Newsletter #3 – Productivity Tips, Quesmed and Personal Fears!

Introduction

 Dear all,

I hope you are doing well.

The first month of 2021 has flown by and I have plenty to share with you this month. Let’s start with a good old productivity tip. 

Productivity Tip

if you want to stay on top of all the projects you are working on, I recommended that you write down all your current progress on each project.

I have written down the 3 most important projects on the whiteboard in my room. That way, I am easily able to see what I am working on.

It has helped keep me focused on the 3 things that are “important” but not “urgent”.

Note that the difference between a project and things like “going to the gym” is that a project is a long-term goal which has an end.

For example, doing Anki every day would not be considered a project.

Example of projects:

• Complete the group Anki deck for our anatomy class
• Create a script for my first online course
• Produce an online question bank for my universities medical school

Speaking of question banks, let’s talk about this new one that I have started using.

Quesmed

This month, I have been trying out a new medical school question bank that I first heard from a YouTube comment.

Quesmed claims to be the “next generation” of question banks. If I am honest, it is very similar to other Qbanks I have tested in the past, although there are some nice features.

I will be posting a review of the site at some point, so make sure you keep up to date with the blog to ensure you don’t miss it (probably a couple of months away).

In the meantime, if you want to buy a Quesmed subscription, then make sure you use the code below. I get a commission for every person that uses this code which would help support what I do.

YouTube Videos/Channels

• That Medic – Who Makes More Money? Doctor vs. Banker in UK – A great video which compares how much money doctors and bankers earn
• Udoka Fintelmann – An inspirational channel where a GCSE student talks about study tips and exam advice. To have 23K+ subscribers at his age is incredibly impressive (even if his name is impossible to pronounce)
• Revising Rubies – 10 Useful Anki Tips for Beginners and Experts – Yes, I know this is cheating, but this is a seriously good video! I put in hours of work into making the best tips for anyone who uses Anki.
• Zach Star – This is How Easy It Is to Lie With Statistics – A slightly random video about how statistics can be easily manipulated. An interesting watch for those that want to be more aware of marketing tactics often used by big corporations.

Personal Fears

I thought I might be personal with you today.

I like to think that I am a fairly consistent individual. I can do small things for a long time. It’s one of the reasons I can get decent exam results while not having to cram.

However, recently, I have had this fear that I may not be able to stay consistent with all the things that I have set myself to do concerning the website and YouTube channel.

Making one blog and video a week takes up a lot of time. I can do it currently because I am in a BSc year, which is significantly more relaxed than a normal year of medicine.

However, starting in September of this year, I will be beginning my final year of medical school.

There are many exams which need to be taken. Those will have to take priority above this business.

There are some things that I will do to help relieve the stress like make shorter videos and make blogs every other week.

My question to you is: what can you do to help you stay consistent with your projects in the long term?

Whether it’s learning a new language or starting a YouTube channel, you might start strong, but there will be times where you will be busy and other things will take priority. What can you do to help mitigate these factors?

At the very least, I hope that you can take comfort from not being alone in your struggles.

And there’s no need to fear; Revising Rubies is not going anywhere.

Other Thoughts

• Flashfinals Anki Deck – Unfortunately, the past month has seen the end of a great clinical medical school Anki deck; Flashfinals. The owner of the site has retired the domain. It means it’s more important than ever to get my Rubyfinals deck completed!
• The Five Year Rule – Something I heard years ago from the Graham Norton Show was: if it doesn’t matter in five years, it doesn’t matter. It’s a quote that I often think about. If are stressed about something, ask yourself: will it matter in five years? Most of the time, at least for me, it’s a no. It helps reduce stress levels and keep everything in perspective.
• Davinci Resolve – This is a great free video editing software that everyone should use rather than iMovie/Windows Movie Maker. It is professional-level software that might take a while to get used to, but it will definitely make your YouTube videos stand out from the crowd!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter.

I have tried to make it look slightly more aesthetic than previous ones – I know, it’s still pretty bad, especially when compared to my blog posts :(.

Hopefully, the next time you see an email by me, the UK lockdown will have lifted.

Best wishes,

Husein Essaji

Monthly Newsletter #3

This newsletter was sent on 1st February 2021