fix them:

🔵 Your To-Do List Is Too Long

This is the SINGLE MOST important tip that will change everything for you: keep your to-do list short and clean.

Start by looking at your to-do list, and complete every single task on your to-do list TODAY.

If you can’t complete a task - CHANGE its due date to a specific time when you know it will be easiest for you to complete it.

Examples:

When I have something to do at work, I schedule it for 6:15 am. This is usually the time I walk into the hospital.

When I have an important email to respond to, I schedule it for 10 minutes before the morning meeting/lecture starts. This is a perfect time for administrative work.

But whatever happens, I NEVER ignore my to-do list. I either complete the task or postpone it to a specific time that will make it easiest for me to complete it.

🔵 #1 Is Probably Not Important (#2 is)

Suppose you have 5 tasks on your to-do list. Which task is most important?

The answer is simple: The most important task is the one that is NOT urgent but very important for YOUR FUTURE.

This is usually the second or third item on your list, NOT the first one.

Examples: reading a manuscript, writing a proposal, or brushing up on your plan before next week’s clinic, surgery, or lab meeting.

Notice the resemblance?

They are all NOT urgent, and there’s a high likelihood that NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN if you postpone them.

So what do we usually do?

We postpone these tasks.

And more often than not, we don’t accomplish them at all.

What do we do instead?

We complete the MOST URGENT tasks first: Writing administrative emails, responding to text messages, sitting through unimportant meetings, and so on.

These tasks are usually urgent for SOMEONE ELSE because THEY want to take them off THEIR to-do list.

So ask yourself: What tasks are #2 on your list? Which tasks get postponed even though they're so important?

🔵 Not Having Deep Work Time

Now that your to-do list is clean and prioritized, let's discuss when to complete these tasks.

In general, it's up to you. You need to find a time when you're very focused.

What do I do?

I’m doing it first thing in the morning. This is my “Deep Work” time.

(Credit to Cal Newport)

If I need a full hour, I wake up an hour earlier.

If you’d like to read more, here I wrote about my 5-5-5 system for managing time.

Happy to-doing!

Readers’ Favorite

Some doctors and scientists choose to stay abroad. But for me, some things are irreplaceable.

You can read about it here:  Relocation - 4 Things From Home I Miss the Most.

For The Soul

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” —Marie Curie

Resurfaced using Readwise.

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