In this episode, Mike is joined by Eric Benchimol and Richard Keijzer, two academic physicians who recently published an article titled “Living Like an Academic Athlete: How to Improve Clinical and Academic Productivity as a Gastroenterologist.” The article was published in Gastroenterology, the top-ranked gastroenterology journal, and the world’s #46 ranked scientific journal (according to Google) and they join us to talk about some of the unique productivity challenges that academics face.
We talk about the need to balance multiple areas of responsibility, how to create systems to ensure success and minimize stress, and they share some of the things that have worked for them and allowed them to achieve their academic goals. While the information that we discuss in this episode will benefit anyone, if you work in an academic field you definitely don’t want to miss this as Eric and Richard share strategies and tips to help you succeed as an academic athlete.
Cheat Sheet
- How Eric and Richard came to write the article on productivity for academics [1:05]
- How they got into productivity [6:00]
- How productivity is viewed in the academic world [11:56]
- Why having a system really helps when you have multiple roles [14:00]
- How they define productivity and the benefits of the paper for an academic [20:48]
- The routines that they both do on a daily basis to stay productive [25:45]
- What Eric’s journaling habit looks like [28:51]
- How they avoid distractions and notifications [31:29]
- How to say no to meetings in order to protect your productive time [34:04]
- How having a mentor will help you stay on course to meet your goals [39:19]
- How to get a mentor or seek out a mentorship program [47:51]
- Self-care to help you perform at an elite level [50:48]
- The reception that their article has enjoyed in the academic world [59:58]
Links
- Living Like an Academic Athlete: How to Improve Clinical and Academic Productivity as a Gastroenterologist
- Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
- New Yorker: Atul Gawande on coaching
- Headspace
- RescueTime
- Harvard Business Review: The Making of a Corporate Athlete
- Evernote
- Feedly
- EndNote
- The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy
Connect with Eric Benchimol & Richard Keijzer
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Really enjoyed this podcast. i like to hear how people who are experts in their field, high achievers, and professionally have high-value output maintain and approach their productivity, energy, and motivation.
LOVED this episode. I’m a physician currently retraining in Preventive Medicine, and as such also do research. I have not met any other physicians who try to apply business productivity models so this was inspiring. I’m currently in an environment that seems to actively work against maximizing productivity by creating as much chaos as possible, I often feel like I am fighting a losing battle. It’s nice to know there are physicians who understand what I am trying to do.