A productivity tip I learned from a physician was a game-changer for me

I’m not a doctor, but when I was taking my Ph.D., I had to work at a hospital. The senior resident I worked with was someone who took several TBD classes from me (the department I was in).<br><br>Anyway, he had the following rule that he followed religiously that really made a big impression on me,<br>“When you see that you have a recurring situation, take the time to optimize it immediately.” <br><br>He told me that he had learned this from his senior resident when he was an intern. <br><br>So, for example, when you go to a new hotel room. The first thing you should do is to find the light switches. Because you’ll be going there several times as you unpack and move around. Same thing when you buy a new phone or a new computer. The moment you see that you have to do a repetitive operation, optimize it. Either by finding a shortcut, by taking a mental note of it, of finding a way to automate it, etc…<br><br>Anyway, it made a big impression on me and has been a game-changer. <br><br>I thought I’d share it with you.