However rewarding, nobody said seeing patients all day long is an easy job. Your clinical duties require dedication, concentration, and positivity. With the orders of the job tall, remember that a successful day begins with a successful morning. Here are eight ways to start your morning off right. Wake up early According to research, 50% of self-made millionaires begin their day at least 3 hours before they set foot in the office, and 90% of executives rise before 6 a.m. on weekdays. Now, starting early doesn’t necessarily mean the crack of dawn, as evidenced by some of the following early risers: Apple CEO, Tim Cook, wakes up at 3:45 a.m. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is in the gym at 4 a.m. Virgin-Group founder Richard Branson is up at 5:45 a.m. “The Oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffett, opens his eyes at 6:45 a.m. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg first checks his phone at 8 a.m. Begin planning the night before Plan out the highlights of what you need to do the next day, and write things down in a prioritized manner. This list will help you keep organized the next day. Start with the toughie Imagine that before you drive into work, you have to write a lengthy email to your colleague about a patient. You’re somewhat daunted by this task, knowing that it will take a bit of time. However, it’s best to start with this difficult task before you do anything else. Please note that if something takes less than 2 minutes to do, then the 2-minute rule takes effect. In other words, prioritize anything that takes less than 2 minutes (like charging your tablet) above anything else. Disengage from your phone Of course, you need to check your phone when you first wake up—you don’t want to miss any important messages. But you don’t need to check Facebook shortly thereafter. According to a survey from CareerBuilder, 75% of employers report that at least 2 hours of productivity are lost per day thanks to distraction, and smartphone use and texting accounts for 55% of this time-suck. Why begin your day with a time-suck? Blue-light special According to the results of a low-powered study—no pun intended—Korean researchers found that when compared with warm light, 1 hour of exposure to blue-enriched white light on waking boosts alertness, mood, and visual comfort, and decreases melatonin levels. With regard to cortisol—the other important circadian marker in the study—no difference was observed. The authors concluded that blue-enriched LED light may be an effective countermeasure for morning drowsiness. What are you waiting for? Exercise What kind of list would this be without exercise? According to Harvard researchers, regular exercise helps with blood pressure, weight loss/maintenance, energy levels, mood, stress, anxiety, and heart health. Exercise also stimulates brain regions involved in memory, and causes the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which rewires memory circuits for the better. Eat breakfast In one study, Spanish researchers found that teens who ate a high-quality breakfast experienced improved health-related quality of life and lower levels of stress and depression compared with those who ate unhealthy breakfasts. Moreover, those who ate unhealthy breakfasts had lower quality of life and more stress and depression than those who skipped breakfast altogether. Make time for family Researchers have shown that parents have the greatest impact on the success of young people by promoting learning vs supporting school activities. In other words, spending time with your family before you go into the clinic not only warms the cockles of your heart but also helps your kids out. Source
