Hey friends,
Hope you had a good weekend.
Here’s this week’s 1 Doodle · 1 Do · 1 Direction.
1 Doodle
We are in July, which means we are officially halfway through the year. July is a special month for me because it is my birthday month :)
If you haven’t started your 90-day plan yet, this week’s doodle is a reminder to start now. I’m glad I began this 90-day planning practice, and I’m glad I’ve been reminding you every month to get on board, because it is never too late to create a 90-day resolution.
July is also the time of year when I usually pause, take a trip, take real time off from work, and think beyond my 90-day plans. I reflect on my longer-term life and work goals, like where I want to be five years from now. I also review the good things I have done and the mistakes I have made.
This kind of reflection gives me a better perspective on my life, and I prefer to do it during a trip, away from my usual routine.
1 Do
Pick one personal hobby and set a goal for it that is challenging enough for the next 90 days.
1 Direction
One thing I would ask graduate students who wanted to join my research lab was whether they had a hobby.
I first heard this idea from a professor at a Gordon Conference in Boston in 2019. The last few slides of his presentation were full of his woodworking projects, from wooden dinner tables to sculptures. His point stayed with me: having a hobby, and getting better at it, can also help you become better at your day job.
When you feel stuck, when things are not working, or when the pressure goes up, a hobby gives you another place to create, improve, and feel progress. It might be making music, building a wooden table, painting, gardening, or even starting to run for health benefits.
That’s all for this week.
Warmly,
- Ehsan /a-🌞/
P.S. If this newsletter made you think of someone, feel free to forward it to them. They can read all past newsletters here and subscribe if they like.
P.P.S. I recently made a video on How I Stay Focused Between Meetings. You can watch it here.
P.P.P.S. Feel free to reply and say hi. I always enjoy hearing from readers.
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