The Hidden Downsides of Meditation: A Guide for Physicians

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in August, 2024

As a physician coach and certified mindfulness meditation teacher, meditation has been a powerful and sustaining practice for me for many years.

Mindfulness meditation has been shown to improve focus and to reduce stress and burnout. It can even improve sleep quality.

But while meditation offers many benefits, there are also a few drawbacks that are less often discussed. That’s what I’ll cover in this article. With the growing popularity of meditation and meditation apps, it’s important to remember that meditation is not for everyone.

What Is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment, on purpose and without judgment. It means noticing what’s happening—your thoughts, emotions, body sensations, or surroundings—without immediately reacting or trying to change them.

You don’t have to be sitting still or meditation to be mindful. You can practice mindfulness while walking, eating, listening to a patient, or even washing your hands between visits. It’s more about how you are paying attention than what you are doing.

Mindfulness vs. Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness and mindfulness meditation are closely related, but they are not exactly the same.

Mindfulness is a way of being. It’s an ongoing quality of awareness that you can bring into everyday life.

Mindfulness meditation is a more formal practice. It usually involves setting aside time to sit quietly and focus your attention, often on the breath, while noticing when your mind wanders and gently bringing it back.

In other words, meditation is one way to practice mindfulness—but it’s not the only way. And some forms of meditation aren’t mindfulness practices.

For some people, informal mindfulness practices—like taking a few slow, intentional breaths between patients or noticing the feel of your feet on the ground—may feel more accessible and sustainable than a formal meditation practice.

Potential Downsides of Meditation for Physicians

For some people, meditation may have unintended, and unexpected consequences. Sometimes, simply changing the time of day or duration of practice can make all the difference. In this article, we’ll explore the potential downsides, along with strategies to help you get the most benefit from meditation and mindfulness practices.

Mental Health Impact

Because of its inward focus, meditation can sometimes bring up uncomfortable emotions or past traumas. While many people with anxiety benefit from meditation, some may find that it initially intensifies their symptoms.

Of course, it’s normal to feel a little restless or uneasy when you are not used to sitting quietly. Cultivating stillness can take time. But if anxiety persists, or if intrusive thoughts feel overwhelming and difficult to release, meditation may not be the right fit for you.

And while detachment is often a goal of mindfulness meditation, some people may develop a distressing sense of disconnection from reality.

Longer meditation sessions, including retreats, are more likely to cause this type of trouble. If you are prone to anxiety or depression, it makes sense to keep your sessions to 20 minutes or less and to approach meditation gently.

Seek professional guidance if intense emotions or memories arise that are difficult to manage on your own.

Insomnia

Mindfulness meditation can improve your sleep quality. But practicing focused meditation at bedtime might actually make your mind more alert, making it harder to fall asleep.

You may find it more helpful to meditate earlier in the day, such as in the morning, midday, or before leaving work, so you can reset your focus without interfering with sleep. Or seek out sleep meditations that are designed to help your mind rest.

Decision Making

For many people, mindfulness meditation can improve decision-making speed and help with goal setting for positive outcomes.

But if you tend to overanalyze or strive for the “best” possible choice, you may find that mindfulness practices may sometimes amplify this tendency. Instead of moving forward, you may find yourself lingering in reflection or weighing too many possibilities.

If this happens, it can help to pair mindfulness with action—setting limits on decision time or committing to small next steps.

Physical Discomfort

Sitting for extended periods, especially without proper support or in an uncomfortable posture, can lead to back pain, muscle stiffness, or joint pain.

When meditating, ensure you are sitting in a comfortable position, perhaps using cushions or a chair for support. You might even find it more comfortable to meditate lying down.

Another option is walking meditation. You can find these types of meditations on most meditation apps.

Many people are not aware that the physical practice of yoga developed as a way to prepare the mind and body for meditation. Yoga works by releasing stress and strain in the muscles and guiding you to consciously slow down your breathing pattern.  When time permits, consider incorporating gentle stretching or yoga before meditation.

Using Meditation Thoughtfully

Meditation can be a powerful tool for improving focus, reducing stress, and supporting overall well-being. At the same time, it’s important to recognize that it doesn’t work the same way for everyone.

Starting with shorter sessions, paying attention to how you feel, and ensuring physical comfort can help minimize potential downsides.

If meditation brings up persistent emotional discomfort or distress, it’s important to seek guidance from a qualified professional.

For many people, setting the stage for meditation with gentle stretching or yoga can make the practice more accessible and sustainable.

If meditation isn’t for you, don’t force it. Instead, you can find a similar mental reset by simply taking a brief walk or finding a minute between patients to take a few slow, deep, purposeful breaths. Like any meaningful practice, mindfulness works best when it’s approached with curiosity, flexibility, and respect for your own experience.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

If you’d like to learn more about my coaching practice, you can schedule a complimentary introductory meeting by clicking the link below.

My Interview on the Enlightened Anatomy Podcast

What a pleasure it was to meet with Matthey Huey of the Enlightened Anatomy Podcast! Matt and his partner, Andrew McGonigle, have created a community, The Enlightened Yoga Collective, that is focused on evidence-based yoga teaching. As a yoga teacher myself, and a yoga practitioner for nearly 30 years, this is a topic that is near and dear to my heart.

We talked about the ways that yoga, mindfulness, and heart health connect, and how you can put this into practice. We also touched on the importance of knowing where health information comes from, and how misinformation, often from social media, can lead to mistrust of physicians and fuel physician burnout.

You can find our conversation anywhere you listen to podcasts, or through the Spotify link below. I hope you enjoy it!

My Podcast Interview with Matthew Huey of the Enlightened Anatomy Podcast

When Work Follows You Home: The Hidden Cost of “Work-Life Integration”

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in August, 2024

Unless you’ve been in practice for decades, you may not remember a time when work didn’t follow you home. EHRs, patient portals, and telemedicine are part of the everyday fabric of medical practice. Over time, these tools, first touted as efficiency builders, have changed not only how care is delivered, but also where work lives, increasingly extending into the time and space that once allowed for rest and recovery.

The Myth of Seamless Integration

Against this backdrop, “work-life integration” has been offered as a solution. Rather than separating work from personal life, the generally well-meaning idea is to blend the two to create flexibility and make it easier to manage competing demands.

In theory, it sounds reasonable. But in practice, it often means something else entirely.

For physicians, integration rarely looks like meaningful flexibility. More commonly, it translates to constant accessibility. This often means responding to patient messages, completing documentation, and managing administrative tasks outside of scheduled work hours, or even on vacation.

As a result, work doesn’t simply shift location. It expands. And over time, that expansion has become normalized and often expected.

The Professional Cost of Always Being “On”

The concept of work-life integration encourages multitasking, which science has shown to be a misnomer.

Multitasking in fact isn’t true parallel processing. In reality it’s rapid task-switching. And that comes at a well-defined cost:

• increased cognitive load

• decreased focus

• reduced accuracy

• fatigue

This common scenario is a set up for:

• Medical errors.

• Missed details

• Impaired decision-making

But beyond that, there’s a deeper cost. When you are continuously stretched, your capacity for empathy, curiosity, and engagement begins to narrow. Work begins to feel more transactional and less sustainable. And everyone, from your patients, to your loved ones and family, and yourself, suffers.

The Illusion of Flexibility

Personal time exists for a reason. By definition, it makes room for the parts of your life that cannot be fulfilled at work. Ironically, work-life integration is often marketed as freedom. But let’s be honest about how it plays out. You’re probably not bringing your toddler or your elderly mother to your office. And you’re not taking a walk with your EHR.

Personal time is where you:

• connect with family

• rest and recover

• move your body

• nurture your spirituality

• engage in relationships and activities that require your full attention

These are not things that can be meaningfully “integrated” with clinical work.

More often, the flow is one-directional. Work spills into life, shrinking and fragmenting the limited space that remains.

And over time, something subtle but important happens: You are no longer fully present anywhere.

A More Honest Path Forward

If we want physicians to thrive, we need to move beyond language that sounds good but doesn’t hold up in practice.

For healthcare systems, this means:

• reducing unnecessary administrative burden

• minimizing “click work”

• allowing support staff to manage appropriate tasks

• creating environments where focus, not fragmentation, is supported

For physicians, it means reclaiming boundaries: protecting your attention, your energy, and your capacity to think clearly, and to care.

The Bottom Line

The concept of “work-life integration” is not inherently harmful. But it often becomes a justification for constant availability, and that is not sustainable. When work is everywhere, it becomes difficult to be fully present anywhere.

To sustain balance, you need a center of gravity. That comes from creating the conditions for both your work and your personal life to fully exist, so that your time, energy, and attention are not continuously claimed by one at the expense of the other.

Remember that balance is not just about managing your work; it’s also about nurturing and protecting what gives your life meaning and joy.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

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How Do You Know if You’re Burned Out? A Guide for Physicians

An earlier version of this article was published on this website in April 2023.

Physician burnout may be out of the headlines, but it’s not a thing of the past. During the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout levels reached record highs, affecting more than 60 percent of physicians. While the pandemic is behind us, burnout rates remain stubbornly elevated.

Today, nearly half of physicians still report symptoms of burnout. That’s well above the pre-pandemic baseline of about 38 percent in 2020.

And even though the topic is no longer taboo, many physicians still find themselves wondering: Am I burned out? Or is this something else?

The challenge is that burnout isn’t always easy to recognize. This matters, because naming a problem is often the first step towards taking action. If you can’t name it, it’s harder to change it.

In the sections that follow, we’ll explore who’s most affected, how burnout is defined, the hidden costs, and a few simple ways to assess whether burnout may be affecting you.

Where Burn-Out Hits Hardest

Burnout hits physicians across the spectrum, but topping the list of burnout-inducing specialties are

💉Emergency Medicine

💉Family Medicine

💉OB-GYN

💉Pediatrics

💉Internal Medicine

💉Hospital medicine

Although burnout has decreased in all of these groups over the past several years, more than 40 percent of doctors surveyed in these specialties still report classic symptoms of burnout.

