Has the concept of a work-life balance outlived its usefulness? It’s a question that comes up in all professions, but especially in medicine, when patient demands are only a few taps away on any internet-connected device. According to Dike Drummond, the Happy MD, work-life balance does and should exist for any physician who is at least a little concerned about burnout. Achieving a work-life balance, however, takes some work. “It’s not something that happens by accident,” Drummond says. “You have to plan for it. You have to get good at creating boundaries and holding them.” Drummond has worked with 164 organizations on four continents, helping more than 30,000 doctors. Many of those doctors have achieved work-life balance from these two things: what he calls the schedule hack, and building a relationship with bosses. The schedule hack Most doctors will have a schedule, Drummond says. Ask them to show it to you, and they’ll produce a calendar on a phone that’s loaded with work appointments. It’s much harder to find a doctor who manages their personal time with the same rigor. “Med school and residency don’t teach the off switch on a doctor. Ideally, you have to have a way to shut off the doctor when they’re not on call,” Drummond says. The scheduling hack ensures that “doctor mode” gets switched off at the right times so doctors can be fully present with friends, family and loved ones. “Setting up a calendar takes a little bit of effort. It’s a future plan. Most people will obey a future plan. If it’s on the calendar, it gets done. If it isn’t, it doesn’t,” Drummond says. Once a week, typically on a Sunday, Drummond says you should sit down with your spouse and/or family. Take out a paper calendar and plan family time for the week ahead. Every other week, plan a date night with your spouse and put it on the calendar. On your date nights, Drummond says, before anyone has even ordered an hors d’oeuvre, schedule the next date night. If you’re single, Drummond says it’s time to get back in the game. Online dating is great for time-starved doctors. Work to put dates on your schedule hack calendar. Once you and your family complete the calendar, everyone takes a picture of it with their phone, committing to the schedule hack. “Without a regular time and process, you’re fighting an uphill battle,” Drummond says Building a relationship with your boss In a perfect world, when your boss asks you to be on call and you already have a date night scheduled, you want them to respect your plans. This takes a bit of a time investment on your part, Drummond says. “Med school and residency are survival exercises,” Drummond says. “They don’t teach you how to create an ideal job or an ideal life.” Part of an ideal job, he explains, is the ability to manage your boss. You can only manage your boss if you develop a relationship with them. Do this by scheduling a quarterly meeting with your supervisor where you check in on work and life. “If you don’t schedule these meetings, the only time you’ll see your boss is when you’re in trouble,” Drummond says. By being proactive and creating a relationship, establishing boundaries between work and life is nowhere near as intense. “If your boss is making a request of you, it becomes a conversation and a negotiation.” TL;DR If doctors want a work-life balance, they should: Pick a specific day to sit down with your family each week and schedule family activities on paper. Everyone takes a picture of this calendar, puts it in their phone, and commits to it. The calendar should include a date night every other week. Not dating? It’s time to get back in the game. Try online dating. Cultivate a relationship with your boss by having quarterly check-ins. You want to become comfortable with one another so that way your boss will respect your boundaries. Source
