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9/26/2021 0 Comments

3 Quick Tips for Getting the Important Things Done

Albert Einstein once said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

Einstein, considered by many to be the greatest mind of the 20th century, was known for mulling over his questions until falling into a semi-trance. In these states of deep contemplation, he made fascinating discoveries, then spent countless hours working back out of the maze to make his discoveries translatable to others.

The secret to sustainable success in any arena is not, as many believe, to be the smartest or most educated person in the room, or to be born into wealth and opportunity. Rather, the secret is to become so focused on the goal and so determined not to give up that all distractions fade into the background, and the answers rise to the top.

If you would like to see more success in your endeavors, here are 3 simple tips to help you get and stay focused so you can achieve your goals:

1. Think “Micro”
Studies have shown that humans get overwhelmed and become less productive when focusing on too many things at once. The concept of multitasking is a misnomer as we can only effectively focus on one thing at a time. So, pick one small aspect of whatever you’re doing and give it your full attention. Practice monotasking.

2. Give Yourself Permission to “Go There”
Oftentimes, we don’t give something the necessary attention because we feel we cannot disengage from all the other demands in our life. Give yourself permission to let everything else go for a while. De-prioritize to re-prioritize, and be okay with the fact that in order to say ‘Yes’ to what you want, you must say ‘No’ to something else.

3. Give Yourself More Time
With deadlines looming, it’s easy to shortchange yourself on the amount of time actually needed for excellence. Ask for more time if you need it. OR, refer to tip number 2 to create more space in your life. Progress takes persistence and persistence takes time. Practice building more margin into your schedule.

You don’t have to be an Einstein to let your genius shine through. Brilliance belongs to everyone…you just have to drill deep to get to the gold.

Which tip will you incorporate this week to unlock your brilliance and get the important things done?

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9/19/2021 0 Comments

5 Reasons Physicians Don't Reach Their Career Goals

Image credit: Depositphotos

We are less than 2 weeks away from entering the final quarter of the year. The year is flying by!

How are your career goals coming along for 2021?

If you just asked the question, "What career goals?" or had to think more than 30 seconds to remember what your goals were for this year, this article is for you.

Physician life is often a busy life and as a result, purposeful career advancement may get little to none of your attention. And if you are like many physicians I speak with, you may have set your career on autopilot or deferred the steering of your career to your leadership or someone else.

Here are 5 common reasons that physicians don't reach their desired career goals:

They have vague career goals or none at all - It's hard to reach goals that you haven't set. If you're not clear on what you want from your career, you're less likely to set meaningful goals. In some organizations, there is an annual goal-setting milestone, but often there is no clear process in place to help you create goals designed to truly advance your career. Take some time to get clear on where you want to be in the next 3-5 years. And it's okay if you don't know. Simply start with what you don't want and then decide what it is you do want instead.
They have goals, but they're not written down - Research shows that you're greater than 40% more likely to achieve your goals when you write them down. The process of writing down your goals helps you to create a clearer, more vivid picture in your mind of your desired result. When you can see it, you start to believe it and that belief will drive your motivation to achieve your goals.
Their goals don't stay top of mind - The old saying "out of sight, out of mind" is applicable here. With so many things competing for your attention, working on your career goals tends to fall to the bottom of the to-do list because there's no urgency around it (much like self-care). Keeping a bulleted list of your top career goals visible in a place where you can see them on a regular basis will remind you of what matters to you. Print it out and post it in your office, your home, your planner, your bathroom mirror, etc. Or if you're more digitally inclined, scan your written list into your device and set it as wallpaper, a screensaver or as a recurring event on your calendar. Bonus points for including the reason why you want to achieve these goals with your bulleted list.
They don't schedule dedicated time to work on their goals - With the busyness of a medical career, you will typically use your time to deal with the urgencies of personal and professional life with little to no time left to focus on the important things. Breaking your goals down into bite-sized activities will help you to carve out 10-15 minutes a day to make progress on your goals. Focus on the one next step you need to take to move it forward. Over time, those 10-15 minutes add up to incremental progress forward towards your desired results.
They don't evaluate progress made on their goals throughout the year - If you set goals at the start of the year, but wait until the end of the year to see if they've been met, you've lost an incredible opportunity to reach your goals. Plan for mini check-ins throughout the year to reassess where you are. Ask yourself if you're on track to get to where you want to be? If yes, sustain that momentum by taking stock of what's helped you to make progress. If no, ask yourself if it's time to make adjustments to get back on track or if you may need support to help you accelerate your progress. Checking in on your goals progress throughout the year increases the odds of successfully reaching your goals.

