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Friday's Digest - The Newsletter for Doctors & Scientists
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
Table of Contents
Life Update
Tools and Tips
Readers’ Favorite
Stuff
Life Update
Life Update
This week I was again sleep deprived 🥱.
Having been in this situation more times than I can remember, I'm used to what it entails.
Aside from feeling tired, it kills my creativity and severely damages my productivity.
This week, I somehow managed to get through my days.
But 3-4 times a week, there's something very important I still need to accomplish at the end of the day.
Go out for a run 🏃♂️.
Go out for a run 🏃♂️.
I really wanted running to be a fun habit— something I look forward to doing.
It used to be that way.
But nowadays, the only way for me to fit the run into my schedule is to do it at the end of the day. It usually means sleeping less because of it.
I won't delve into the reasoning behind this decision (I've written about it in the past). What I do want to focus on is that specific moment.
The moment when you have zero motivation.
The moment when you have zero motivation.
You know it's the right thing to do, but you simply don't want to do it.
Just thinking about doing it makes you feel even worse.
Back to my running example. That moment when I fight the urge to give up.
I DON'T want to go out for this run.
If I give up now, I will feel great for a few minutes.
But then I'll feel bad for a really long time.
Future Shay will be really angry at Present Shay.
So I went for a run.
I know what you're thinking:
I will now tell you how I ended up enjoying this run and how I immediately knew it was worth it.
So no.
This run was terrible.
I was so exhausted that I ran really slowly and just waited for the run to end.
But there's an upside to this story.
Even if you hate doing something, the MORE you do it, the EASIER the decision to do it again becomes.
Those seconds when you're facing the decision of giving up or going for it become shorter.
You get used to making the decision of "just do it."
So, what do you do when you have zero motivation?
Sometimes, you can trick yourself into doing it. Like rewarding yourself with something nice when you do it.
But sometimes, it's not enough.
Sometimes, when you have zero motivation, you have to tell yourself, "Just do it!"
Where can you find the force within you?
This is something you will have to do on your own.
However, what I write in the next section may make it easier.
Number 149!
Tools and Tips
Tools and Tips
I'm writing this newsletter on weekends.
I have a very strict rule: The newsletter must be done by Saturday night (6 days before it's published).
So obviously, I have to find time on weekends to write it.
But there's a catch.
Writing this newsletter is a CREATIVE process.
Simply "finding the time for it" is not enough.
Let's assume it's Friday night.
Everyone has gone to bed, and I sit in front of the computer.
How long will it take me to come up with an idea to write about?
And how long will it take me to write it well?
It can take 1 hour.
It can take 2 hours.
Or, I can sit in front of the computer and stare for hours on end.
Is there a way to generate ideas more quickly?
To make the writing faster?
There is a way.
It's called "Mind Management, Not Time Management."
It's called "Mind Management, Not Time Management."
I learned it from a great book by David Kadavy (see the "Stuff" section for more details).
In essence, this book goes against what we know as "time management."
It shows us how we can design our work area and schedule to become more creative.
The writer describes how he moved from the US to Colombia to write his book.
Why Columbia?
Because he's so much more creative there.
You might be wondering, WHY is he more creative there?
In the city where he lives in Colombia, there is a wholly different pace.
For example, they can stand in line at the grocery store for 20 minutes and don't care about it.
If they see someone getting angry at the slow line, they will say: "What's the rush? You'll get there when you get there."
At first, it drove him mad. 😡
But then, something changed within him.
But then, something changed within him.
He realized that thanks to this slow ("non-productive") pace, he became more CREATIVE.
If in the US, he would do things efficiently, but devote a week to write 1 chapter in his book, in Colombia, he wrote a chapter in 1 hour, and "wasted" the rest of the week navigating the very "non-efficient" Colombian system.
But he ENJOYED the Colombian way so much more.
Take home message?
Sometimes you need to close the lid of your laptop.
Leave the office.
Waste time doing something "inefficient."
This will increase the chances that you will have "a moment."
That you will feel more motivated.
More creative.
You won't succeed every time you do it.
But the worst-case scenario - you will enjoy the time you "wasted" so much more.
Readers’ Favorite
Readers’ Favorite
Even if I allow myself to waste time, I always do it in a way that will benefit me.
A way that will increase my motivation.
I call it - the 5-5-5 system.
You can read about it here.
Stuff
Stuff
📚 Book I Read - Mind Management, Not Time Management
I've read so many books on time management.
Ultimately, they're all very similar.
But this one is different.
Before reading it, I always viewed "wasting time" negatively.
This book was an eye-opener.
Epilogue
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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