The Power of Celebrating Progress: How Physicians Reduce Stress and Restore Joy

Prior to our third coaching session, Dr. N had 65 incomplete patient charts. We talked about, from that point forth, not to accumulate more charts and finish the patient charts the same day, so she was not adding to her “pile”. Two weeks later, when we met again, Dr. N shared with me, somewhat disappointed, that she added 20 charts over the weekend because more than half of her full schedules on both Saturday and Sunday were new patients.

What Dr. N saw was oh no, she had an additional 20 incomplete charts. What I saw was progress. Dr. N does not always work seven days straight. She happened to be on call that week. Other than that, she finished all her other charts during the week, which she was not able to do before. So I pointed that out and invited her to appreciate and celebrate her progress. She would have more incomplete charts if she operated like she did before coaching. I invited her to see how she is closer to consistently having zero charts incomplete by the end of the day.

It is easy for us to spot the flaws and imperfections. It is easy to point out what is not going well. It is just fair to also examine what is going well. That is why I usually ask my physician clients what went well. As our coaching session went on, Dr. N pointed out, in passing, that she cut down her preparation time for a clinic day from two hours to 45 minutes.  As she was about to move on to talk about something else, I gently interrupted. “Wait – you mean you saved one hour 15 minutes a day of prep work? That is amazing!” I took the time to allow Dr. N to look at what she accomplished – after only 3 coaching sessions.

As much as we want things to happen in a snap of our fingers, they do not, and that is okay. The more important thing is to recognize the steps you have made to move toward where you want to be. Appreciate our effort and celebrate it. Pause and look back at how far you have come. When you celebrate progress, it allows you to recognize your accomplishments – you are more amazing than you think. It also allows you to have hope. The hope that it is possible to achieve your goal. The hope that you are more capable than you think. Celebration is a time for you to recognize you and your work. It is an opportunity for you to stop belittling your achievements.

It does not have to be a major milestone for you to celebrate.  Saving time like Dr. N did is worthy of celebration. Not adding unfinished charts for ten days is worthy of celebration. Even though she is not “there” yet, celebrating progress is a way for her to be energized with hope. Instead of thinking “I am not there yet and it is not likely I will be there”, celebration shifts your thinking to “I am not there yet and I will be there soon”. The latter thought generates hope. When you have hope, you are motivated to accomplish even more. Your mind is more creative to come up with even more ways to get what you want.

Celebrating your progress during the day helps with the flow. In the midst of a hectic day with overbooked schedules, patient calls and nurses asking you questions, celebrating something you do not even think is a big deal grounds you. It is fun to celebrate. I celebrate my progress every day. On a typical day, I have 25 patients. I like to print out my schedule on one page, so I get to look at it anytime. After I see a patient, I mark with my pen to indicate that the patient is seen, another mark for the note is done. As I always coach and lead by example, for outpatients, see the patient and do the chart. When I see the pen marks, it is a cue for me to acknowledge and celebrate – yes, another patient taken care of and the note is done. When I see five patients with pen marks, I again have another moment of celebration. The process of hard word, challenging decisions with frequent celebrations makes the day go by with more calm and lightness.

It is more than what you accomplish. It is more than when you get to your destination. Celebrate the progress along the way. Be present and enjoy the process. The more hope you have, the less stressed you are, the more you can accomplish, the faster you will achieve your goal.