by Matthew Rehrl MD | Creativity, Philosophy
Here’s my edited version of the opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities with a creativity/consumerist twist: “It is the best of the USA, it is the worst of the USA, it is the age of wisdom, it is the age of foolishness, it is the epoch of belief, it is the...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Creativity, Uncategorized
One of my favorite foods is my free-range and pasture-raised, organically-fed eggs. Rightly or wrongly, I imagine a brood of healthy chickens running randomly around a field, laying their eggs for my future breakfast. (I may not be totally off the mark here. Check out...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Creativity, EHR, Uncategorized
My wife, who uses a straw when drinking sodas, pointed out to me the central hole in the aluminum can’s tab can be used to stabilize her straw. But was the second, more central hole in the tab of the aluminum soda can designed specifically to hold a straw? No, per...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Creativity, Writing, Writing Habits
I love Post-it Notes. I’ve written about them before (Sticky Notes: A Simple “Idea-Capture” Technology), but some things are just so fabulous it’s OK to write about them more than once. Consider the famous quote by the Roman Architect Vitruvius: Firmitas,...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Creativity, Writing Habits
My Sunday morning weekly review, which I have done every week for over a decade, is my favorite organizational task. There are two parts to this review process, the physical and the digital. The physical is quite simple. I go to the Inbox on my desk, and work through...
by Matthew Rehrl MD | Creativity, Writing
Limit self-criticism in early drafts. This is the title chapter of Roy Peter Clark’s 48th tool, from his book on craftsmanship, Writing Tools, 55 Essential Strategies For Every Writer, and it was where I was introduced to an exceptional essay by Gail Godwin about...