Why Burnout Matters

Not only is burnout demoralizing, but it has real consequences for physicians, patients, and the healthcare system.

Burnout has been linked to:

🔥 Increased physician turnover

🔥 Rising healthcare costs

🔥 Lower job satisfaction

🔥 Higher risk of medical errors

A 2019 study reported a conservative yearly cost of burnout to the US healthcare system of $4.6 billion dollars.

Is Burnout Just a Feeling?

Burnout is often misunderstood.

It’s easy to assume that burnout is simply a matter of stress management—or even a failure of resilience. But that’s not the case.

In fact, physicians tend to demonstrate higher levels of resilience than the general population, yet they also experience greater rates of burnout. While resilience is associated with lower burnout, even highly resilient physicians are not immune.

That’s because burnout is not a personal weakness or a failure to keep up. It’s not a mental illness that needs treatment. Burnout reflects a mismatch between the demands of the work and the resources available to meet those demands.

So how do you know if you're burned out?
❓ A. Is it just a feeling?
❓ B. Is it something we can measure?

If you answered B, you're right. Burnout isn’t just a vague feeling of unhappiness or a trending term. There are standardized tools to measure burnout. The most widely used assessment is the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which has been used in research and clinical settings since 1981.

You’re never too old— or too young. Burnout affects physicians across all career stages and ages, including residents and fellows. If you’re experiencing burnout, it’s important to understand that burnout is not your fault, and you’re not alone. Here’s what you need to know:

What Burnout Actually Means

According to the World Health Organization and the ICD-11, burnout results "from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed." That means that it is considered an occupational phenomenon, not a mental illness.

Symptoms of burnout include:

🚫 feelings of low energy or exhaustion
🚫 negative feelings or cynicism about your job
🚫 loss of motivation and a sense of detachment from work

Check In with Yourself

If you're wondering whether you're experiencing burnout or simply going through a difficult period, you could complete the Maslach Burnout Inventory.

Or you could start with something simpler. Productivity researcher Chris Bailey created a Two-Minute Burnout Inventory that offers a quick way to assess your current stress and burnout level. Even this short self-assessment can help you recognize patterns you may have been ignoring.

If You’re Burned Out, Don’t Struggle Alone

Burnout can feel isolating, but it can help to know that you’re not alone. Many physicians are facing the same challenges.

There is growing recognition that systemic changes in healthcare are essential to address physician burnout. That includes fundamental changes to the EHR along with better support for physicians’ focus, attention, and workflow. Encouragingly, many healthcare systems and professional organizations are beginning to take this issue more seriously. But systemic change takes time.

In the meantime, taking steps to support your own well-being is essential. Your health, your relationships, and your patients all depend on it.

Coaching can be one helpful strategy. Studies, including a randomized controlled trial published in 2024, have shown that professional coaching can significantly reduce physician burnout and improve well-being. Through coaching, physicians can clarify their priorities, set meaningful boundaries, and explore practical ways to align their work with their time, energy, and professional goals.

Finding Your Way Forward

There are no easy answers to the complex challenges facing healthcare today. But understanding your own values, priorities, and needs can help you navigate the path forward.

Burnout may feel overwhelming when you’re in the midst of it, but gaining clarity about your priorities, your time, and how you want to work can help you take intentional steps toward a more sustainable and fulfilling career and life.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

If you’d like to learn more about my coaching practice, you can schedule a complimentary introductory meeting by clicking the link below.

Mindful Journaling for Re-Thinking Your Career in Medicine: Staying, Leaving, or Practicing Differently

There comes a time for many physicians when troublesome questions begins to surface:

• Can I continue practicing in this way?

• What needs to change to make my practice sustainable?

• Is it time to move on?

• Are there other ways to use my skills, knowledge, and gifts that I haven’t yet imagined?

These questions, which may arise at any phase of your professional life, don’t always yield easily to analysis. In fact, thinking harder, what we might call ruminating, often makes problems feel less resolvable. Instead of finding clarity, you may begin to feel more uneasy, more torn, caught in a whirlwind of what-ifs and afraid of making the wrong choice.

This is a good time to tap into your inner wisdom, and this is where journaling can help.

In my work with physician clients facing difficult questions, I often encourage journaling as a reflective practice. It’s a simple, analog way to get in touch with your own inner life. In many ways, it’s a form of mindfulness. Writing by hand often works best, as this tends to create a strengthen the mind-body connection and deepen awareness. But choose what feels most comfortable and accessible for you.

The journaling reflection that follows is not meant to force a decision. Instead, it is an invitation to listen differently, to slow down and give your mind the space it needs to breathe.

To begin, set aside anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. Choose a time when you can take a quiet and uninterrupted pause, maybe at the beginning or end of the day. Let your intention be to meet your own presence rather than productivity.

Step 1: Name the Question (Without Answering It)

Write the question that keeps returning for you. Perhaps that’s:

• Is it time for me to change the way that I am working?

• Is there a way to practice that feels more sustainable?

• Who am I if I am not in my current practice?

• What would it mean to me to leave medicine altogether?

Your question could be something else entirely. Perhaps it’s very personal, or maybe it’s connected to your family. No matter what question you choose to sit with, choose something that matters to you.

Once you’ve acknowledged your question in this simple way, write:

Right now, I don’t need to answer this question. I am simply acknowledging that it is here.

Pause, breathing in and breathing out, before moving on.

Step 2: Notice How the Question Lives in the Body

Without analyzing, reflect on:

• Where do I feel this question in my body?

• What does it feel like? Is it tight, pressing, restless, dull, vibrating, sharp, or charged? Maybe it is simply a weight, or something else.

• What happens if I stop trying to solve it, even briefly? How does the sensation change?

Write what you notice. If an answer feels clear, sit with it for a while. If it doesn’t, give it time. Resist the urge to fix.

Step 3: Release the Urgency to Decide

Complete one or more of the following phrases:

• When I try to force an answer, I notice that I feel…

• What I am most afraid would happen if I don’t decide soon is…

• If I trusted that clarity will come in its own time, what would soften right now?

Allow your writing to be honest and unedited.

Step 4: Remember How Insight Has Emerged in the Past

Think of a time, whether personal or professional, when an important decision became clear without effort.

• What was happening around that time?

• What was my state of mind or body?

• How did that sensation of knowing feel when it arrived?

Write without trying to draw conclusions.

Step 5: Give the Answer Time to Grow

On a new page, write:

I am allowing this question to rest.

Then ask yourself:

• What helps me stay grounded while this question matures?

• What kind of space, support, or pacing allows clarity to emerge naturally?

• What would it mean to trust my capacity to find my way?

• Who or what might support me in staying present with this question, rather than rushing toward an answer?

A Closing Reflection

Before you stop writing, choose one sentence you can return to when stress or anxiety rises. For instance:

• I don’t need to have all the answers right now.

• I can rest here in this moment, and it’s ok.

• I trust myself and my inner wisdom.

Life is not a board exam. Some decisions are not meant to be rushed. They are meant to be lived with until, in their own time, they resolve themselves into something that feels steady, clear, and right. This is not the same as avoidance.

Keep this in mind:

• You are not behind.

• You are not failing.

• You may simply be in a necessary period of transition.

Allowing uncertainty to remain present is not procrastination or a dismissal of its importance. It is a necessary first step. Action taken without intention can easily lead you off course.

Return to your journal daily if possible; even a weekly practice can be transformative. With time and mental space, the next step often becomes clear. If the weight of the process feels heavy or unwieldy, a physician coach can serve as a trusted thought partner, helping you to reflect, stay grounded, and find your own way forward.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

Start with Who You Want to Be: Reframing Success for Physicians

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in May, 2023

Do you ever find yourself daydreaming, thinking that if you only had (x) then you could do (y), and finally be (z)? Perhaps if you only had more time, more money, a (different) spouse, or (fill in the blank), then everything would fall in line.

This is what is known as the Have-Do-Be mindset. It was first described by the late psychologist and spiritual teacher Ram Dass in the 1970s, but it remains remarkably contemporary.

Put another way, the “have, do, be” concept reflects a pattern of thought around fulfillment and success.

Through your years of education and medical practice, you may have learned to organize your goals around the belief that if you simply acquire the right things—whether possessions, titles, or achievements—then you will naturally do the right things, and finally you will be happy or fulfilled.

By experiencing the world through this lens, your sense of well-being may become tied to what you acquire or accomplish, rather than who you are and how you live day to day

Although it might sound logical, in truth, this way of thinking can actually hold you back from achieving your dreams. It can make you a passive observer, giving up your power and your agency in service to an imagined future over which you may in fact have very little control.

There’s another way to look at things. Instead of focusing on what you wish you could have, and what you feel you can’t yet do, you have the option to flip the script and begin again with a more empowering question: Who do you want to be right now?

When you begin with who you want to be, the next steps often become more clear. Decisions about what to do start to fall into place. What you ultimately have, or what you might visualize as success, may not always arrive right away. But each action taken in alignment with your values moves you closer to the life you want to create. And along the way, you may discover that the goal you originally imagined evolves into something even richer and more fulfilling.

Be

Reversing the script can feel uncomfortable because it forces you to become accountable to yourself.

Getting started right now, rather than waiting for some unmapped date in the future, can be unsettling. Let’s be honest— sometimes it’s easier to daydream rather than to take action. And searching for firm footing to define exactly who you want to be can feel a little awkward.

But there are a few simple steps that can help you to get there with more clarity and certainty. And once you begin, you may even discover a sense of calm and purpose that might have felt elusive before.

The key to getting started is to identify your own personal guiding principles.

Begin by asking yourself what kind of person you want to be, both personally and professionally. In other words, what are your core values? How can you live them out in your work as a physician and in your broader life as a friend, partner, parent, citizen, community member, or individual?

This exercise can be enlightening and sustaining. If you’re looking for a guided way to define your own personal values, my Core Values Worksheet can help.

