A practical guide through the complete Clinical Research Project lifecycle and key Management Skills in small bytes.
These posts walk you through each stage primarily from a CRO perspective with Pharma insights where processes differ. You'll find real experiences from 25 years in the field, templates you can adapt, brain-based strategies to reduce chances of burnout, and AI prompts that actually can help you.
Where project management methodology meets neuroscience and practical AI application.
Featured Articles
The "Work Smarter" Myth Cracked (1/18): Why Your Brain Needs a Better Plan
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫'𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫! 𝐎𝐤, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐇𝐎𝐖?
Happy New Year, everybody! I hope that you had a nice break
Does this sound familiar to you: "New Year's resolution: Work smarter."
I hear this every January. And honestly? It's good advice. We all want to work smarter, not harder. But here's what nobody tells you: the HOW.
After 25 years in clinical research programme management (pharma and CROs sides), my Brain-Based Coaching certification and now completing my Executive Coaching certification, I've learned something important:
Working smarter isn't about motivation or discipline. It's about understanding how you work best in general and your brain in particular.
Your working memory can hold about 7 items at a time. Most PM/PDs are trying to juggle 70.
Every time you switch tasks, you lose about 23 minutes of focus to something called "attention residue." And you're probably switching 60+ times per day.
Your brain has a filter system (the Reticular Activating System) that decides what you notice. Have you programmed it intentionally, or is it running on default?
This isn't motivational advice. This is neuroscience.
🎁 So, I am starting this new 2026 with a present for you and your brain: 17 neuroscience strategies for clinical research PM/PDs who want to excel, and potentially advancing their careers, without burning out
Starting this week I will be posting one strategy each time. These are the strategies I wish someone had taught me 20 years ago. The ones that help you advance your career without sacrificing your wellbeing.
Your Brain's Decision-Making Window: Why Timing Beats Willpower
You're 20 minutes away from your one-to-one with your PD/VP.
Your list of topics is enormous: the sponsor pushing back on timelines, the vendor underperforming, the budget that needs defending, three strategic decisions that can't wait. You need to prioritise, you need to think clearly … but you feel exhausted.
It's 4pm. Your brain feels foggy. The decisions seem harder than they should be. That's not a coincidence.
Your prefrontal cortex uses 20% of your body's glucose despite being only 4-5% of your brain's size. By afternoon, you're running on depleted cognitive resources. Every decision you've made since waking has drained your mental battery.
Most PMs and PDs waste their cognitive prime time on emails and routine tasks, then attempt their hardest decisions when their brain is least capable. This post reveals the neuroscience behind decision fatigue and how to identify your personal peak performance window.