Friday is for Thinking
String Music: A Newsletter from Dr. Hunter Taylor
Friday Is for Thinking
When I first joined the faculty at Ole Miss, Dr. Jim Payne, the former Dean of Education, worked down the hall from me.
At a stage of life when most fully retire, he was still working.
Teaching.
Researching.
Right alongside us.
He took a kind interest in me as a mentor.
And early on, he noticed something.
Something I think most people fall into:
I was trying to be busy.
Not productive.
Visible.
I wanted people to see how hard I was working.
So he told me a story.
When he first joined faculty at the University of Virginia, he felt the same pull.
One Friday, he was in the office.
Busy.
The building was empty.
His dean stopped him.
“Why are you here?”
Payne explained he was working on coursework and research proposals.
His dean replied:
“Friday is for thinking.”
Dr. Payne smiled as he finished the story.
Then looked at me and said:
“Hunter, there are employees, and there are scholars.
We have enough employees.
We need more scholars.”
His point wasn’t about the benefits of a four-day work week.
It was this:
Don’t just look busy.
Create something deeper.
The Loop of Growth
One of the most productive seasons of my career came when I took that seriously.
I was new.
I had space.
I wasn’t overloaded.
And it created a rhythm.
First, I read deeply - whatever sparked my curiosity and connected to my students’ worlds.
Then I went into the field.
I saw where they taught.
Walked in their shoes.
Had real conversations that connected research to reality.
Then I brought it back.
Teaching.
Testing ideas.
Getting feedback.
And finally, I made time for one-on-one conversations - before and after class.
Listening closely.
That loop - curiosity, immersion, teaching, listening -
That’s where growth happened.
The Second Hot Streak
The past couple of years, I’ve been thinking about the research by Dashun Wang on professional hot streaks.
Most people get one.
They find something.
Get good at it.
Ride it.
Then plateau.
But some people get a second.
Why?
They start over.
After mastery.
They choose discomfort.
They become beginners again.
They immerse themselves in something new.
That’s the difference.
Your Challenge
If you want another level:
1. Find your next curiosity.
Even if you’re experienced, what are you willing to explore next?
2. Rebuild your loop.
Read. Immerse. Teach. Listen.
3. Become a beginner again.
On purpose.
Growth doesn’t come from protecting what you already know.
What I’m Exploring
If you want to dig deeper, I’ve been listening to Cal Newport talk about focus and deep work.
It reinforces this idea:
Thinking isn’t extra.
It is the work.
The Final Reflection
Most people get one hot streak.
Not because they can’t have another.
Because they won’t start over.
Be the one who does.
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