Do

By naming your core values and aspirations, you can make intentional choices rather than simply reacting to external pressures or other people’s expectations.

Your priorities and goals will become clearer and more personal. And from there, you’ll be able to define the steps you need to take to keep yourself on track.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t have to make a life-changing commitment to get started. Doing could be as simple as setting aside a little protected time each day to work on your most meaningful goals. You may surprise yourself by what you discover as you work through this process.

Have

In defining your values and taking action, you begin to build a life that aligns with who you are today and who you hope to become.

The “have” part of this equation will become more tangible and attainable, rather than simply a dream.

Don’t be surprised if your direction takes an unanticipated turn along the way. As you move towards your own North Star, your goals may shift a little, or maybe even a lot. That’s often not a failure of navigation. Instead, it may be a sign that you are now on your own path.

Most importantly, if you’re feeling stuck, a small action can get you out of a rut. Setting aside a 15-minute block each evening to plan the next day is a simple place to start.

Clarity rarely appears before action. Take the first step, and trust yourself as the path begins to unfold.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

If you’d like to learn more about my coaching practice, you can schedule a complimentary introductory meeting by clicking the link below.

Twelve Tips for Creating Realistic To-Do Lists for Busy Physicians

An earlier version of this article was published on this website in July, 2023.

Creating a realistic and actionable To-Do list can feel like a daunting task when you feel like you’re just trying to keep your head above water. But the truth is that your To-Do list can free up hours of your valuable time, create structure out of chaos, and help you to reach goals that will bring you closer to the life you’re dreaming of.

In this article, I’ll share twelve realistic and actionable tips that will help you create a sustainable to-do list practice. You don’t have to do everything at once to make a difference. Choose one or two to begin, and check in with yourself in a week to notice what has changed.

Write it Out

Instead of relying on your computer or your phone, write out your daily to-do list by hand and carry it with you.  Research shows that handwriting notes, including important schedule reminders, activates the brain’s memory functions more strongly than entering the information into an electronic device. My favorite tool is my Bullet Journal. But a simple piece of paper that you can slip into your pocket will do.

Don’t Include Everything

Your To-Do list should not include patient appointments, consults, rounds, or other foundational tasks of your practice. Instead, use it to create and keep track of tasks such as

✅Meetings

✅Strategic tasks

✅Study time

✅Personal appointments

✅Exercise

✅Meditation

✅Creative projects

✅Family commitments

✅Home projects

✅Anything else that feels meaningful and important

Schedule a Weekly Appointment with Your List

Choose a regular time each week to devote ten to fifteen minutes creating a list of your weekly tasks and goals. For me, Sunday evenings work best.

Be sure to include projects that may not be due the following week, but that might require planning over the next several weeks to months. That might mean breaking the project down into more manageable pieces. For those tasks, make a note of the deadline so that you can plan accordingly. These might include

⭕Lectures

⭕Papers

⭕Vacation planning

⭕Studying for boards

⭕Tax preparation

⭕Business planning

⭕Writing an article

⭕Learning a new skill

Take Ten Minutes Every Evening

Each evening, take ten minutes to review your tasks from the day, revisit your weekly task list, and create a list for the following day.

Don’t fall into the trap of adding more things to the list than you can reasonably accomplish. That can create a sense of failure, even if you’re checking off most of your boxes and getting things done. Instead, keep a separate list of longer-term goals and a general range of time required to complete each task. By revisiting that list regularly and keeping your plans realistic, you’ll set yourself up for success.

Prioritize, Delegate, and Delete

Prioritize your tasks so that the most important things get done first.

Before committing to your To-Do list, take a look to see if there are tasks that you can delegate or automate. If so, decide how you are going to do that and who needs to be involved, and put those steps on your list. Although this can take some time to work out at the beginning, it will save you multiples of time once you’ve put the process in place.

And don’t overlook the power of deletion. If there are things that are no longer important, saying no can be freeing. It will also open up more time for things that matter.

Batch Your Tasks

Now that you have your To-Do list, think about how you might organize or cluster several related tasks together. This is known as “batching”. Mentally, this keeps you from constantly switching context, a hazard of multitasking. It can also help you to avoid procrastination.

By batching your tasks, you’ll optimize your time and keep your focus. And that will give you more breathing room, or margin, for the things that matter the most to you.

Take Advantage of Unexpected Open Time

Consult your list when you find yourself with unexpected open time, especially when the tasks only require limited blocks of concentrated effort. Even 10 minutes of focused work can reduce your in-box burden.

Use a Timer

When possible, use a timer to encourage yourself to maintain focus. This could be on your phone, or you might even purchase an hour-glass to give yourself a visual cue. Twenty- to thirty-minute segments can be great for getting into a flow. But when you’re struggling to get started, even a five-to-ten-minute commitment can get the task launched.

The most important thing is to overcome the inertia that might be holding you back. If possible, turn off notifications on your phone or computer to limit interruptions during high-focus times.

Budget Your Energy

Think about optimizing the way you use your time. Do an energy audit for a few days to discover your peaks and valleys.

It might not always be possible, but try to use your low-energy times, like late afternoon or the end of a busy day, for things that demand the least amount of focus. And use the times where you have the most mental energy for those commitments that require creativity and mental flow.

Beware of the Energy Drain from Your Devices

Although device use is a necessity of life, it can also be an attention drain. Consider setting a timer for checking email or surfing the web, or putting limits on your apps. And whenever possible, batch your email time so that you’re not constantly checking your inbox. Delete, unsubscribe, or delegate whenever possible.

Make Time for a Pause

Whenever feasible, give yourself time for a mental pause. Most people need at least 5-10 minutes per hour in order to maintain optimal focus. Although that may not always be realistic during the busiest times of your workday, even a mindful breath can help you to reset before a stressful encounter.

Consider adding a short daily meditation to your To-Do list. You can use this as one of your mental pauses. A brief meditation using one of many available apps (including HeadSpace and Waking Up) may help you to re-focus the mind and let go of the stress of the day. By practicing mindfulness meditation regularly for even a few minutes, you’ll train yourself to become more present and less irritable.

Don’t Give Up

No matter how you structure your To-Do list, remember that it can take several weeks for a habit to stick. Choose a method that will be easy to access and easy to remember. If you skip a few days, simply start over. Begin to take a little time at the end of each day to review the day’s tasks and set up your list for tomorrow. You may be surprised how far it will take you.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

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As a physician coach, I can work with you to explore what’s possible and create a plan that aligns with your personal values and aspirations. Schedule your exploratory conversation with me by clicking the button below.

My TechLink Health Podcast Interview with Doximity’s Amit Phull

It was a thrill to interview Dr. Amit Phull of Doximity for the latest TechLink Health podcast!

I’ve been using Doximity since its early days, and have seen it evolve from a must-have resource into a trusted ally in healthcare. During the pandemic, Doximity made the pivot to virtual visits easy and accessible for many of my patients, for which I am eternally grateful.

As an Op-Med Fellow from 2022-2023, Doximity also gave me a platform to share insights and connect deeply with physicians from around the country and the world. For full disclosure, I am also a (very minor) investor in the company.

Lately, Doximity has ventured into AI with the integrity and transparency that physicians have come to expect from this trail-blazing company.

Amit also shares his background in both technology and Emergency Medicine, and how he came to work with Doximity. He is a fantastic example of the way that luck favors the prepared.

You can find our conversation anywhere you listen to podcasts, or through the Spotify link below.

My Podcast Interview with Dr. Amit Phull of Doximity

How to Get Started as a Medical Writer: Writing for Patients and the Public

An earlier version of this article originally appeared on Doximity.com, where I was an Op-Med Fellow from 2022-2023.

Since 2009, I’ve written about health and medicine for the public. I’ve authored four books for lay readers and contribute regularly to GoodRx’s patient education website. My work has received national recognition, and along the way, I’ve learned a great deal about the craft of writing, the business of publishing, and what it takes to build a presence in the popular press.

To be clear, the term “medical writing” covers a wide range of genres. This article is for physicians who want to write evidence-based health books and articles for the general public, including patients, readers, and consumers seeking clear, accurate, and trustworthy medical information. While physicians pursuing other writing paths may recognize common themes, my focus here is specifically on public-facing health communication.

Other forms of medical writing that I’m not covering in this article include:

• Pharmaceutical or regulatory writing

• CME or corporate medical communications

• Grant writing

• Creative writing, memoir, or fiction

While strong writing skills are crucial no matter which path you’re on, these other forms of writing follow different conventions and often require distinct training, structures, and professional goals.

A Dose of Reality

Before diving in, I think it’s important to set expectations. Writing for the public can be meaningful and professionally enriching, but unless you already have a significant platform, it rarely becomes a major source of income.

That’s not meant to discourage you. Writing is a deeply rewarding way to clarify your position, share information, and get in front of a larger audience than you might otherwise find. You’re likely to meet a whole world of interesting people, including editors, publishers, and fellow authors. And perhaps most importantly, medical writing is a great opportunity deepen your own knowledge base.

In this article, I’ll share my own journey as a medical writer, including my pitfalls and successes. I’ll also offer suggestions that may make your own process easier and more rewarding.

My Path Into Medical Writing

Like many physicians, I had written journal articles and delivered lectures for many years. As a woman in cardiology beginning in the early 1990s, I was often invited to speak about women and heart disease. Over time, I became comfortable translating complex research into conversational language.

That skill became the foundation for my first book, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Heart Health, published in 2009. I’ll be honest. This was not a quick or easy process. It took me several years, carving out 30 minutes here and there to work on my project, but the knowledge I accumulated made me a better physician and communicator.

My book began as a way to address my patients’ questions about diet, supplements, exercise, stress, and other issues that impact cardiovascular health. My training had prepared me very well to take care of critically ill patients, and to competently manage preventive medical care, but like many physicians, I had a very shallow understanding of the impact of diet and lifestyle, and I knew virtually nothing about supplements. These were the questions that my patients kept bringing to me, and I wasn’t comfortable simply addressing their concerns superficially.

