Leaning into the present
Still dealing with stress (and honestly some pretty dark moods, which are entirely related) over here. That said, I am doing the best when I really try to focus on other things. Every activity (work, kid, household maintenance, whatever) is an opportunity to be present with what I am doing, and that in itself feels like a gift. This applies to both work and leisure; after weeks of only scrolling and wallowing I am reading again, and that is progress.
One example of this is that yesterday I got to work with a brand new attending joining or group — she shadowed me as I saw my afternoon patients. I felt highly motivated to teach her various efficiencies and show her that she CAN finish with patients and notes at a reasonable hour in our specialty (she has a young child at home and I know she is motivated to leave on time!). I showed her various inbox attack tactics, how I prep the notes before entering rooms, my quick-but-done-enough style of documentation, and more.
She shared ideas about how we could make lab ordering easier (which would be great — her new set of eyes helped point out some obvious shortfalls of our system). It was also fun to hear about her fellowship training etc (notably, it sounds like not much has changed in the last decade of peds endo training). Having a FRESH member of our team is exciting.
Today is a creative work day and I appreciate the contrast. The stress has not disappeared but all of these distractions really really help.
Comfort Planning . . .
Kind of like comfort food, but with planners, haha. Every year when the new Hobonichi stuff comes out I suddenly realize that their planners are my favorite. My pattern seems to be to start the year in a fresh Hobonichi Cousin, stray over the spring/summer to a million different other things, and then return to that same Hobonichi come fall and stay until the new year. It may just be that my planning needs are a bit different in the spring and summer, or it might just be a case of too many great options (and the desire to dabble!).
Whatever the reason, I feel very comforted by my old standby.
Mixing things up
I didn’t run this morning but instead plan to do a treadmill hill workout later in the day. I love my routines AND at the same time they can start feeling rigid so embracing the chances to mix things up on occasion.
6 Comments
I always like to see your planning pages as they inspire to use my own Hobonichi.
Here’s to making the most of the present moment and trying very hard not to dwell on the past or worry about the future!
Hey, whatever gives you comfort! I can see how your old trusty planner is comforting. I guess you could look at this time as an opportunity to practice being present. Adversity makes us stronger, right? I’m sure you would say you’ve had enough adversity for a while and would appreciate a little less- constantly fighting to stay present and positive can be exhausting. Hang in there- this will NOT be forever!
I’d love a podcast on organizing your day as a Dr. I am an NP, newish (2 years). Finishing notes, seeing patients, labs, inbox management…. how do we get it all done? This is talked about some elsewhere, but as a super planner, I’d love your take. (Internal Med for reference!)
Every specialty is different and by no means do I feel like I’ve figured out some secret that would universally apply, but here are some of my tips in this
Ep:
https://theshubox.com/2023/05/blp-ep-145-efficiency-tips-for-healthcare-providers.html
That sounds like a really cool encounter with the new hire! I love a new fresh pair of eyes in most situations 🙂 So helpful.
Also, I really need to look at the Hobonichi planner a little bit more closely. I love the phrase “comfort planning” 🙂