The modern world is exciting and full of opportunity, but also may be detrimental to our mental health. It can be really frustrating to have a lot of unfinished work hanging over your head. It can make you feel stressed, anxious, overwhelmed and lead to burnout. Most of us physicians are in the habit of checking our phone constantly during the day trying to get stuff done, and then when we return home from the hospital or clinic – we spend countless more hours charting while trying to live our lives as humans. I’m always astounded at myself that if I analyze my cellphone usage carefully – there seem to be an average of around 200 times a day that I pick up my phone. One of the things I cherish most about switching to per diem work as a hospitalist is the ability to spend more time without distraction with my three young children. Since I resigned from my medical director role I no longer have Zoom meetings during my days off, I’m not responsible for the schedule, and complaints don’t wind up in my inbox. On the surface it seems that days off are truly mine to spend how I see fit. Some days I take an impromptu picnic with my kids, other days we read books or play games whenever we feel like it. Our quality moments together are no longer relegated to an hour before bedtime or during every second weekend that I was off work (I’ve simply decided I will not offer any shift availability for weekends or holidays).
Even though I do not have hospital medical director responsibilities anymore, there are always other to-do items on the agenda – especially since my wife is a busy physician running her own practice. Also, I still work 7-10 shifts in the month as a per diem hospitalist. When I’m out of the hospital, in addition to co-founding a company to help physicians thrive in their financial lives, I also have many other things that need to get done during the week – needless to say, “adulting” is hard. I try to be careful to compartmentalize and plan my day so that I’m not constantly on the phone when around our kids. Studies have shown that multitasking can actually be less effective than focusing on one task at a time. While some people may feel like they are getting more done when they multitask, research suggests that the brain is actually switching back and forth between tasks, which can lead to a decrease in productivity and an increase in mistakes. In fact, a 2009 study conducted by Stanford University found that people who regularly multitasked performed worse on cognitive tasks than those who focused on one task at a time.
While there are some tasks that can be done simultaneously, such as listening to music while performing a routine task, I’ve found that it’s generally more effective to focus on one task at a time, complete it, and then move on to the next task. This approach can help improve productivity and reduce mistakes. This holds true in the hospital also – as I’ve noticed whenever I’m typing notes at the nursing station or front of a unit – I’m constantly interrupted by patients’ families and medical staff. When I’m done with the chat I usually immediately move and then I have to reset and carefully see that any orders I was entering are actually correctly placed and signed.
It may be obvious, but spending time with young children is incredibly important for their development and well-being. Here are a few reasons why:
Overall, spending time with young children is essential for their growth and development. It provides them with the support, guidance, and love they need to thrive.
Varun Verma M.D. is a board-certified internal medicine physician, entrepreneur, patient advocate and author. He is the co-founder of Andwise – a platform designed to empower physicians with the financial knowledge and resources they need to make smart non-clinical life decisions.