I'd like to remind you that you own your career. You earned your medical degree and you get to decide how you'd like to leverage it to support yourself and your family and make the impact that you want to have.

If you haven't set career goals for the year, it's not too late. You don't need to wait until the new year. Make a commitment to be more intentional about your career and the direction you want to take it. Take action by scheduling 30 minutes to sit down and write down at least 1 goal you'd like to achieve by the end of the year.

Share your goal in the comments below.

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9/12/2021 0 Comments

A Simple Practice to Help Reach Your Goals Faster

As the summer days wind down and we prepare to welcome fall, I made a decision to clear out some clutter in my home office. I found a stack of papers that had lists of ideas and things that I wanted to do someday.

I was pleased to see that some of the things written on the list had been accomplished, but many of them I had forgotten about.

The list of things I want to do always seem to outnumber the hours I have available to devote to them.

I am practicing a new concept as we head into the new season - CONSTRAINT.

The dictionary definition of constraint (Oxford) is "a limitation or restriction". The sentence provided as an example says it all - "time constraints make it impossible to do everything". This couldn't be more true.

When we attempt to give our attention to everything we don't accomplish as much as we could if we set priorities and limited our focus to 1 or 2 things.

Constraint helps to provide the focus and discipline necessary to achieve the outcomes we desire.

Practicing constraint requires:

saying no to taking on additional tasks and responsibilities that would compete with our top priorities
minimizing distractions that would fragment our focus and attention
scheduling dedicated blocks of time to make meaningful progress towards our goal
commitment to the top goals prioritized for a dedicated period of time (30 days, 6 months, etc.)
awareness of when we are taking action (or inaction) to sabotage our success
a willingness to let go of thoughts that whisper in your ear that you need to be doing more

It is not an easy practice, but the investment of time and energy to cultivate the skill of constraint is well worth the effort. It will pay off priceless dividends. The more you practice, the better you get at building the muscle of sustained focus to reach the goals you set for yourself. Prioritizing what matters to you helps you make the time to complete the important tasks and not just the urgent tasks (putting out fires).

So, I'm curious what your experience has been with practicing constraint. What helps you to constrain to 1 or 2 top priorities?

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Life Beyond Clinical Practice with Dr. Michelle Bailey
Welcome! If you're a physician considering a departure from clinical practice, you're in the right place.

Hi, I'm Dr. Michelle Bailey.
I help physicians who are unhappy or unsatisfied with their current career find a nonclinical career that they love.

Retiring early from clinical practice after almost 20 years as a board-certified pediatrician I successfully made the leap and transitioned to a nonclinical career.

I'm thriving in my new career and am on a mission to help other physicians do the same with the support, guidance, and community that I wish I had when I was struggling with this decision.

You're invited to connect with me in my private Facebook community for physicians to learn about all things related to your nonclinical career transition. Join here.

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3 Quick Tips for Getting the Important Things Done

5 Reasons Physicians Don't Reach Their Career Goals

A Simple Practice to Help Reach Your Goals Faster

Life Beyond Clinical Practice with Dr. Michelle Bailey
Welcome! If you're a physician considering a departure from clinical practice, you're in the right place.

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Categories

YOUR CART

3 Quick Tips for Getting the Important Things Done

5 Reasons Physicians Don't Reach Their Career Goals

A Simple Practice to Help Reach Your Goals Faster

Life Beyond Clinical Practice with Dr. Michelle BaileyWelcome! If you're a physician considering a departure from clinical practice, you're in the right place.

Archives

Categories

Life Beyond Clinical Practice with Dr. Michelle Bailey
Welcome! If you're a physician considering a departure from clinical practice, you're in the right place.