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

@ericbenchimol

LinkedIn: Eric Benchimol

@richardkeijzer

LinkedIn: Richard Keijzer

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