Physicians: Stop Working Late by Asking Yourself This One Question

Working those extra hours at night and spending many weekends catching up with my work were normal activities for years. Just by talking about it triggers a vivid imagination of that scenario, as if I am about to live through it again – only to know that I am no longer that person, and I will never come back here.

Before getting all the strategies on how to be efficient at work, before looking at what I was doing or not doing, my coach asked me why – “why do you want to leave work on time?”

I still remember my initial thought was that I hated working those long hours, the hours I did not sign up to do for free. Instead of looking at what I did not want, focus on what you want instead, my coach said. I thought about it, and realized that I wanted to go home on time to have extra moments to spend with my family, to have free time to relax, and simply to be human. My coach asked me what the most important thing was out of those I mentioned. To me, it was (and is) to spend more time with my family.

“Why do you want to spend more time with your family?” My coach asked.

To me, it was simple, yet I never thought about it much. Spending time with my family brings me joy. When I think about spending time with my family, I feel content, joy and gratitude.

That was a great start to my journey of cutting down my work hours without changing my workload. The reason behind what you are doing is important. There is always a reason you do something. You may not necessarily like the reason you immediately think of. Ultimately, the real reason is associated with how you feel. We do or avoid something to feel better, to experience more of the emotions we like. Content, joy and gratitude are my three favorite emotions. A high-energy type of pleasant emotion, such as feeling excited, enthusiastic or thrilled, is not something that I actively look for. You may have other emotions you like. No matter what it is, we seek to do things which will bring us to experience our favorite emotions. Therefore, it is important to know what you want.

When you are doing something that will not result in the emotions you enjoy, you suffer. You are upset because you do not like to do it. You are upset because you are doing it. You are upset because you have not figured out how to do it differently or what other options there are.

Knowing what brings you your favorite emotions is important. That is why you are doing what you are doing. Take another question – why did you become a physician? The answer for many physicians, including me, is to help people. Why do you want to help people? That brings you to explore yourself to a deeper level. For me, helping people brings me joy. I always enjoy helping others. I believe in helping one another, lifting one another up. I love to see and create win-win situations.

Knowing yourself better, knowing why you want what you want is important. Your reason for doing something is the foundation, is the start of your journey and it is also the end of your journey. To start the process of going toward what you want is to know what you want in the first place. Physicians who are struggling to leave work on time, ask yourselves why you want to change that. Go a step further and understand what your favorite emotions are. With these questions answered, you have a good foundation to work toward your goal.