The Financial Realities of Writing for the Public

My first book was published through an independent press. I paid for editorial services and marketing support. Although I was proud of the result, and my patients and private group practice loved it, I never recouped my financial investment.

Two years later, I decided to take a shot at getting a contract with a traditional publishing house. This time, I received an advance, and the book, Best Practices for a Healthy Heart: How to Stop Heart Disease Before or After it Starts, was published in 2011. Just a few months after I signed the contract with the publisher, my practice was acquired by a large healthcare organization.

That experience taught me another important lesson: traditional publishers expect authors to take an active role in marketing their own work. At the same time, physicians employed by hospital systems or academic institutions may face significant restrictions on outside promotion. This second unanticipated and unfortunately timed issue proved to be a serious barrier for me.

I had assumed my book would be viewed as an opportunity to elevate the practice within the new healthcare system, but instead, I discovered that my ability to promote it was quite limited by the organization’s bylaws, which prohibited outside work. It’s a detail that you might not expect, but one that deserves careful consideration before signing a contract.

Based on my experience, I suggest that before signing any publishing contract, you should understand:

• Marketing expectations

• Rights and royalties

• Institutional policies where you work, or where you intend to seek employment

• Platform requirements

Nevertheless, having now created a body of work as a medical writer, in 2014 I was asked to co-author The DASH Diet for Dummies with two well-known dietitians. My co-authors were happy to take on the bulk of the promotional work. That book is now selling steadily in its second edition, and a third edition is on the way.

Financially? Writing has not dramatically changed my bottom line. But professionally it has given me more opportunities than I could have imagined.

What Medical Writing Can Do For You

Writing health-focused articles and books for the public can:

• Deepen your expertise

• Sharpen your communication skills

• Build your professional credibility

• Expand your professional opportunities

• Amplify your voice beyond the walls of your clinic

Over time, consistent writing also shapes your professional identity. You may begin simply as “a physician who writes.” But gradually, you’ll become a translator of evidence, a trusted voice, or an educator whose reach extends far beyond the exam room.

Writing connects you with editors, journalists, and thoughtful readers who may broaden your perspective and challenge your thinking. For me, those relationships have been one of the most meaningful rewards of the process.

Practical Steps to Get Started

If you’re a physician wondering how to begin writing health content for patients or the public, here are practical steps.

Start small

Create a one-page patient handout. Write a 600-word article answering a common clinical question. Draft a short educational series.

You don’t need to tackle a book to begin. Small projects will help you test whether you actually enjoy writing.

Write in plain language

Academic tone does not translate well to consumer health writing. Instead, write the way you speak to a thoughtful patient:

• Short sentences

• Clear explanations

• Concrete examples

• Minimal jargon

You won’t get extra points for sounding erudite. One rule of thumb that I have learned in my work as a freelance writer is to write for a 6th to 7th grade reading level.

Start a Blog or Build a Portfolio

You don’t need a complicated website. Even a simple blog updated monthly is enough to:

• Build consistency

• Create writing samples

• Clarify your niche

• Demonstrate credibility to editors

Consistency matters more than frequency, especially if you’re hoping to gain traction with internet search engines.

Reach out to editors and newsletters

Once you’ve written a few pieces and have your bearings:

• Pitch local newspapers or magazines with commentary on new research or healthcare issues

• Write short LinkedIn posts about emerging topics

• Search for consumer health writing opportunities like Connectively, where journalists are often looking for quotes

• Check out physician job boards for freelance writing postings

• Sign up for speaking engagements for public groups in your area

Understand the importance of platform

Traditional publishers place significant weight on what they call “platform,” a term that reflects your ability to reach and engage an audience.

Platform may include:

• Email subscribers

• Social media following

• Speaking engagements

• Media appearances

This is not about gimmicks or self-promotion. Those might get attention, but you’ll undermine your credibility. Instead, think about how you might create authenticity and inspire trust. Publishers want evidence that readers are already paying attention. If you hope to pursue traditional publishing, begin building your platform early and intentionally.

Consider an e-book

Writing a book is a major commitment, but you don’t have to have a contract to get started. Self-publishing has made it easier than ever to share your expertise, and it can be an excellent entry point.

But quality still matters. If you want your work to reflect your professionalism and your expertise, invest in skilled editing. There’s no substitute for a second set of expert eyes.

Find an agent

Having gone through the process of traditional publishing several times, I can tell you that writing a book is not for the faint of heart. The hours you put into it may never be compensated. But there is nothing like the feeling of your own book in your hands. If you are really intent on working with a traditional publisher, you will need a literary agent. Resources such as Publisher’s Marketplace and Writer’s Market can help you drill down your options.

A Word About Medical Writing for Industry

If your goal is full-time employment as a medical writer—working in pharma, regulatory affairs, or corporate communications—that is a different path entirely.

It often requires:

• Formal medical writing training

• Knowledge of regulatory standards

• Familiarity with submission processes

• Structured collaboration with cross-functional teams

The American Medical Writers Association can be a great place to get started. They have resources, communities, and job posts that can be valuable for people who are seeking to expand their scope of writing.

Conclusion

You likely won’t get rich writing health books or articles for the public.

But you may:

• Become a clearer thinker

• Develop a recognizable voice

• Build influence beyond your clinic

• Create unexpected professional opportunities

• Deepen your own understanding of medicine, healthcare, and the people you care for

Writing is an act of service. It is also an act of intellectual discipline.

If you feel drawn to begin, start small. One page. One article. One idea clearly expressed. You may be surprised where it will lead.

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DISCLAIMER: As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the website, for which I am grateful! Please do your own research before making any important decisions.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you. And if you’re interested in learning more about my coaching program, you can schedule an introductory meeting by clicking the link below.

How to Begin a Meditation Practice: A Guide for Physicians

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in July, 2024

As a cardiologist, a certified mindfulness meditation teacher, and a yoga teacher, I’ve been fortunate to learn from a diverse group of mentors, ranging from world leaders in cardiology to a former Buddhist monk.

I learned about the power of meditation early on in my professional life and found that the presence and equanimity it cultivated inspired both my medical practice and my life outside of medicine.

More recently I have had the privilege of participating in the Enhanced Stress Resilience Training (ESRT) program, originally developed for surgeons. This evidence-based and academically rigorous program was developed through the Department of Surgery at University of California San Francisco and continues to expand.

ESRT integrates mindfulness-based skills such as metacognition, emotional regulation and interoception for surgeons and other clinicians working in environments defined by high stakes, intense pressure, and constant expectations. Meditation is a key aspect of this program.

If meditation sounds a little too nebulous, out-there, or maybe even intimidating, it can help to remember that meditation is something that many of our key thought leaders practice on a daily basis. It’s not a passing trend or a fad. Mindfulness meditation has been part of modern healthcare since the 1970s, when molecular biologist Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D.  founded the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Meditation is not just about feeling calm. It can strengthen core clinical skills, improving your ability to focus on details and regulate emotions under stress. It may also improve your sleep quality and even contribute to better cardiovascular health.

Meditation is for all of us. You don’t need a guru or even a class. In this article, I’m sharing some simple ways that you can get started with meditation.

Start Small

Begin with just 3-5 minutes of meditation each day. Even brief practices can be surprisingly beneficial when practiced regularly. If a few minutes feels manageable, you can experiment with a 10-minute session and see how that feels.

Some people prefer longer meditations, but it’s good to know that when scientists compared 10-minute to 20-minute sessions, there was very little difference in overall mindfulness measures. Consistency matters far more than duration.

Use Guided Meditations

If you're new to meditation, guided practices can be very helpful. They provide structure, direction, and reassurance—particularly when your mind feels busy or skeptical.

Many excellent apps and online platforms offer free or low-cost sessions tailored to different needs and preferences. Some good options are Head Space, Waking Up, Insight Timer, and Calm.

Find a Quiet Space

It’s hard to meditate when there are too many external stimuli, especially when you are just starting. Although you can learn to meditate anywhere, begin by choosing a quiet, comfortable place where you are unlikely to be disturbed. If you can close a door and put your phone in do-not-disturb mode, so much the better.

Eventually you’ll be able to incorporate this sense of focus and ease into your daily life wherever you happen to find yourself.

Focus on Your Breath

One of the simplest ways to begin meditating is by focusing on the breath. Close your eyes and take slow, steady breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth.

There are many ways to work with the breath, but there’s no need to overthink it. Settle into a rhythm that feels natural. By gently returning your attention to the physical sensation of breathing, you give your mind a stable anchor.

Go for a Walk

Walking meditation is an ancient and well-established mindfulness practice.  Rather than using the breath as your anchor, you bring purposeful attention to the sensation of your feet meeting the ground.

Traditionally, walking meditation is slow and contemplative, often practiced back and forth along a short path. It’s not about getting somewhere. It can be done in the space of your living room, but there’s no reason you couldn’t use your walk from the parking lot to the hospital or office as a walking meditation.

Many meditation apps include guided walking practices. And while traditional walking meditation isn’t fast, some runners find that rhythmic, attentive running becomes meditative when they focus fully on each stride.

Be Consistent

Like anything else, getting started with meditation is a habit to be cultivated. Since briefer meditations of 5-10 minutes can be highly effective, let go of the idea that longer is better.  

You might start with a goal of three or four five-minute sessions per week and see how that feels. If you don’t notice an immediate shift, don’t be discouraged. Research suggests that eight weeks, but not four, of daily meditation can lead to measurable improvements in mood, attention, and fatigue.

Listen to Your Inner Wisdom

It’s important to know that meditation isn’t right for everyone. For instance, although many people with anxiety find meditation helpful, others may notice increased anxiety or a sense of disconnection, particularly with practices that last for more than 30 minutes.

If meditation is not right for you right now, you may find that simply taking a mindful pause can create a meaningful difference in a hectic day.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

My Podcast Interview on Burnout and Misalignment with James Nutter on A Life Well Lived

I had another fascinating conversation with James Nutter of IM Wealth on his podcast A Life Well Lived: A Physician's Guide to Wealth. In this episode, we focused on the ways that living out of alignment with your personal values can lead to burnout, disappointment, and disengagement.

