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9/26/2021 0 Comments

3 Quick Tips for Getting the Important Things Done

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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

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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:
  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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. 

  4. 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.

  5. 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

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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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9/5/2021 0 Comments

How to Care for Yourself When You Have to Work and Are Feeling Unwell

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Image Credit: Depositphotos

​Next week, I’m planning to be sick - said no one ever.

As physicians we take an oath to first do no harm. And we work tirelessly to promote health, healing and well-being for an endless number of patients.

So what happens when the physician is the one who is unwell and in need of healing?

Ironically, most of the physicians I know don’t take the advice that they give to their patients. The reasons are multi-factorial, and include working in a system that rewards “pushing through” and being productive even at the cost of their own health. This mindset also carries over to physicians working in a nonclinical career.

While we wait for the system to change (thank you to all the dedicated individuals who are championing this cause), we can focus on the small, yet meaningful ways that we can care for ourselves when we are not feeling 100%.

Here are 3 questions you can ask yourself:

1. What do I most need right now and how can I take 1 step to give that to myself, guilt-free?

When we’re soldiering on we don’t pause long enough to check in with how we’re doing. Notice how you’re feeling and get in touch with what your mind and body need. Maybe it’s a brief nap (ask a nurse or co-worker to make sure you’re up in 20-30 min), an abbreviated work day, a nourishing meal, hydrating really well or getting a ride to and from work so you don’t have to expend energy on your commute. Once you figure out what you need, give yourself permission to have it.

2. How can I make THIS simpler?

This could be the task at hand, the work day ahead, etc. Our intellect has gotten us far in our career and it creates a tendency to over-analyze and over-complicate things, unnecessarily. Focus on what you have control over and quickly brainstorm how you can simplify the things that you need to do when you’re not feeling well. An example is picking up dinner or ordering delivery to take meal planning and cooking off the table.

3. What do I need to let go of to facilitate my healing?

This is one of the most important questions you can ask. Take the time to answer it. Sometimes the things you release are just as important as the things you add to your life. I’ve found it valuable to look at what outdated beliefs I can let go of that no longer serve me. Examples include reassessing the belief that work needs to feel hard to be valuable, that asking for help is a sign of weakness and allowing myself to rest when there is an endless list of things to be done is equivalent to laziness. Freeing up these thoughts creates room to adopt new beliefs that support caring for yourself, valuing your own health and well-being as much as you value your loved ones, patients and co-workers.

I hope these questions are a start to your finding ways to care for yourself while meeting your work obligations. And of course there are the times when the best thing to do is to stay home. May you dons the confidence and courage to make that decision when needed.

Are there other questions you would add to this list? Share your suggestions in the comments below.


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8/29/2021 0 Comments

How to Find Calm in the Chaos of Life

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It's one of those days. You know the kind where it seems there is a secret plot to drive you insane. 

It's the day when you feel like everything is conspiring against you. And there's no time to regroup. You're getting hit with one punch after another. 

When life doesn’t go according to plan

It can be really challenging to rally when it seems like nothing is going your way (and you find yourself pleading with life to just give you a break).

I'm here to remind you that although there may be chaos swirling around you, you can still access a well of calm within you.

Here are 3 suggestions for finding greater calm in the chaos:

  • Check in with yourself - Start by pressing pause and turn inward to assess how you're feeling in the moment. Rate your feelings of calm on a scale of 0-10, where 0 is a complete absence of calm (maximum internal chaos) and 10 is an abundance of calm (maximum internal calm). Take one action to help move the needle in the direction of increasing calm - step out into nature, take a breath and remember to exhale, go for a walk, listen to music, etc.

