Hi everyone!
We’re already over 8% through 2024, so I figured it’s about time to give you all a glimpse into what’s been going on in my life lately!
(If you’re not keen on hearing about my ups and downs in recent months, feel free to skip this post!)
By the way, if you want to read my friend/flatmate’s recount of his experience of moving, check it out here: https://www.tanzeer.com/blog/you-need-to-move-out-from-home-asap
As you may or may not know, I tend to write these posts mainly while flying. I’ve penned about three of them in the past six months, but for some reason, they didn’t save and got overwritten or something!
In my last post, I touched on how 2023 was my gap year from medicine. I took the year off to explore my entrepreneurial aspirations, and it turned out to be a great success. However, it was packed with challenges as I tried to grow myself personally, emotionally, and professionally at a rapid pace. It was exhilarating, and incredibly fulfilling, but also exhausting.
By the end of 2023, I found myself on the brink of burnout for the first time in ages. Even now, I still don’t feel fully recovered. I feel I might need at least a two-week holiday of doing absolutely nothing, or perhaps I just need to allow the fatigue to gradually dissipate over time.
So, what went down? And what did I learn from it?
Essentially, the team and I were working on one of the company’s most significant launches to date. To meet the deadline we’d promised everyone, we had to burn the midnight oil frequently. I recall during the final 30 days leading up to the launch (from mid-November to mid-December) I was putting in a minimum of 10 hours per day, often ramping up to 12 hours as the deadline came closer.
Throughout the launch phase itself, I was working flat out, from the moment I woke up, until the minutes before I slept (literally).
Now, yes, I’m aware this is unhealthy and far from ideal. But what was the alternative? Not delivering and letting everyone down?
Unfortunately, that’s not in my DNA. I knew it was just a phase, and we’d get through it together as a team. It’s during times like these that you truly get to see everyone coming together and supporting one another. We were all ready to support one another, and it was very comforting to know that each of us had each other’s backs.
Once the launch was done, we immediately encountered a few emergency “fires” to put out, sending stress levels skyrocketing, but they were then quickly extinguished.
Ironically, I recently undertook a Clifton Strengths assessment, which delves into your strengths in a professional setting. “Restorative” emerged as my highest strength, meaning I thrive on tackling crises and dealing with urgent matters. No wonder I was drawn to working in the Emergency Department in medicine.
However, I also relish deep focus, which can be at odds with putting out urgent “fires” since its contradictory. Quite the paradox, isn’t it?
Learning point #1 – Exercise is non-negotiable
When I was working 12+ hour days, things got draining, especially when every moment had to be micro-optimised. Grabbing a bite to eat? Watch loom videos at the same time, or take a meeting at the same time.
If you didn’t respond to a message promptly, you risked holding up someone else’s progress, putting the entire deadline in jeopardy.
So, when it came to exercise, how was I supposed to squeeze that in?
Well, the reality was, there was no choice.
In theory, I could have squeezed in an extra two hours of work per day if I skipped the gym.
But here’s the kicker: those two hours would’ve been seriously unproductive. I would be a potato at my desk and wouldn’t be achieving anything.
I NEEDED the gym to reboot my system because right after a workout, I’d dive back into several more hours of work until 1-2am, only to start the cycle again at 8-9am.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t feel like hitting the gym. I didn’t want to go. But I knew I had to, otherwise, the next few hours of work would’ve been horrendous.
So, if you find your energy levels plummeting, consider using exercise to recharge, even if temporarily.
Recently we’ve set up more systems on Notion and ClickUp as well as Slack messaging guidelines to ensure we’re not always messaging each other demanding a quick response. Thereby, making all of us less stressed and actually more productive. This is because our why is for us to work on the things that we’re passionate about and that leave an impact, instead of just being ultra-efficient for the sake of it. The journey must be enjoyable intrinsically.
Moreover, I’ve also reincorporated this into my personal life, setting expectations with friends and family that I will only check my messages a few times a day and I will respond slowly. This means I can actually look after myself and focus on truly important work. With this, I can look after myself more and feel far less anxious – so I hope to keep this up.
I look forward to reading Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport very soon but at the moment I’m working through Dopamine Nation by Dr Anna Lembke.
Relocating Cities
Navigating through those 2-3 months leading up to the launch was challenging enough. But I forgot to mention, I also thought it’d be a brilliant idea to move during this time!
I’d always heard people talk about moving places, but I never fully grasped just how complex it could be. My entire life was on pause while I looking for a new place. While hunting for a rental, I faced rejection after rejection and spent an eternity waiting for responses. Only after two months of searching, my friend and I finally snagged an incredible apartment. We are so lucky.
I was ready to give up the apartment that I wanted, just because of how competitive the rental market is in Melbourne.
