Even though the now-infamous phrase “work-life balance” is one of the most utilized expressions, particularly when talking about physician burnout, it is critically important to spend a few minutes to think about the significance behind it.
I’ve read numerous articles over the years about the concept of work-life balance in relation to physician workload. What I can say is that happiness in this one life we live can be distilled down into a single critically-important concept: prioritization. We learn to triage our patients each and every day on consult service. However, physicians are all-too-frequently forgetting about their own desires. The older I get, the more it becomes clear: time waits for no-one. We owe it to ourselves to find as close a balance between medical duties and life outside the hospital. It is a personal decision, really. I believe that once we find what we believe is our own “balance” between work duties and life outside of work, that only then are we happiest.
So long as we keep the big-picture in view, it is absolutely possible to enjoy a productive work life and fruitful home life!
Photo by Clark Tibbs.