Friday's Digest #133 

6 Things I Learned The Hard Way

These are things no one taught me— I had to learn them the hard way. 

You shouldn't have to go through the same hardships

March 14th, 2025

Friday's Digest - The Newsletter for Doctors & Scientists

For two decades, I've been developing tools that have improved my practice in medicine, dentistry, and scientific research.

Join me every Friday to discover a new tool you can integrate into your workflow as a doctor, a scientist, or both.

I believe in sharing knowledge, embracing automation, boosting productivity, and finding joy in the process.

Table of Contents


Life Update

I miss going out to good restaurants.

Just a few years ago, there were plenty of options.


But nowadays, you either don't enjoy the food, end up paying too much for it, or both.


Lately, I've noticed a trend of "blue-collar" options popping up, like food trucks.

Yet, from the ones I've visited, they obviously cut corners everywhere.


Here's a typical example from these food trucks:

When you order a chicken salad, they serve it in a fancy large bucket. From the outside, you see chicken strips and grilled onions that suggest a generous portion.

But as you dig in, you discover the bucket is mostly lettuce, with just a few strips of chicken and a pile of grilled onions on top.


You're left mainly eating lettuce and still feeling hungry.


There's a lot of hype around these supposedly "simple and inexpensive" places.

But they're none of those things.


The result?

I rarely eat out.


If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them.


Speaking of recommendations, today I share 6 things I learned the hard way (so you don't have to).



Number 133!


Let’s go!



Tools and Tips

It took me years to learn these 6 things.

I learned them through hardship and frustration.

I wasn't sure they would work when I first acted on them.


No one taught them to me.

I was simply following my gut feeling.


They are not things I’ve seen others do.

I discovered them through my own personal experience.


Today, I will share them with you:



Number 1:

Failure will get you places success never will.

Every great achievement in my life came after a failure.



Number 2:

The greatest return on investment isn't in stocks or real estate— it's in yourself.

Specifically, in your personal development and health.



Number 3:

Act first, apologize later.

Constantly asking for permission will leave you frustrated and stuck.



Number 4:

Rejection hurts for a second, regret lasts a lifetime.

Live without regrets.

If you do regret something, do whatever it takes to fix it. WHATEVER IT TAKES.



Number 5:

You can always make more money, but you can never make more time.

When earning money, make sure you either NEED it or ENJOY THE MOMENTS while making it. Otherwise, you're trading away your time in this world. Time you'll never get back.



Number 6:

Nobody cares.

We often think everyone is watching what we do.

They're not.

Do what's right without worrying about being laughed at.




Readers’ Favorite

Productivity for Doctors and Scientists: Tools I Use Daily and Have Never Failed Me.

Read about them here.



Stuff

📱Application I use - Zotero Reference Manager

After trying nearly every reference manager available, I've found Zotero to be the best for my needs.

In this video, I demonstrate how I integrate it into my workflow.



Epilogue

That’s it for this issue.

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See you next week!

Shay