Giving name to your values is powerful, because it breathes life into them. This acknowledgement of who you are and what you stand for can give you the insight you need to create a life that feels purposeful and personally fulfilling. And naming values that you share with your spouse or loved ones can also help to connect you more deeply to the life you are living together now and the shared future you are dreaming of.

In this episode we discuss:

🔥 Why burnout is not a personal failure

🔥 How chronic misalignment shows up as anxiety, fatigue, cynicism, or numbness

🔥 Why achieving impressive goals can still feel empty

🔥 The importance of clarifying personal values before setting career goals

🔥 How a personal mission statement can act as a decision-making filter during hard seasons

🔥 Practical ways physicians can advocate for healthier systems without burning bridges

Rather than beginning with a run for the exit from clinical practice when your values don’t line up with your organization, we discuss how you can start with building alignment, optionality, and agency. We explore how small but intentional systems — both personal and organizational — can reduce burnout at its source and restore a sense of meaning and coherence to your life. And we look at ways that you can design calculated shifts that over time will help you to create a sustainable and joyful life.

If you are feeling trapped, exhausted, or uncertain about your next step, this episode offers both validation and direction. Burnout is not proof that you are broken. Often, it is information which, when understood clearly, can become a catalyst for wiser, more aligned change.

Besides being an inspiring podcast host, James specializes in holistic financial guidance for physicians. I don’t formally endorse specific services or financial advisors, but I value his empathetic perspective and his insight into the unique challenges that physicians face.

You can find our conversation anywhere you listen to podcasts, or through the Spotify link below.

How to Manage Interruptions and Limit Attention Residue: A Guide for Physicians

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in July, 2024

It’s not just your imagination. It really is more challenging than ever to maintain your mental focus at work.

💉 EHR alerts

💉 Phone notifications

💉 Interruptions from staff

💉 Attention sapping apps

💉 Email

All of these and more conspire to make staying focused a daily struggle for many physicians, regardless of specialty.

Repeated interruptions and the lingering effects of shifting attention, known as attention residue, can severely hamper not only your effectiveness and productivity, but also your personal well-being.

Resolving the current state of disorder in healthcare will require systemic change, including a fundamental shift in the functionality of many EHRs. But protecting your headspace now is a critical skill that can help you stay above the fray.

In this article, we’ll explore strategies that you can use to retake control of your mental focus, manage interruptions, and minimize attention residue in your daily life and practice.

Understanding Attention Residue

Attention residue happens when you switch tasks, but a part of your mind remains stuck on the previous task.

The little breadcrumbs that remain can jumble up your thoughts and make it harder to focus. And once you’re interrupted, no matter whether the issue was urgent or trivial, it’s easy to drift over into another unrelated brain drain, such as checking your email or social media, rather than returning to the task at hand.

Realistically, interruptions have always been part of life in most medical settings. But the challenge has intensified due to

💉 EHR systems that promise constant accessibility

💉 Increasing patient complexity

💉 Expanding administrative burdens

💉 Widespread staff reductions

💉 Growing supervisory responsibilities for non-physician staff

Except for the small but growing number of forward-thinking healthcare systems, the current environment is a near-perfect recipe for attention residue.

With every interruption, you are forced to take a mental reset, which costs time, effort, and focus. Ultimately the outcome is not only decreased productivity but also greater stress and higher rates of burnout.

This isn’t just theoretical. Studies show that interruptions from a broad range of sources may happen more than every 6 minutes in busy medical environments like the Emergency Department. It’s no surprise that these repeated interruptions can seriously degrade your ability to remain focused and aware.

How to Reclaim Your Mental Focus

Ideally, healthcare leaders will recognize the need for systems and workflows that reduce unnecessary interruptions. Some organizations are already making meaningful progress in this area. But even under the best of circumstances, interruptions are going to happen. Here are a few ways that you can limit the mental drain.

Prioritize and Plan

This can be a difficult step for physicians, since we don’t always have control over the way the day might go. But simply outlining your top priorities can help by giving you a focus and a “north star” for the day.

Start by outlining your top priorities. Whenever possible, focus on these high-impact tasks when your mental energy is at its peak. For many people, that is the first thing in the morning.

Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix (also known as the Time-Priority Matrix) to strategize your urgent and important tasks, and mitigate those less important time-wasters.

Time Blocking

Consider setting aside specific time blocks for different types of tasks. For example, set aside uninterrupted time to study for your boards, or for administrative work. If you have some control over your schedule at work, scheduling similar patient visits can be helpful, so that your mental flow is less likely to be interrupted.

Communicate your schedule and your plan to create these focused blocks of time to your team (or your family) to minimize unnecessary interruptions. Getting buy-in from your schedulers and administrative staff can help to make time blocking work for you.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness is more than a catch-phrase. Techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or yoga can sharpen your ability to focus and help regulate stress. These are tools that can help you to strengthen your cognitive resilience in the face of a demanding clinical environment.

Meditation in particular has been found to be helpful in improving attention, focus, and memory and reducing stress. Just like medication or physical therapy, consistency matters. In one study, it took 8 weeks of regular practice before the impact of meditation was clear.

Taking a mindful pause before and after each patient, study, or procedure is a great way to mentally reset. In many cases, even this very  brief break can improve your efficiency and help you to regain a sense of control.

Limit Multitasking

Multitasking was once considered a badge of honor, and something to aspire to. But now we know that when people multitask, they often make more mistakes.

Research shows that multitasking also leads to longer completion times and greater mental fatigue. This is especially true when both (or more) tasks require cognitive effort rather than simple rote actions. In reality, tackling one task at a time is usually faster and far more effective.

So what’s the alternative? When you're faced with a task that’s too large to complete in a single sitting, try breaking it down into smaller, more manageable steps. Each sub-task becomes its own achievable goal, which can help reduce overwhelm and maintain your momentum. Writing these steps out and checking them off as you go can boost motivation and give you a sense of progress, even during busy or fragmented days.

As you knock out these smaller to-dos, you’ll build a sense of accomplishment. That feeling of progress can help quiet the mental clutter and reduce the attention residue that builds up when unfinished work lingers in the background.

Set Boundaries

Not only are they annoying, but interruptions increase the likelihood of errors, directly impacting patient safety. What’s more, these unwanted intrusions also impact your own mental well-being and your relationships by triggering heightened levels of anxiety and annoyance. That’s why setting boundaries is a crucial skill.

Whenever possible, set clear boundaries around your availability with colleagues, staff, and patients. Visual cues such as a closed door or a sign that reads “Do Not Disturb Unless Urgent” can signal your need for focused time without seeming unapproachable. And if you’re in the operating room or in a procedure, be sure that the parameters for interruptions are very clear.

When you're engaged in cognitively demanding work like surgery or a procedure, reviewing charts, developing treatment plans, or reading studies, it’s a good idea to minimize social or nonessential conversation. Let your colleagues know when you're in a focused work mode so they understand that any delay in response is intentional, not personal. Over time, this kind of clear communication builds mutual respect and helps foster a team culture that supports protected time for high-concentration tasks.

It can also be helpful to set expectations with patients and staff that non-urgent in-box messages will only be addressed during or after certain hours of the day.

Reclaiming Your Focus

Maintaining mental focus requires practical, intentional strategies and consistent follow-through. By experimenting with the time-tested approaches I’ve offered above, you’ll strengthen your ability to concentrate, reduce attention residue, and better manage the inevitable interruptions in your day.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

If you’d like to learn more about my coaching practice, you can schedule a complimentary introductory meeting by clicking the link below.

My TechLink Health Podcast Interview with Oscar-Winning Inventor Garrett Brown

It was such a privilege to interview Oscar winner and innovator Garrett Brown for the TechLink Health podcast! Garrett is best known as the inventor of the Steadicam, which transformed film production, and the SkyCam, which forever changed how we experience live sports. He is also the co-founder of Exokinetics, an innovative technology company dedicated to restoring mobility and independence for people whose options are often limited to walkers or wheelchairs.

Exokinetics’ flagship product, the Zeen enables upright mobility and provides assistance with transitions such as sitting to standing. Beyond making movement easier, the Zeen allows for face-to-face social interaction—something walkers and wheelchairs often limit, yet which can be profoundly life-changing. It truly has to be seen to be appreciated, and I encourage you to explore the Exokinetics website to see it in action.

This conversation was especially compelling for me because Garrett is a true Renaissance man. In addition to his groundbreaking technical achievements, he even enjoyed a successful music career in the 1960s. As an inventor, he approaches problems with curiosity, treating them as puzzles to be solved. He begins by envisioning the solution, then works backward step by step, asking what must happen to reach that endpoint. He also deeply values the importance of building a highly skilled, motivated team. These are concepts that all of us can take to heart, whether you are a busy clinician, a budding inventor, or a medical entrepreneur.

Garrett’s work with Exokinetics was inspired by watching his own parents struggle with mobility as they aged. Despite having no medical background, he took on this challenge with optimism, determination, and creativity—qualities that continue to define him. Now in his 80s, Garrett remains engaged, forward-thinking, and deeply committed to improving lives through innovation.

You can find our conversation anywhere you listen to podcasts, or through the Spotify link below.

My Podcast Interview with Garrett Brown of Exokinetics

Maximize Efficiency and Achieve Work-Life Balance: The Time Priority Matrix for Physicians

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in July, 2024

Do you ever finish the day feeling as if the time raced by, but instead of making meaningful progress on your goals, you’ve just been putting out fires?

If you’re feeling a constant surge of urgent issues layered on top of your daily responsibilities and opportunities, it can be hard to step back and decide what truly deserves your attention.

The Time Priority Matrix can help you to visualize not only where your time is going but how you are spending it. By sorting your daily activities into clear categories, you will discover how your attention is being directed, and where opportunities may exist to streamline, refocus, and make better use of this valuable and limited resource.