  • Practice surrendering - Ask yourself what you need to let go of to create more breathing space during this chaotic time. Maybe it's taking a step back to see how you can simplify life to free up more mental, physical and emotional energy. Or it could be releasing an outcome that you're very attached to that doesn't seem feasible. Sometimes it's just asking for help and being reminded that you're not alone. Resistance creates stress and leads to feelings of dis-ease. Allowing invites a greater sense of flow and ease which leads to a greater sense of well-being. This is the power of surrender.
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  • Summon courage - When our life feels like we're in free fall, we grasp at anything that will give us a sense of control. Sometimes, we are focused on the uncontrollable - we want the situation to be different than it is, we want people to be different than they are. Remembering that control over anything except your own behavior is an illusion. So focus on what you have control over - how you think about the situation will determine how you experience it. Don't add on any unnecessary suffering.

Keep this list handy as a reference whenever you're feeling like life (and work) are chaotic.

May you more easily find your way to the path of your well of inner calm.


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8/22/2021 0 Comments

How To Be Successful in Your Career: 3 Essential Elements For Planning Your Success

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When was the last time you sat down to plan your career path, outside of a required annual employee review? If you're like most people, you may not be able to remember.

Setting yourself up for success in your career starts with consistently investing time to nurture and develop it. Whether it's monthly, quarterly or annually, creating a system to reflect, review and plan your career path is key to maintaining fulfillment.

You get to define what success means for you. Not everyone is interested in climbing the ladder to the C-suite. Success may mean taking on additional responsibilities in areas that are meaningful to you, learning new skills to help you hone your craft or transitioning to a new role or industry.

Here are 3 essential elements to consider in your career planning to keep you on the path of success:
  1. Intention - Set your intention for what you want to accomplish in your career. Why is that important to you? When you are clear on what you want and why you want it, you can then begin to align your daily intentions with the big picture. Write down your intention at the start of each work day. What do you want to create today? How do you want to show up today? How do you want to experience this day. How will this help you to move forward along your career path? Focusing on questions like this can help you to feel a greater sense of satisfaction as you reflect on your day. If you don't remember to set your intention when the day begins, ask yourself these questions whenever it crosses your mind. These intentions will serve as your guide for your work day.

  2. Action - Setting a goal to transition to a new industry or to step into a leadership role can feel overwhelming. You may delay taking action or instead focus on passive action like watching educational videos/webinars, reading resources, etc. Activities like this will keep you busy, but it won't ultimately move you towards your goal at the pace you desire. Instead, focus on taking results-driven action steps to boldly move towards your goals each day. Focus on the 1 think that could move you forward in the process to minimize overwhelm. In working with physicians who want to transition to a nonclinical career, I often hear them say that they don't have the time to invest in the job hunting process which is so different and foreign compared to applying for clinical jobs. I encourage them to think about what they can do in 10 minutes each day to move the needle, rather than waiting until they can find an hour or two of free time (for most physicians it means you'll be waiting a very long time).

  3. Reflection - Pause to evaluate your career journey thus far. This includes your past accomplishments both big and small, your contributions and sense of impact. In my reflection, I also think about the little things that matter - being present to listen to a team member who is experiencing a challenge or offering to help brainstorm a solution to problem - as well as mentoring (paying it forward to support the next generation) and advocating for causes that are important to me. Next, rate where you currently are in your career. Knowing where you've been and where you are now are helpful in determining where you want to go next. This information will help to inform your goals and clarify what you want for the next stage of your career.  

Incorporating these elements into your career planning can help you to proactively direct your career rather than winging it and hoping for the best. Pay attention to thoughts and habits that are counter to your desired goals or put you at risk of sabotaging your own success. Be willing to let go of outdated, limiting beliefs that no longer serve you.

If you decide you want support with your career planning, seek out a mentor, coach or community of like-minded people who can provide accountability, encouragement and guidance.

​How often do you focus on actively planning your career? Let me know by sharing in the comments below.
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    Dr. Michelle Bailey is a board-certified pediatrician who retired early from clinical practice and successfully transitioned to a nonclinical career. She helps physicians considering a departure from clinical practice successfully make the leap to a nonclinical career they love. Connect with Michelle in her private Facebook community for physicians to learn about all things related to your nonclinical career transition.  Join here.

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