5 Ways I Maintain Some Work-Life Balance

One of the best things we can do for our careers is make sure we have work-life balance. Sometimes we can be so eager to “lean-in” and lead at our jobs that we fail to carve out time for family and life at home. While this may seem trivial, having balance between our personal lives and our professional careers can increase productivity and overall life satisfaction. As a resident physician who can work up to 80 hours a week, this can be challenging to accomplish. Here are some ways I’ve tried to muster more balance in my life:

1. Limit meetings and emails to business hours. As an ambitious medical professional who loves medicine, research, and health policy I am quite involved at work. There are several committees and organizations I’ve joined and numerous projects that require me to collaborate with other doctors. While these things bring me joy, they can consume my life if I’m not careful. One of the ways I’ve tried to handle this is by limiting in-person meetings and responding to emails during business hours. I might have to bend this rule on occasion for time-sensitive items, but for the most part I try to restrain from sending or answering work-related emails after 7pm. If I need to speak to someone on the weekend, I try to do it Saturday mornings so that I can have at least a day and half where I don’t have to worry about work.

2. Set expectations with patients/clients. As a primary care physician my job is to help manage a majority of the patient’s medical problems. This means I am constantly ordering labs, interpreting tests, and communicating with patients about a variety of different issues. At my residency program we even have a secure “patient portal” through which patients can send me messages, receive their test results, and ask me questions. While many patients love this system, it can lead to increased stress for physicians like myself. I am not given additional compensation for using the portal and often have to spend my “off-time” messaging patients and answering questions which reduces the quality time I have at home with my family. In order to achieve some sort of balance, I set expectations with my patients on the first visit. They know they can ask me questions on the portal but the response time will be 24-48 hours. All emergencies must go to an entirely different system. I will send test results but if patients have in-depth questions or medical concerns, they should schedule an in-person visit so that we can thoroughly address their problems. Setting these expectations make things clear for patients and allows me to live in the moment at home with fewer distractions.  

3. Have a reset day (or ½ a day) each week. Sometimes work can get so busy that everything else gets delayed. The dishes pile up, laundry isn’t folded, and the fridge starts to empty out. In order to minimize these times as much as possible, I schedule a reset day (or half a day) each week. For me, that day is usually Sunday. I get up, grab coffee and try to write blogs or articles for my website. I then get dressed and go to church. When the service ends, I go grocery shopping and come home to do laundry, sip a glass of wine, and watch a movie on Netflix. When the movie ends, I start to cook and meal prep for the week and usually end my day by reading part of book. This may sound trivial and basic but this is my reset day. For me, writing blogs is therapeutic and going to church helps me gain more optimism for my week ahead. The movie helps me relax and reading a book allows me to gain insight on things and temporarily escape from the stresses of my own life. This reset day is a must.

4. Maintain good personal health habits. The busier we get the easier it can be to forget about our own health. If we aren’t careful we can find ourselves constantly eating out, barely exercising, and mentally exhausted. To prevent this from occurring, I’ve tried my best to maintain good personal health habits. Before the week even starts, I take a look at my schedule and pinpoint days and times I might be able to fit in a run at the gym or a workout in my apartment. I spend the first 10 minutes of each day reading a small devotional and saying positive affirmations to begin my day as optimistic as possible. Lastly, I try to meal prep on weekends and prepare foods that are minimally processed with least 2 fruits/vegetables so that I ensure I’m getting most the nutrients I need to function at my best.

5. Schedule time with family and friends. As a person who loves to be social and interact with those I love on a consistent basis, I try to schedule time with my family and friends. At least once a month I try to have a Sunday dinner with my parents. Every other week, I spend time with my brothers either watching a football game or going to some sporting event. I even schedule time with my girl friends to go out to a movie or some social event in the city every few weeks. Since work can be demanding, I have to schedule time or it simply won’t happen. This means planning ahead and keeping things organized on my phone calendar.

Tell me, what are some things you do to maintain work-life balance in your career?

6 Affordable Ways to Practice Self-Care

As a doctor who works up to 80 hours a week, self-care is a must. In order for me to thrive in my career, it’s imperative that I avoid burnout by practicing good mental health. Since I’m still in residency and haven’t started making the “big bucks” just yet, I need to do this on a budget. Here are six affordable ways I practice self-care:

1. Prioritize “Me” Time. A few nights a week, I disconnect from social media, forgo optional meetings, and put my phone away to have time by myself. Sometimes I read a few chapters in a book, watch a movie on Netflix, or go for a run on the treadmill. Regardless of the method, this “me” time allows me to let my guard down and gives me a chance to recoup any energy I might have lost during the work day. Plus, it’s completely free.

2. Schedule “Self-care” days. Along with “me” time, I also have at least one “self-care” day each month. During these days I usually treat myself to a pedicure at the nail salon or get a massage at the spa. I also catch up on some personal grooming or schedule an appointment at the hair salon and zone out as someone else washes and styles my hair. When the weather permits, I’ll spend the afternoon reading a book by the pool or going for a walk in the park. These self-care days help me relax and are affordable things I fit into my monthly budget.

3. Have a “Ladies Night” As a self-proclaimed “social butterfly,” I love hanging out with my friends. Unfortunately, my work schedule as a physician doesn’t allow me much time for that. When I was a medical student, I would have a “wine night, ladies’ night” once or twice a month. We’d grab a couple bottles of Trader Joe’s wine and listen to music or watch a movie on Netflix. Now that I’m a doctor, it’s a little more challenging to schedule but I’ve tried other ways to make it work. Every few weeks on one of my day’s off, I make plans with some of girlfriends to go out to movie or a bar. Usually this is some free or relatively inexpensive meetup since we are also trying to stay within a budget, but scheduling time to dance or hangout with my girlfriends is definitely something I look forward to each month.

4. Indulge in “Simple Pleasures.” Sometimes am so exhausted that I barely want to leave my house, let alone socialize with others. During these nights, I find it helpful to ‘indulge in the simple pleasures” or find little things that will make me happy in the most trying of circumstances or stressful days. For me, that’s having glass of red wine with a piece of dark chocolate, taking a bubble bath with ocean sounds in the background, or even watching a cheesy Hallmark movie with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Before I started residency, I wrote down a list of 30 simple pleasures that make me happy and I indulge in one of these things on the days or nights I feel the most stressed.

5. Do an “Activity of the Month.” About 90% of my days consist of eating, sleeping and working, but every now and then I try to change things up a bit. When I finally get a full day off, which can be rare as a resident physician, I try to make them count. Once a month my friends and I plan an “activity of the month.” One month we all went to a Korean Sauna, in July we went to one of the city’s young professional social events, next month we’re planning to go horseback riding. These things are quite affordable, and we often use Groupon for discounts. Knowing I have a fun activity planned with friends helps me get through the week and gives me something to look forward to during those long hospital shifts.

6. ”Recharge” with people you love. Even with my self-care days, me-time, simple pleasures, and activity of the month, I can still feel drained. It is during these occasions, that I do other things to help me recharge. Usually this involves spending time with people I love. I’ll call my best friends in other states, watch a football game with my brothers or make time to have Sunday dinner with my parents. Whether you spend time with a significant other, see family, or talk to friends, sometimes the best way to practice self-care is to be around those we love. 

Tell me, what affordable ways do you practice self-care?