This framework is also known as the Eisenhower Matrix. Former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower didn’t create the idea, but he famously referenced Dr. Roscoe Miller, a former president of Northwestern University, when he said:

"I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.”

The matrix was later popularized by Stephen Covey in his landmark book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  It’s often taught to business leaders, but the concepts can easily be applied to physicians and anyone else seeking to take back some control of time and attention.

How to Use the Time Priority Matrix

Quadrant I

Quadrant I tasks are both urgent and important. Ideally these are limited, but as a physician, these tasks are part of daily life.

The critically ill patient, the urgent report, the call from a worried family member. Many of these urgent and important demands are unavoidable and outside of your control. But sometimes there is a way to mitigate the urgency, and that's where Quadrant II comes into play.

Quadrant II

Quadrant II includes preparation, planning, and prevention. This is the quadrant of anticipation, which means troubleshooting before problems arise. It’s the foundation of preventive care.

You can also apply this idea to your own life. For example, if you're studying for your boards, setting aside a consistent amount of time each day over several months will take you much further than cramming in the final weeks before the exam. Similarly, when you’re learning a new skill or technique, consistently making time to practice it builds confidence and readiness.

Building trusting relationships with patients and colleagues also falls into Quadrant II. By investing time and effort early, you foster trust and collaboration. These qualities are difficult to build without preparation. Ultimately, that groundwork allows your care to be delivered more efficiently and effectively.

Work in this quadrant might not always be exciting or immediately fulfilling, but it will keep you on track to accomplish the goals that are meaningful to you.

You can apply Quadrant II ideas to your personal life as well. Consider your relationships, family, and other interests. What can you do to ensure that the things that matter to you outside of work are cared for and able to flourish?

Quadrant III

Quadrant III is more problematic. These tasks feel urgent, but they are not particularly important.

Physicians are often deeply familiar with this quadrant: interruptions, EHR redundancies, pre-authorization inefficiencies, certain meetings, and much of email communication. These demands can fragment attention and drain energy.

One helpful strategy here is working in focused “chunks,” a technique called task batching. By grouping similar tasks together, you’ll reduce context switching and improve efficiency. Setting and sticking to clear boundaries, like addressing non-urgent issues only at designated times, can also limit interruptions.

Delegation is another key Quadrant III strategy. Can routine paperwork be handled by someone else, leaving only physician-specific sections for you? Can your staff be empowered to manage simple patient requests or schedule visits without your input when an in-box message clearly requires more than a brief response, but doesn’t need emergency care? Reasonable delegation can easily save you an hour or more every day.

Quadrant IV

Quadrant IV is where you’re most likely to reclaim meaningful time and mental space. Mindless scrolling, low-value emails, watching random TV shows, and stressing over social media are good examples of this quadrant's activities.

Sometimes you need a little downtime, but being intentional with how you are spending it may help you to gain some well-earned margin for the things that matter most to you.

Reclaiming Your Time

Reflecting on how you’re using your time is a powerful exercise. The Time Priority Matrix gives you a practical framework for understanding and managing both your professional workload and your personal life more effectively. By mindfully prioritizing your tasks based on urgency and importance, you’ll enhance your productivity, improve your patient care, and create a healthier, more sustainable, and more fulfilling work-life balance.

DISCLAIMER: As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the website, for which I am grateful! Please do your own research before making any important decisions.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

Creating Action Steps for Process Goals

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in June, 2024

In a previous article I explained the difference between outcome goals and process goals. Simply put, outcome goals are the big-picture results you want to achieve. Process goals, on the other hand, are the small,meaningful steps you take along the way. They are the actions and behaviors that are within your control, and they’re where real change happen

Most effective process goals follow the SMART framework. That means that they are

✅ Specific

✅ Measurable,

✅ Achievable

✅ Relevant

✅ Time-bound

Process goals translate intention into action. They take an abstract desire, like “I want something different,” and turn it into something you can engage with intentionally, one step at a time.

So how do you actually get started?

As the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu famously said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Think of each process goal as one of those steps. Small on its own, but when you place one after the other, you will go far.

Process Goals for Physicians

The template below is a simple and effective place to begin. Set a timer for 15, 30, or 60 minutes, and just start writing. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. By the time the timer goes off, you’ll have something concrete—and that’s far more useful than staying stuck in your head.

Getting Started with Process Goals

1. Get a Notebook:

An analog, hand-written journal tends to work best. It’s less likely to get lost in the noise of your digital life and instead becomes a physical place where your thinking can land.

 2. Define Your Outcome Goal:

Start with a clear sense of what you want to achieve, while staying open to the idea that this goal may evolve. Your outcome goal provides direction, but it doesn’t need to be fixed or final.

 3. Break It Down:

Identify the smallest and most specific actions that will move you closer to your goal. These should be concrete steps you can realistically incorporate into your daily or weekly routine.

 4. Make it SMART:

Refine your process goals so they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This keeps your goals grounded and helps you track progress without feeling overwhelmed or burdened.

 5. Monitor, Reflect, and Adjust:  

Review and update your notebook daily, or at least on a regular schedule. Check off completed process goals and reflect on what’s working. Adjust as needed, either to stay on course or to intentionally change direction.

6. Bonus Step:

Create outcome goals for different time horizons: weekly, monthly, one year, three years, and five years. Revisit these on a set day each week. These goals will often change, and that’s part of the process. Revisiting and revising will help you stay aligned with what matters most to you.

If this all seems a little theoretical, here’s an example of how this process might look.

Process Goals: A Practical Example

Outcome Goal: Find a New Job

Process Goals:

• Clarify your values.

• With those values in mind, identify 3–5 priorities that matter most in your ideal job.

• Write about the reasons those aspects of the job are most important.

• Now that you’ve defined you values and have clarity on what is most important to you, update your CV and LinkedIn profile to reflect your skills, experiences, interests, and values.

• Identify any new skills your desired role may require

• Create a plan to acquire those new skills.

  • Perhaps that’s attending a specialized training course, spending focused time with a mentor, or self-directed learning.

  • What are the specific steps you need to take to get this done?

• If you want or need to relocate for the new job, create a list of 3-5 places you’d like to live.

• Reach out to three colleagues who might offer insight, connections, or support.

• Research and attend relevant events in your specialty over the next 3-6 months to learn about opportunities and meet people who may be interested in working with you.

• Research potential medical practices or institutions that align with your values and professional goals.

  • Search for people who are decision makers within those organizations

  • Check LinkedIn for shared connections who could make an introduction.

  • Reach out to the connections you’ve identified with an email, message, or phone call, briefly filling them in on your situation and letting them know that you’re requesting an introduction.

  • If an introduction isn’t possible, draft a thoughtful email or message to the decision-maker in the group that you’ve identified.

• Prepare an authentic elevator pitch that reflects who you are and what you’re seeking.

• Anticipate interview questions and outline your responses.

• Practice for interviews with a friend or coach.

As you can see, each one of these is a manageable step. There’s no need to have everything figured out in advance.

Why Process Goals Matter

Focusing on process goals rather than outcome goals can be transformative.

When you take ownership of the actions within your control, you create momentum, reduce stress, and build a sustainable path forward. You move out of inertia and into engagement. And along the way, you may discover unexpected opportunities, insights, or directions you hadn’t anticipated.

DISCLAIMER: As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the website, for which I am grateful! Please do your own research before making any important decisions.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

Breaking Through Procrastination: Practical Strategies for Physicians

An earlier version of this article originally appeared on Doximity.com in December 2022, where I served as an Op-Med Fellow from 2022-2023.

Perfectionism can be a powerful force for excellence, but it can just as easily become a trap. When “not good enough” feels unbearable, procrastination often becomes a way to escape the discomfort. In a previous article, I shared the ways that for many physicians, this pattern fuels stress, backlog, and burnout. In this article, I’ll give you a set of practical tools to help you work with your perfectionism, not against it, so you can take action with less pressure and more confidence.

Medical Documentation Tactics

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: your medical charts. As your notes pile up and paperwork, pre-authorizations, and letters go unfinished, anxiety levels tend to rise. Before you know it, you’re caught in a spiral of regret and self-criticism.

If you already have a system that works, keep up the great work. But for many physicians, the EHR and report generation are a major source of stress and procrastination. It’s essential to get a handle on this beast early in your career.

Pre-charting

Set aside focused time at the beginning or end of the day for pre-charting so that you have important information reviewed and summarized ahead of time. This way you won’t be frantically searching the chart before or during the visit, potentially missing important details. Pre-charting also helps you to focus the encounter, so you don’t get stuck in the weeds.

Documentation

Aim to complete charts either during the visit or immediately afterward. If that’s simply not possible, commit to completion at the end of a session—not at the end of the week. That’s because the fewer times you have to return to a document, the more focused and efficient you will be. And the less attention residue you’ll have pulling your mind into different directions.

Your documentation needs to be succinct, accurate, and clinically useful. A brief personal detail can also help you remember what mattered most to your patient at the next visit. But remember: your notes do not need to be beautifully crafted works of literature. Minor punctuation, spelling, or transcription errors that don’t alter meaning can often be safely ignored.

Use smart phrases whenever appropriate. Explore AI assistants for history-taking if you can ensure accuracy, and if the notes it generates makes sense to you. The goal is not to be sloppy but to convey essential information efficiently so your patient care and communication remain excellent and easy to read.

Task batching

To avoid a dreaded backlog, block off time once or twice daily for patient communications, test review, insurance paperwork, and administrative tasks. This is task batching. Do it consistently—perhaps with Pomodoro intervals—and even if you don’t finish everything, you will have a reliable process.

Let your team know when you’ll be addressing messages and paperwork. Setting clear and reasonable expectations not only helps to streamline your workflow, but it also strengthens teamwork.

Professional Commitments

Committees, research projects, and other professional obligations deserve a thoughtful review. Is each one meaningful to you, or for the future self that you envision? Does it align with how you want to grow?

