You Were On Top Of Your Work – So Why Are You Drowning Again?

Through our coaching sessions, Dr. K was able to go from working extra hours in the evenings and on the weekends to consistently finishing her charts before going home. She was doing it so well that she decided to seek an additional administrative role to work while still working full-time clinically. After several interviews and presentations, she got the leadership role.

As I asked her how Dr. K was doing, she shared that she was not doing well. She went back to her old ways, having leaving charts open. Since accepting the new leadership position, she started to have more meetings. She is also planning more for her institution. As she has more responsibilities and more work, she thinks that there are too many things to do. That thought makes her feel overwhelmed, just like how she felt in the past when she had unfinished charts and unread inbox messages. As she is feeling overwhelmed, she feels that it is too much for her to even consider what to do or where to start. There are many thoughts running in her head and it is hard for her to focus. She also keeps blaming herself for going back to her old habits of leaving charts open. As a result, she feels even more overwhelmed and is leaving more work unfinished.

As you have become a person who leaves your office or hospital on time with your work done, it is still possible to go back to your old ways at any time. The trigger may be started by a higher workload, by starting a new position, or by any non-work-related events. To make it clear, it is not due to the change in your situation that causes you to relapse to your old habits; it is due to what you think about your situation. When you think that there is too much to handle, or too many things to do, it is easy to feel stressed or overwhelmed. It is also natural to be mad at yourself because you feel this way.

Yes, you have learned the skills to be more efficient. Yes, you have successfully reclaimed at least two hours of your day because you are more efficient. Things can change at any time. It is important to give yourself grace. Do not get mad at yourself. Accept yourself. Accept that it has happened.

This is not to say that you are sitting there and doing nothing about it. On the contrary. By accepting yourself being kind to yourself, you can focus on what the trigger is. Is there a particular event or situation that caused you to have a different opinion about your work? When you have an opinion that causes you to feel overwhelmed rather than in control, you do things differently, which leads to different results.

After understanding the situation and the trigger(s), reflect on what has worked in the past. Mind over skills. If you think that there are too many things to do – no matter what the actual amount of work is, it is difficult to get things done efficiently.

For Dr. K, she has more on her plate. She chooses to do more, to serve more, because she wants to help doctors in her department to have better lives. It is always important to remember why you are doing what you are doing. Dr. K could have just kept for clinical position and not have asked to do more. She wanted to serve her patients and her colleagues. She is facing new challenges, almost a cultural shock because she has gone into untread territory.

This is an opportunity to learn and grow. Instead of thinking there are too many things to do, what are some other ways to view the new situation? For example, you can think, there are many things to do (acknowledging that you have more to do than before), and you do not have to do everything at once. Or you can think that you can manage your day. Whatever works for you.

Going back to your old ways is part of being human. Instead of being upset about it, be kind to yourself. Take a step back to find out what thought triggered it. How do you feel and what are you doing or not doing because of how you feel? Be curious about how you can be efficient again, back to finishing your work on time. Besides thinking differently, are you going to do something different or be more intense in doing what you have been doing? Besides giving yourself grace, keeping up with good habits, it is important to always celebrate. Celebrate any big and small accomplishments. Celebrate how far you have come. You have done it before – getting your work done on time. You can do it again.