Table of Contents

1. Life Update

2. Tools and Tips

3. Readers’ Favorite

4. Stuff

Life Update

Pacing

I've always loved pacing— walking slowly, gathering my thoughts, and making plans.

My love for pacing started at university. Whenever there was an exam, I studied while walking. In the beginning, I did it simply to stay awake.

You see, memorizing facts is exhausting, and whenever I sat down, I'd fall asleep.

But since beginning my research journey, I've noticed that pacing boosts my creativity. When I pace, I discover new ideas, perspectives, and solutions.

It's funny how moving your feet affects your brain this way.

But it does.

Nowadays, I find myself pacing in the OR.

Not many know this, but there are dead moments in the operating room.

For example, we wait while the patient enters the OR before the procedure begins, again after the operation, and until the patient leaves the room for recovery. During these times, I’m there, but I mostly wait.

So lately, I've started pacing in the OR— planning my next research steps, analyzing our results, and gathering my thoughts.

I guess walking in a forest would be more cool, but until I have access to one, the hospital hallways and OR will do just fine.

Number 131!

Let's go.

Tools and Tips

As you get older, you find yourself spending more money.

When you're a poor student, you save on everything. But with time, your expenses increase— and if you have kids? Oh my god. You spend astronomical amounts.

Even when you’re used to spending that much, you still think twice before buying something luxurious— something you WANT rather than you NEED.

When your budget is tight, justifying those extra expenses is hard.

We recently returned from two years in the US, and we also moved into a new place. So we had to buy many items to settle in.

Yet, even during this process, 3 things were always worth spending on.

Let me share these with you:

🔵 Peace of Mind

This is my top reason for spending extra.

I'll gladly pay more for things that cause me to worry less.

For example, paying more to book a more reliable flight that won't get canceled, or a hotel reservation that can be changed at no cost.

It could be investing in quality home appliances that won't break down, or choosing safer investments with guaranteed returns (although you will make less money out of these investments).

I value anything that lets me focus on daily life without worrying about future problems. Anything that keeps my mind clear and calm is worth paying for.

🔵 Save Time

Your time is worth more than money.

Every minute that passes is gone forever. Money, on the other hand, can always be earned back.

So whenever I can buy more time, I consider it.

This might mean investing in productivity apps that save you time (like the ones I recommended here), carrying devices that enable work on the go (like an iPad Mini I used during my internship), or hiring help for tasks (such as a personal assistant or paying someone to fix things around your house.

🔵 Better Sleep

This one is really important.

We spend a third of our lives sleeping, but we rarely invest that much in our sleep.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting using a third of your money to buy a mattress, but it's worth investing a bit extra.

This applies both to your home mattress and hotel stays.

Recently, while visiting cancer centers in the US, I stayed at a budget place in a REALLY bad neighborhood. I was worried that someone would break into this place at night 😱.

I slept very poorly there, but I didn't realize how tense I'd been until I moved to a better place. It felt like a heavy weight lifted from my shoulders.

Since then, I started to pay 10-20% more for such things. And it made my stay so much more productive.

Readers’ Favorite

I'm working on recording more episodes of my podcast.

Let me know if you have a topic in mind that you want me to talk about.

My Podcast

Stuff

📚Book I read - Die with Zero by Bill Perkins.

"The business of life is the acquisition of memories. At the end, that's all there is."

According to this book, we should invest our money in creating meaningful experiences rather than just accumulating wealth.

Why?

Because these experiences become memories we'll cherish for the rest of our lives.

Every hour spent on making money is an hour taken away from living.

So ask yourself: how much of your life will you trade for money that won't be used to create meaningful experiences?

This book completely transformed my perspective on money.

Good stuff.

Epilogue

That’s it for this issue.

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See you next week!

Shay