30 x 30 Challenge

I’ve never been that big on New Year’s Resolutions. Yes, it’s the start of a new year, but the timing seems otherwise arbitrary.

That said, this seemed like as good a time as any to challenge the readers of Medical Affairs Weekly.

With that, today is not a normal edition. So far, I haven’t asked readers for anything. That’s about to change.

I’m asking you to commit to something for the next 30 days*.

No excuses. No days off.

*Originally sent on 12/29/2023 - Feel free to start on 1/1/2024

I stumbled upon this post from Sahil Bloom at some point last year.

It inspired this Challenge, and I want to give him credit!

This 30 × 30 Challenge is quite simple.

For 30 Days, you will spend 30 Minutes on your Personal and/or Professional Development.

In total, you’ll have spent 900 minutes of focused time on advancing your Medical Affairs career.

Borrowing from Sahil’s recommendation, I suggest you get a physical calendar (or use this one) and check off each day as you complete your challenge. Keep it visible. A few days in, and you won’t want to break your streak.

It might be helpful to complete this challenge with friends or colleagues. Forming a small group will help with accountability.

How you should optimally spend that time will vary depending on where you are in your journey. Similarly, what you can accomplish will depend on your starting position and the effort you put in.

I fully expect that some of you will land new roles. Others will learn a new skill that will pay dividends for years. Some of you will establish relationships that will prove valuable down the road.

The benefits are unlikely to be realized daily. But over 30 Days, you will have some tangible progress toward your goal. The cumulative impact will be significant!

Some Ideas

Since we’ll all be working toward the same general goal, I’ll suggest a few things you can tackle during your daily 30-minute blocks. This certainly isn’t comprehensive, and you can (and probably should!) do a few of these multiple times.

• Update your CV

• Update your LinkedIn Profile

• Practice Interviewing

• Establish a relationship with a couple of trusted Medical Affairs Recruiters

• Take a Free course from top Universities (I’m thinking about this one)

• Read a book

• Do some Networking - Setup 30-minute touch base meetings

• Search for a new position

• Apply for a new position

• Setup a meeting with your manager to discuss your 2024 Development Plan

• Update your Financial Plan

• Find a new mentor

• Become a mentor to someone in need

• Publish something - on LinkedIn or a Trade Publication

• Attend a conference

Again, this list isn’t comprehensive. There’s no checklist or detailed rules to this challenge. Just be intentional and fully committed.

This will probably be the shortest edition of Medical Affairs Weekly, but I hope it will be the most impactful. If I write more, it will just prevent you from getting started.

Nobody will know if you choose not to accept this challenge. But you’ll miss out on taking your career to the next level - so please don’t dismiss it!

If I can help with your Challenge, please let me know!

As you make progress, feel free to respond and share your wins. I’d love to highlight a few of the more notable accomplishments.

Now, get to work!

Until next week,

Tyler