Focus on what matters

Sometimes taking on more responsibilities is the right thing for your professional growth or your career trajectory. For instance, the work may open important doors that would otherwise not be available to you. In that case, staying engaged is crucial. If you’ve said “yes,” procrastinating on these professional responsibilities may limit future opportunities.

Accountability partners

If you struggle to stay on track, consider partnering with someone who is on the same committee or project. A quick text check-in can keep you both moving forward. Sometimes simply committing to a plan out loud will get you halfway there.

Learn to say no— or maybe later

But if you find that you have a hard time saying no, even when you know that you don’t have the bandwidth or enthusiasm, then it’s time to reassess. As writer and time management guru Oliver Burkeman reminds us, if we’re lucky, we get about Four Thousand Weeks in a lifetime. Time is a fixed resource. When you say yes to one thing, you are saying no to something else.

If your commitments exceed your capacity, you will never get everything done. And the work that you do may not meet your own standards, or those of the people who depend on you. Choose intentionally. And remember that saying “no” doesn’t always mean “never” or “not at all.” You might have the option to say “maybe later” or “in a limited way.”

Your Personal Life

Having a life outside of the clinic or hospital is crucial to your wellbeing. It helps you to decompress, stretches your brain, and keeps you connected to the outside world. When it comes to family and close friends, your time and attention matter. And of course, regular exercise supports just about every aspect of your health and well-being.

The good news? The bar is usually pretty low. No one in your personal life is expecting perfection. Your presence and engagement are enough.

For your home projects, exercise, and other extracurriculars, consider using a Bullet Journal or other daily log to track your progress and stay on track. Writing things down often improves recall, and unlike digital apps, paper lists don’t disappear into the ether.

To begin something new, commit to five to ten minutes a few times a week, or take a single introductory class. Small steps count. And perfection is absolutely not the point. Learning, growth, and joy are.

Procrastination and Self Compassion

If procrastination is a familiar pattern, cultivating self-compassion is critical. But being kind to yourself doesn’t mean ignoring the mess procrastination may have created. Avoidance only increases stress and extends the consequences.

When charts and calls are delayed, procrastination can also affect your patients and your practice. In the worst cases, it may delay care or cause important notifications to be missed, with potentially serious implications.

If the load feels unbearable, recognize that perfectionism-driven procrastination can contribute to depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health conditions. Seek help from a mental health professional if you need it. And if you are questioning your efforts, your direction, or experiencing burnout, consider meeting with a physician coach.

Above all, remember this: your perfectionism is also one of your superpowers. It reflects your high standards, your problem-solving strengths, and your commitment to keeping people safe. Cherish that. Use it wisely. But don’t let it drag you into overwhelm and procrastination.

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DISCLAIMER: As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the website, for which I am grateful! Please do your own research before making any important decisions.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

Outcome Goals vs. Process Goals: A Practical Guide for Physicians

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in May, 2024

If you’re a doctor, you’re used to reaching goals. But it’s possible that many of those goals were chosen for you. Others may have emerged from a well-worn template that you had little role in shaping. When it comes to creating and achieving goals that are personally meaningful and aligned with who you are now, it’s common to feel stuck or unsure how to move forward with purpose. That’s where process goals come into play.

When the future you envision feels unattainable, the challenge may not be your motivation or ability. Instead, it may be the type of goal you’ve chosen. That’s what this article is about. Whether it’s landing a new position, getting better control of your time and energy, reaching a financial milestone, or even taking a long-dreamed-of vacation, the focus is often on the end result. And that can feel like a heavy lift.

To be clear, it’s important to have an outcome in mind. But what if I told you that shifting your focus from the outcome to the process could be the key to your success?

In this article I’ll explain the difference between outcome goals and process goals. I’ll give you some easy-to-understand examples of how this can work for you. And I’ll share some steps that you can start working on today.

Understanding Outcome Goals vs. Process Goals

Outcome goals are the big results you want to achieve. They provide direction and motivation, but they’re often influenced by factors outside your direct control, like competition, institutional constraints, time pressures, unexpected obstacles, or competing responsibilities. There’s nothing wrong with having big goals. Sometimes the challenge is simply that the goal is too broad or vague.

Process goals, on the other hand, are the steps you take to move towards your outcome goals. They focus on the actions and behaviors that are well within your control.

Process goals are:

• Short-term (usually less than a week)

• Concrete and realistic       

• Highly specific

• Trackable and measurable

• Flexible and adjustable

• Aligned with your values

In short, process goals are often SMART goals. For example, a process goal might be exercising for 30 minutes three times a week, enrolling in a leadership development course, sending one email per week to request a letter of recommendation, or practicing the guitar for an hour each weekend.

When you focus on process goals, you maintain control over your progress. You can adjust as needed, without the pressure of immediately achieving something big, visible, or definitive.

Process goals move you towards an outcome, even though that outcome is not always guaranteed. This is the way you break down a goal that seems unattainable, even audacious, and create your own roadmap. You may not end up exactly where you expected, but you’ll make forward movement. And often, new and better possibilities emerge along the way. Sometimes those become the new outcome goal.

The Benefits of Focusing on Process Goals

Consistency and Habits

Process goals encourage you to develop consistent habits. By committing to daily or weekly actions, no matter how small, you’ll build a routine that supports long-term progress.

Flexibility

Unlike outcome goals, which can feel rigid and unforgiving, process goals allow for flexibility. If one approach isn't working, you can change course without feeling like you've failed. Changing direction is a normal and exciting part of the process goal method. By creating small process steps, you’re allowing yourself to experiment with small stakes outcomes.

Reduced Stress

Shifting attention from the end result to the day-to-day actions reduces stress and anxiety. You’ll stay grounded in the present, finding satisfaction in what you’re doing now, and feel more agency over your progress.

Enhanced Motivation

Small wins matter. Completing manageable process goals builds your confidence and momentum. You can see progress as it happens, and that naturally reinforces your commitment over time. This is sometimes described as a “flywheel.” It takes effort to get started, but once it’s moving, progress becomes easier and more self-sustaining.

Moving From Intention to Action

For more about SMART goals, check out my recent article here. And if you’d like help translating process goals into clear action steps, this article will walk you through a practical framework. You’ll find a template to help you get started, and a real-world example of the way this process might work for someone who is seeking a new job or position.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Fear of Failure

An earlier version of this article originally appeared on Doximity.com in December 2022, where I served as an Op-Med Fellow from 2022-2023.

You probably didn’t become a physician without a healthy dose of perfectionism. From preschool through residency and beyond, many of us have survived, thrived, and been rewarded for our perfectionist tendencies. And when you didn’t hit the mark? You may have felt the sting of your parents’ and teachers’ disappointment. Eventually, you may have learned to define yourself by your perfectionism.

Self-imposed perfectionism shows no signs of abating, especially among people born in the 1980s and later. Outsiders may counter that “no one is perfect,” but in medicine, the drive to excel is both valued and expected. Your patients rely on your thoroughness and attention to detail to keep them safe and healthy.

But perfectionism has a dark side. When taken too far, it can cause harm to both you and your patients.

Paradoxically, perfectionism can keep you from doing your best work. It can keep you fearful and unwilling to move out of your comfort zone, even when there are better options. It can also hold you back from living your best life.

In this article, I’ll talk about how perfectionism and self criticism often go hand in hand with procrastination. And in a follow up article, I’ll give you some actionable steps that can help you to overcome the self-imposed inertia that perfectionism often creates.

Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Imposter Syndrome

It’s no wonder perfectionists often deal with impostor syndrome. When you fear you won’t meet your own high expectations, procrastination can become an unconscious way of avoiding that discomfort.

What’s more, when you fall prey to imposter syndrome, you may overlook or give up opportunities for the very growth that could nurture your joy in medicine. Learning new skills, taking on a leadership role, and discovering a position that is more aligned with your values may all fall by the wayside when you’re avoiding the discomfort of imperfection.

And when you’re uncomfortable with embracing a beginner’s mindset for fear of not being good enough, you may find yourself reluctant to take up hobbies, activities, or projects that might enrich your life and create new connections.

Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Fear of Success

It might seem counter-intuitive, but another factor holding perfectionists back is often a fear of success. This may arise from a fear of change and discomfort with the unknown. The end result may be the same: procrastination and a failure to act in your own best interests.

Breaking the Cycle of Procrastination

Fear of falling short of your own high standards often shows up in very ordinary ways, including unfinished charts, unanswered messages, and unopened emails. These small backlog items can quickly compound, creating significant stress, frustrated patients and colleagues, and, perhaps, unwelcome attention from administration.

Beating yourself up for feeling overwhelmed and disorganized only makes the problem worse, reinforcing fears of inadequacy and fueling anxiety. Ultimately, the problem comes full circle, becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

To break the cycle of fear, frustration, and despair, it’s important to remember that procrastination does not mean you are incapable or irresponsible. It’s not a failure of character or an unwillingness to do hard things. As a physician, you’ve already demonstrated resilience, discipline, and the ability to meet the extraordinarily high demands of the profession.

Harnessing Your Perfectionism

So how do you put these insights into practice and harness your perfectionism so that you can overcome procrastination? Start by putting that superpower to work where it actually counts. Focus on the things that you’re putting off that make a difference. For example, clear, accurate treatment plans, operative notes, and imaging reports. These are the tasks that matter, and people are counting on you to complete them. They don’t need to be polished masterpieces, but they do need to be concise, actionable, and done.

It’s important to recognize that the same level of perfectionism doesn’t have to apply to everything that you do. It’s often the non-clinical commitments, like insurance paperwork, administrative requests, and lingering home projects, that drain your mental energy. If no one’s life or livelihood depends on these tasks being flawless, offer yourself a bit of grace. For many routine responsibilities, perfection isn’t worth the effort and may not even be possible. For those, “good and done” is usually more than enough.

At other times, the most compassionate choice for yourself, as well as the most expedient, is to delegate when you can. And sometimes, when it’s appropriate, you may simply need to say no.

In an upcoming article, I’ll share practical tips to help you break through procrastination and get to the other side.

