Hey friends,

When I was at university, I recognised pretty quickly that studying for medical school exams was a generally not-fun thing to do. I also recognised that given I’d signed up to a lifetime of medical exams, I should find a way to make it more fun, because if it was more fun, I’d be more likely to actually do it.

One of the most powerful ways of adding the Fun Factor to my studies was working with friends. Each day during Exam Term, some friends and I would meet up at one of the various libraries around town, and we’d do the Pomodoro Technique together – 25 minutes of work, followed by 5 minutes of rest, on repeat.

Even though we were doing different subjects, the fact that we were in the same room and studying ‘together’ made studying much more fun for all of us. And because it was more fun, productivity took care of itself.

3 weeks ago, I rediscovered the joys of this co-working setup when I signed up to a free trial of the local WeWork co-working space, and encouraged all my friends to do the same. Each day, we’ve been meeting up there (in a socially-distanced fashion of course), working on our own projects but doing it ‘together’ in the same space.

It’s been such a nice change from the pure work-from-home model I’ve been following for the past year. I never thought I’d be the sort to enjoy ‘commuting to work’ and ‘hanging out in the office’ but I can see why it was a staple of working life pre-pandemic.

So I guess if there’s a message here, it’s this – if you’re struggling to enjoy your work, try bringing more friends into it. It could be a public library, a coffee shop, a co-working space, or even a remote setup. Trust me – it’s totally worth it.

Have a great week!

Ali

❤️ My Favourite Things This Week

1. Food – I recently discovered Ethan Chlebowski on YouTube and found out that he actually was a student in my Part-Time YouTuber academy! If you fancy some amazing food videos I’d definitely recommend his channel, and if you’re interested in YouTube itself, you can sign up to my free newsletter here. It’ll take you through a 7-day Crash Course of all you need to know to get started successfully 🙂
2. Book – I’ve been continuing my listening to The Millionnaire Fast Lane, and I can recommend it just as much as I did last week. Definitely a great read if you’re on the journey to financial freedom.
3. Camera – I spoilt myself. I’d been lusting after this fancy-ass camera, the Leica Q2 for ages. So I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy it. In the past few days of owning it I’ve taken more photos than the whole year so far. It’s quite a hard one to recommend because of it’s ridiculous price tag, but it’s really so great.

✍️ Quote of the Week

“If it entertains you now but will bore you someday, it’s a distraction. Keep looking.”

From The Almanack of Naval Ravikant – Eric Jorgenson, Jack Butcher, and Tim Ferriss. Resurfaced using Readwise.

🎬 This Week’s Videos