Friday's Digest - The Newsletter for Doctors & Scientists

Friday's Digest #145

3 Things I Do to Increase My Productivity

(and: “Is There a Doctor on the Plane?”)

Everyone wants to be more productive.

But it usually means giving up on something or working harder.

But there’s another way.

June 6th, 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.

Life Update
Tools and Tips
Readers’ Favorite
Stuff

Life Update

Last week, I came back from Singapore after attending an international conference for oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

Flying was never something I liked, and this flight was no different.

Shortly after falling asleep with my noise-cancelling headphones and eye cover, the flight attendant tapped my shoulder.

“Are You a Doctor?”

If there’s one thing I will never miss from residency or being on call, it's being woken up in the middle of the night.

“Yes, I’m a doctor”, I replied.

“We have a passenger who’s not feeling well.”

So I went there.

In essence, when I’m examining a person on a plane, I need to decide whether this is an emergency quickly. If it's an emergency, I will instruct the crew to land the plane.

However, there’s a catch - I don’t have all the instruments I usually use.

As a hospital doctor, I’m used to having a heart monitor, an ECG, blood tests, and so on.

I had none of these.

So I returned to the basics.

No computers, no monitors, no CT scans, no lab, no CT.

Just my hands and ears.

I did many things I’m no longer used to doing.

How did I know how to do all these “old” exams?

I paid very close attention to the head of internal medicine at my hospital.

10 years ago, I rotated at his department. An experience I will never forget.

He could diagnose everything with a basic physical exam. In some cases, he was the only one who could diagnose things that only sophisticated (and very expensive) tests could.

And every time he did that, I repeated his basic exam on the same patient. EVERY TIME.

Since then, I used one of his basic exams here and there.

But right until this flight, I never used ALL OF THEM in real life.

I never had to.

And I was so glad I listened to him.

With no tech, no blood tests, no ECG.

I performed real, basic, “old-school” medicine.

And no, I didn’t have to ask to land the plane 😅.

Take home message?

Know your fundamentals. Never forget the basics.

No matter how advanced and high-tech your profession is.

Number 145!

Tools and Tips

“Be Productive” is such an overused term.

So many books, videos, courses, and podcasts focusing on increasing your productivity are out there.

I myself have written several newsletters on how to become more productive (you can read one of them here).

But simply becoming more productive should never be your goal. You need to enjoy the journey, and not just the destination.

But today, I want to bring all these fancy declarations down to earth.

I want to discuss three simple things we can all do. 3 things that have boosted my creativity and productivity like nothing else has.

Things you already know. But with a twist.

Let’s dive in:

🔵 Coffee

I was never a coffee lover.

I couldn't tell the difference between a bad coffee and a good one.

Well, I might be exaggerating.

I can tell if a coffee is really good or terrible.

But today we’re not discussing how coffee tastes.

We’re discussing how bad it can be for your sleep.

Do you know how long caffeine stays in your blood?

I can give you an exact answer: its half-life is 5 hours.

For those who have forgotten (or never heard of the term “half-life”), let me just say that it will take a full day (24 hours) to eliminate caffeine from your body completely.

Or reach very low levels after 10-15 hours.

Simply put, each cup of coffee you drink after 13:00 (1 pm) will still be in your system when you go to bed.

It will interfere with falling asleep, and worse, it will reduce the quality of your sleep.

You feel very tired when you wake up. And continue to feel fatigued throughout the day.

The solution is simple - if you don’t want caffeine in your body when you sleep, stop drinking it at 13:00.

🏡 Take Home Message: I never drink coffee after 13:00.

🔵 Sleep

Myth: As you age, you need to sleep less.

Fact: It’s false (I’m not discussing kids’ sleep, only adults)

ALL adults should aim to sleep 8-9 hours every night.

No matter if you're 18, 48, or 78.

What happens if you can only sleep 7 hours a night? Or 6?

Well, you should try to increase it.

But if you can’t, you should pay close attention to minimizing interferences.

We’ve already discussed coffee.

But there are many other interferences you should minimize:

Your bedroom should be completely dark, have no TV, and no blue light 📱 after 19:00. Also, keep your bedroom temperature around 18-20°C (64-68°F).

🏡 Take Home Message: Aim for 8 hours of sleep every night (and reduce interferences)

🔵 Physical Activity

I haven't run for 5 months.

FIVE months.

I knew I should, but I didn't.

The reason?

None. Only excuses.

This week, I started running again.

My sleep quality IMMEDIATELY improved.

I knew how physical activity is good for you. But I forgot how substantial its effect on my sleep is.

What does it feel like?

I’m less tired, although I sleep the same (or less!) amount of hours.

My Garmin watch agrees.

It shows me my sleep score every morning. Before running, it hovered between 50 and 70.

Now?

It’s 85.

EIGHTY FIVE!!!

What changed?

Running.

ONLY the running.

Absolutely amazing

🏡 Take-Home Message: Physical activity can help you sleep better. EVEN IF YOU SLEEP LESS to fit it into your schedule.

Readers’ Favorite

As a resident, I worked between 26 and 36 hours straight. Should every doctor do the same?

No.

And yes…

You can read the full version here.

Stuff

🎧 Gear I use: Sony WH-1000XM3 noise-canceling headphones.

I LOVE their sound quality, excellent noise cancellation, long battery life, and most importantly, lightweight.

A newer version, the WH-1000XM6, has just come out, which you should consider if you’re buying a new pair.

Epilogue

That’s it for this issue.

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

See you next week!

Shay

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