To be completely honest, I doubt I could’ve pulled off this move successfully without my friends and coworkers who helped me throughout this process, so I want to give them a shoutout for being the best and supporting me in every way through this process.
My friend and I are almost two weeks into living at our new place, and there’s still plenty to do before we can “settle”.
Lesson #2 – Always Overestimate, Even After Overestimating
My entire life was on hold during this relocation period. I had no idea where I’d be living for at least the next 12 months. Would I have to return home? Would I be signing up to inconveniences left, right, and centre? Lengthy commutes? A single bathroom? Early morning wakeups to make it anywhere on time? No car? Expensive groceries far away? Loud noise? Lack of privacy? The list goes on.
I had no idea where I’d be.
During the New Year’s period, everyone kept asking me:
“Have you done your annual review yet?”
“What are your goals for 2024?”
My response?
Get a place.
I didn’t have the mental capacity to think about anything else. If I didn’t have a place, I couldn’t pursue my goals.
Now, I’m off to Adelaide to catch up with my best mates and map out our plans for 2024. Think of it as a retreat. It’s one of the highlights of my year, and I can’t wait to see what unfolds.
I had aspirations of uploading, like, 20 videos since July last year. I’m pretty sure I managed to upload just one.
Even though I allocated plenty of time for moving out, I never anticipated it would require this much mental energy and time.
And this scenario repeats itself all too often.
As humans, our ability to ‘brainstorm’ ideas is one of our strengths. It floods us with dopamine and excitement. That’s why we often leap to solutions before fully grasping the problem at hand. However, our ability to ‘plan’ and execute tasks in a timely manner is often lacking, especially when the urgency isn’t there.
That’s where frameworks come in handy when managing projects and tasks. (I highly recommend delving into Project Management Principles if you want to up your game in this area.)
When it came to moving out, though, I was flying blind because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I wish I had delved deeper and gained a better understanding of the process. But, as you can tell from above, I didn’t exactly have an abundance of free time on my hands!
This experience served as a valuable reminder to always overestimate, even more than you initially think.
When I collaborate with students and professionals, almost everyone tends to have an overly optimistic estimate of how quickly they can accomplish a task. But when you track the actual time it takes to complete vs their plan, it’s often very far off.
Lesson #3 – You Need Time to Pause
After spending over a year away from medicine, I’ve gained various perspectives.
During my time in medicine, I was a full-time student, working full-time at a growing startup, managing my own business, and running my social media accounts.
I was putting in 10+ hours every day, including weekends. I never took extended breaks. Even when traveling, I’d always find myself doing some form of work.
Now that I’m not micromanaging every moment, I have more room to think, and it’s been incredibly rewarding. In fact, I’d argue that it’s just as productive as plowing through tasks, if not more so.
I get to strategise, brainstorm ideas, and explore potential problems and solutions that I never had the time for before. The spontaneity of these ideas is great as my subconscious works on solving it.
Not everyone has the luxury of downtime for deep thinking. I certainly didn’t during med school, and I still struggle with it now at times.
But hopefully, this post serves as a gentle nudge to give yourself a bit more breathing room to think, and you might be surprised by the flood of ideas that come your way.
Ending note
That wraps it up for this post! I’ll keep you posted on what’s brewing!
In case you want to read my friend/flatmate’s recount of the same events mentioned here, find it here: https://www.tanzeer.com/blog/you-need-to-move-out-from-home-asap
Interestingly, I wrote this post solely during one flight. Turns out, flying provides the perfect environment for diving into deep work.
Also, if you refer three people to this newsletter following the instructions in the link below, I’ll shoot you an email with my latest productivity techniques that I’ve been consistently using to navigate my life.
In my quest to share as much as possible on my journey, thank you for lending me your attention. It means the world to know that you find this worthwhile.
Cheers!
Quote of the Week
“There is a false but persistent notion in the test-taking field that a student’s first answer is likely to be correct. The implication is that one should stay with the first choice since changing answersis likely to lead to a lower score. Contrary to this belief, research indicates that changing answersproduces higher test scores (Fischer, Hermann, & Kopp, 2005; Geiger, 1997; Lynch & Smith,1975; Milia, 2007; Nieswiadomy, Arnold, & Garza, 2001; Shatz & Best, 1987; Skinner, 2009;Smith, Coop, & Kinnard, 1979)” ~ Handbook of College Reading and Study Strategy Research
Weekly Growth Numbers
- Youtube Subscribers Count: 21,989 (+11,919)
- Instagram followers (@archernewton_) 16,026 (+14,388)
- Tiktok Followers (@archernewton) 15,493 (-1,544)
- Newsletter Members: 722 (+455)
New Videos
Below are links to my latest videos, if you haven’t already checked them out!