Client Spotlight: Jonathan Dursi, Ph.D., has led applied science efforts in astrophysics, genomics, health informatics, and technology. The founder of Manager, Ph.D., he helps STEM PhDs achieve their potential as leaders and managers. A graduate of Pathway to Publication, he wrote “Train More PhDs to Lead — and Break Canada’s Innovation Gridlock” for The Canadian Science Policy Centre.

Good morning, ,

I have bronchitis. I'm not sharing my news with you to get your sympathy, or, at least, that isn't the only reason I'm sharing it; I'm sharing it because it has changed the way I work in ways that I hope will continue. And the changes I've made in how I work just might be helpful to you as well.

One of the most annoying things about bronchitis is that it does not allow me to get a good night's sleep. The deep, bone-rattling cough that comes with bronchitis gets worse when you lie down. For the last two weeks, I have been jolted awake by violent coughing fits that start around 1 AM and don't subside until I get vertical.

Because I am not well-rested, I don't have the energy or mental capacity to work the way I usually do or to accomplish everything I usually accomplish in a day. So, every morning, I make an extremely short list of the tasks, meetings, and projects that require my attention that day.

After a week, I started thinking about the tasks, meetings, and projects that never made the list. Could any of those be eliminated?

Last weekend I started reading Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. It's helping me understand what is essential to my work and what is trivial — what I want to protect and what I want to eliminate. To be categorized as essential instead of trivial, a task must meet two criteria:

1. It must equip experts with the tools they need to build their authority through writing.
2. It must be in service of deep, fulfilling work that is anchored in value.

I've been running everything I do through these two filters. If an opportunity, project, or task doesn't meet these criteria, it is eliminated. Tasks that do meet the criteria are protected. So far, I've used these filters to:

• Unsubscribe from email newsletters that are interesting but not essential.
• Withdraw a proposal to speak at a conference in February.
• Jettison work on my on-demand programs to offer workshops instead.
• Restructure my calendar to fiercely protect time for deep work.
• Develop an email processing workflow to save me from email overwhelm.

I have more work to do and more trade-offs to make to help me stay focused on what is most important: my work, my clients, my creativity, my love of deep thinking, my relationships, my community, and my health and wellbeing.

The best way for me to make the difference I want to make in this world is for me to slow down and dive deep, to opt out of hustle culture and work softer.

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"The way of the Essentialist means living by design, not by default. Instead of making choices reactively, the Essentialist deliberately distinguishes the vital few from the trivial many, eliminates the nonessentials, and then removes obstacles so the essential things have clear, smooth passage."

~ Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

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Join the Conversation

What makes the work you do essential right now?

That question was a prompt for a freewriting exercise I led for my Writing Practice community a few weeks ago. In this LinkedIn post, I share some of my answer to that question and invite you to do the same. Join the conversation.

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Recommended Resource

AI Usage Policy

I developed this policy to help me identify the AI tools I use, clarify the principles governing the use of each tool, specify how I use each tool, and determine how I might mitigate the negative environmental impact of my use of such tools. I also developed it to serve as a model, so don't hesitate to adopt what works and adapt what doesn't to create a policy that works for you. Review the policy.

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Featured Appearance

LinkedIn Live: AI Disclosure

Last month, I joined IP attorney Erin Austin to discuss the legal and ethical considerations shaping how we use AI, whether we admit it, and when and how we disclose our use of AI systems. Take a listen!

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Upcoming Events

Pitched to Published™

Interested in learning how to write, pitch, and publish articles for high-visibility publications? Join me on Wednesday, August 13, at 11:55 AM Eastern for a mini-training on how to write compelling headlines. The mini-training will be followed by a Q+A. There is no cost to attend this monthly event. Register here.

Master Class: How to Write for High-Visibility Publications

In this 60-minute master class, I will share the SILVA Method™ and walk you step-by-step through the process I use to help my clients secure bylines in publications like Harvard Business Review, Inc., and TD Magazine. Join me at 2 PM Eastern on Wednesday, August 13. Free. Register here.

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That's it for today!

If you have any questions or would like to explore working together, please book a call. I'd love to learn more about your business and how I might be of service.

Take good care,

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AI Disclosure Statement: No AI tools were used to write this email newsletter.