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DISCLAIMER: As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the website, for which I am grateful! Please do your own research before making any important decisions.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

Setting SMART Goals: A Guide for Physicians

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in May, 2024

If you’re a physician, you’re no stranger to goal setting. Reaching this point in your professional life took focus, intention, and years of steady effort.

But over time, you may have noticed that your goal-setting muscle has atrophied a little, while at the same time, the guardrails that once shaped your direction have fallen away. No matter where you are now or where you hope to be in the future, there is no longer a prescribed path to follow. If you seek growth or change, creating the map is now up to you.

As Joseph Campbell warned, in his book The Power of Myth, “If the path before you is clear, you're probably on someone else's.” Unlike the well-worn trail you may have followed in the past, you now have the opportunity to shape your new direction though your own unique talents, interests, and vision.

This period of possibility is often the point where forward momentum stalls, even as you feel drawn toward something more fulfilling. There is a way through, and it begins with setting goals. In this article, I’ll tell you about SMART goals, and how they can help you design a life that’s true to your values and your dreams.

If choosing, planning, and carrying out your own goals feels daunting, you’re not alone. Professional, financial, personal, physical, or even spiritual goals can all compete for your attention. Where do you start? And what can you expect along the way? How do you know if you’re doing it “right”? As with so many other life skills, it’s likely that no one ever taught you how to set goals.

Clear goal setting lays the groundwork for your success and keeps you moving forward, so knowing how to set realistic goals that matter is crucial. A study of medical students in a surgical clerkship found that those who set clear and specific skill-related goals were more likely to get the outcomes they desired, compared with those who just hoped for the best.  And goal setting may also reduce your cognitive load, meaning that you have use less mental effort to get the work done.

SMART goals offer a practical framework that breaks the goal-setting process down into clear and manageable parts. Innovators and movers in the business world have been using this tool for years, and it’s something that can work for physicians as well. In this article, I’ll walk you through the process of setting SMART goals that are realistic, meaningful, and aligned with what matters most to you.

The SMART Goal Method

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. To get started, set aside a block of uninterrupted time to reflect honestly and unguardedly on what you most want to work toward and the outcomes you hope to create. Give yourself at least 30 minutes. Then begin to map your goals using the SMART framework that I outline below.

Writing out your goals by hand can make the process more powerful. Research suggests that physically writing goals increases follow-through compared with typing them into a document or app.

Specific

Get as clear as possible about your goal. As author Jack Canfield puts it, “vague goals produce vague results.”   Define your goal in one or two concise sentences.

Framing your goal in positive language can also increase motivation, making it more likely that you’ll get it done. For example, instead of deciding you want to get out of an unhappy work environment, you might reframe this goal as moving towards a more fulfilling role.

Measurable

You should be able to track your progress objectively. This might involve a checklist, a habit tracker, specific numbers, or another concrete way to see movement toward your goal.

Attainable

Choose a goal that is realistic and within your control. Attainable means that you take into account your real-world constraints, including time, energy, finances, and cognitive load. The goal should stretch you, but not so much that it sets you up for frustration.

Don’t get too caught up in the idea of your limitations. The magic of the process is that once you reach your first goal, other possibilities that are currently out of reach may open up. In the words of writer Joseph Campbell, “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.”

Relevant

To be sustainable, your goal should align with your core values and personal vision. The goal should matter to you, not just to your friends, family, or administrators. It’s great if the goal will make everyone happy, but if it’s not your own, you’ll be less likely to commit to it.

Time-Bound

Without a timeline, it can be hard to get started. That’s just human nature. When you set and commit to a deadline, or even better, a series of deadlines, you’ll create momentum and accountability.

Once you’ve identified your goal, break it down into “micro goals” (sometimes known as process goals) that you can complete within a very short period of time. This progressive completion will help propel you forward, keeping the momentum going.

Sustaining SMART Goals Over Time

As you work toward your goals, don’t forget to notice what you’ve accomplished. Keeping a “done” list can be a great reminder, especially when your time seems to get away from you. Honor your effort by celebrating each small step. Call a friend, take a walk, enjoy a night out, or simply pause to notice your effort. These small (or big) moments of recognition make it easier to stay engaged with your goals, even when progress feels slow.

SMART goals are closely tied to how you use your limited and precious time. Large goals can feel overwhelming, but consistency matters more than intensity. Even ten to fifteen minutes a few days each week can lead to meaningful progress over time.

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DISCLAIMER: As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the website, for which I am grateful! Please do your own research before making any important decisions.

If you struggle with time management, I have a number of articles available on the website that may be helpful. They focus on issues that are specifically relevant to physicians and medical practice. If you’re looking for more guidance, my Four Week Focus Shift course is a self-guided way to find focus for the goals that matter. I also offer 3 and 6 month Time Management coaching packages for physicians.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

References

Campbell, J., & Moyers, B. (2011). The Power of Myth. Anchor.

Doran, G.T. (1981) There’s a SMART Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives. Journal of Management Review, 70, 35-36.

Etkin, J. (2019). Time in relation to goals. Current Opinion in Psychology, 26, 32–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.04.013

Gardner, A. K., Diesen, D. L., Hogg, D. C., & Huerta, S. (2016). The impact of goal setting and goal orientation on performance during a clerkship surgical skills training program. ˜the œAmerican Journal of Surgery, 211(2), 321–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.07.028

Locke, Edwin & Latham, Gary. (2002). Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation: A 35Year Odyssey. American Psychologist. 57. 705-717. 10.1037/0003-066X.57.9.705.

Nebel, S., Schneider, S., Schledjewski, J., & Rey, G. D. (2016). Goal-Setting in educational video games. Simulation & Gaming, 48(1), 98–130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878116680869

Oscarsson M, Carlbring P, Andersson G, Rozental A. A large-scale experiment on New Year's resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals. PLoS One. 2020 Dec 9;15(12):e0234097. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234097. PMID: 33296385; PMCID: PMC7725288.

Van Der Weel, F. R., & Van Der Meer, A. L. H. (2024). Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1219945

How to Optimize Short Patient Appointment Times Without Sacrificing Care

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in April, 2024

If you’ve ever looked at your schedule and wondered how you’re going to fit high-quality patient care into 15-minute slots, you’re not alone.

Across every specialty, limited visit times are one of the top drivers of physician stress, frustrated patients, and after-hours charting. Short visit times increase the likelihood of medical errors and inappropriate treatment, drive up inbox volume and unnecessary follow-ups, and contribute to physician burnout.

While you may not have control over your clinic template, there are ways to make your day run more smoothly, without compromising care.

This guide walks you through through practical, real-world strategies that will help you to streamline visits, reduce your cognitive load, improve patient flow, and decrease your after-hours charting time. Although they are not a substitute for sorely needed systemic change, these small improvements will increase patient satisfaction and help you end the day with more bandwidth.

Pre-visit Information Collection

Empower your medical assistant to gather the essentials

• Have the MA record symptoms, including duration and severity, before you enter the room. This prepares you and reinforces the MA’s value as part of the care team.

Ask patients for their top three concerns.

• When patients list their priorities up front, you can structure the visit more effectively and reduce unexpected “one more thing” moments.

Scan these notes before entering.

• A quick review before opening the door helps you walk in with a plan and guide the conversation with intention and presence.

Standardization and Checklists:

Use quick-reference checklists for common diagnoses.

• These promote consistency, streamline documentation, and support pre-authorization when needed.

• When you take the time to make a checklist, you’ll be more likely to include all the pertinent information, which limits follow up phone calls and clarification.

Provide standardized protocols for procedures and testing.

• Clear, repeatable instructions reduce variation, support your staff, and keep visits moving smoothly.

• Standardized orders also mean less likelihood that you’ll be asked for additional information by the testing center or referral later.

Efficient Communication Techniques

Teach-Back Method

• Ask patients to explain the diagnosis or treatment plan to you in their own words. This quick check ensures they truly understand what to do next.

• While it may take an extra minute or two during the visit, Teach-Back often saves time later by reducing confusion, unnecessary portal messages, and preventable follow-up visits. It also improves adherence and patient confidence.

Closed-Loop Communication

• Closed-loop communication is used with staff, not patients. When an order or instruction is given, the receiver repeats it back (“You want a CBC and TSH today?”), and the sender confirms to close the loop.

• This simple habit prevents errors, reduces rework, and supports efficient teamwork, especially in busy clinical settings where interruptions are common.

Leverage Technology and Tools

Use EMR templates, macros, and AI tools

• Well-built templates reduce cognitive load, speed documentation, and increase consistency.

• Consider AI tools if available, but keep in mind their pitfalls. These include the potential for introducing error, adding extraneous information, and the fact that they are not written in your own words, which means that future chart review may be more cumbersome.

Provide high quality patient education resources

• Directing patients to trusted and vetted handouts or videos cuts down on repeated explanations and post-visit questions.

Delegate What You Can

Routine tasks can often be handed off to your team.

• Refills, standard lab orders, and routine follow-ups can frequently be managed by MAs or nurses using established protocol

Assign follow-up tracking to staff.

• When necessary, checking whether a patient completed labs, started a new medication, or scheduled a procedure or referral can be delegated rather than handled in your inbox.

Smarter Scheduling Strategies

Build brief buffer times when possible.

• Short breaks every couple of hours help you recover from delays, take a bio break, and recalibrate.

Cluster similar appointments.

• When feasible, grouping related visit types reduces mental switching and improves your overall efficiency.

Structure the Visit Intentionally

Sit down and face the patient.

• It immediately builds trust and helps patients feel heard — even in short appointments.

Open with: “What brings you here today?”

• This keeps the visit aligned with your patient’s priorities and reduces unnecessary back-and-forth chitchat that can derail the appointment.

The Bottom Line

By optimizing your clinic flow, you’ll improve:

• Patient care

• Patient understanding and adherence

• Staff morale and engagement

• Your ability to stay on schedule

• Your end-of-day workload and energy

Over time, these small steps can reduce your stress, improve the quality of care, and help you finish the day with a greater sense of accomplishment and control.

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