Thread by @TChanMD

I was asked to nominate speakers to our @mac_peds recently, the BEST speakers I know.

First up to bat was @MGottliebMD ... One of the most productive people I know. (Seriously. He published like 80 papers in 2020. 🤯)

10 Tips for increasing your academic productivity.

Tip #1: Be Open To Ideas
(and keep track of them).
Consider using your smartphone, a diary, a google doc, voice memos. Record all your ideas when they happen. You never know when your best idea will occur.

Tip #2: Know What's Known
Your literature review is your best friend for helping you join a scholarly conversation - but also it can be an opportunity for scholarship itself.

Mike tells the story around this paper:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.10…

Tip #3: Be Selective
Saying "yes" to one thing is saying "no" to other things. Opportunity cost is a real thing. Have a filter. @MGottliebMD's filters:
1) Is this in my wheelhouse? [read: easy to do]
2) Will this be of value to my career?
3) Will you get to work with cool people?

Tip #4: Collaborate
Look for collaborators all the time - and think about going beyond your local peeps. 1/3 of Gottlieb's projects have involved external folks from all across the world! Pictured here? The @ALiEMteam including many rock stars!!

Tip #5: Reach Out to Others
Make sure you get internal peer review to take a run at your grants, papers, or even just ideas. Just like the "Red Team" from the show Newsroom by Aaron Sorkin.

Tip #6: Consider your Options
Make sure your diversify the kinds of scholarship you consider. Not everything need be clinical (think #MedEd, think #NarrativeMedicine) and not everything must be an RCT (#ThatsWhyQI).

Tip #7: Create YOUR OWN TIMELINES
Avoid "boluses" of work if you can. Space things out so you can be more efficient (and wayyyy less stressful). You have to set your own internal deadlines. Stagger your work by working ahead (write the abstract 2 months prior). Control your life!

Tip #7 part b: KEEP A LIST OF ALL YOUR ACCOUNTABILITIES.
@MGottliebMD has two lists.
1) Active list of projects
2) "Passive" projects (where no actions are needed, but the project is still ongoing awaiting new steps - e.g. a submitted paper, a paper in data collection).

Tip #8: Make time to Focus
Decrease distractions. Phone away, door closed.

Make your BEST day (Work when you work best! Morning, Afternoon?).

BLOCK YOUR CALENDAR FOR WRITING.

Do the big tasks first!

Don't procrastinate on grammar/spelling/typos - do first worst draft!!

For more on this?
@MGottliebMD recommends Newport's book. (amazon.ca/Deep-Work-Focu…)

Tip #9: Work more efficiently.
Don't write your paper AFTER you've finally collected the data. WRITE AS YOU GO.

Lit review done? Write a draft intro/discussion

Grant/Protocol done? Convert grammar and write the paper's methods

Tip #10: Maintain balance
Build in time that is NOT WORK so you can reset. Lots of evidence that you will be MORE PRODUCTIVE if you take a break. Make time for what is important.

Read this to get the gist:
getmarlow.com/article/big-ro…

Thanks to @MGottliebMD for being an often and awesome collaborator!!

/fin