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“When
99 percent of your life is your work, either you are really bad at what you do
or you are completely off balance with the rest of your life; neither is
something to be proud of.”
-
Jerome Jarre
As harsh as
the quote may sound, if you look closely, we are all guilty of this at some
point in our lives. The unfortunate truth here is that most of us will continue
to live so our entire lives while only dreaming of the ever so elusive balance
that one aims to strike when it comes to work and life.
What am I
talking about?
Here are some
quick questions that will give you an insight;
Do you take a weekly break from your practice?
If so, how do you spend most of the break day?
How do you spend your time after your practice hours?
Do you dedicate the non-practice hours to being
totally cut off from your work?
How are your relationships outside the dentist
friends/colleagues community?
Which non-dentistry talents do you possess and have you
kept them alive till now?
As you may
have already noticed, these questions have much to do with your life apart from
work than work itself and rightfully so. The problem with running a successful
dental practice today is that no amount of financial gain truly satiates the
innate need for freedom and mobility that human nature craves. While this does
not mean that you sell off your set up, leave your family, responsibilities of
the adult life, pack your bags and head for the Himalayas in search of the higher
truth, it does emphasise on one key aspect of life that we all tend to forget
so easily being caught in the never ending cycle of paying our rents and
earning a living, BALANCE.
How many
times have you run into a colleague after a long time only to catch up and realise that even though this person is successful enough to be satisfied with his/hers
professional life, the monotony and the boredom of it all is evident on their
face and in their talks?
When was the
last time you had a truly meaningful and enlightening conversation with a
fellow dentist that left you feeling motivated and positive?
There is no
doubt that running a dental practice and monotony do go hand in
hand and there is no way around it. The problem however lies in the fact that
the practicing dentist tends to carry forward this monotony to the other aspects
of his/her life as well. The end result? That feeling of burnout or exhaustion
with ones everyday activities. Not only does this start affecting your health
mentally and physically, its effect is also seen on those around you. A heavy
cost to pay when you take your life and loved ones into perspective.
The solution
to all this is relatively simple though, all you need are some time hacks and
some mind hacks;
#1 Practice mindfulness
Start your
day right, take out 5 minutes, focus on your breath, have a pen and a paper by
your side. Write down what non-work related tasks you would like to accomplish
today. Make the list and make sure you accomplish at least one task out of that
list in your time after work.
#2 Exercise
Keep aside 30
minutes in the day. Join a gym, go for a walk, make your own gym at home or
just take a swim. A healthy body will lead to a healthy mind and a healthy
outlook towards life in general.
#3 Keep that hobby alive
Singing,
playing the guitar, writing, knitting, baking etc. Whatever your hobby is or
rather was, dig it out of its grave, take a 30 minute timeout and keep it
alive. Helps break the monotony plus you end up having fun and stay energised.
#4 Travel
Even though
it sounds expensive, there is a lot to gain from a short trip to a new
destination, meeting new people and experiencing new things. Not only will it
give you perspective, it helps re-arrange your goals, sets you on track and
helps you gain immense insights about your life and you as a person. Solo or
with a group of friends/family, travelling is essential to breaking the
monotony of everyday life.
#5 Family and loved ones
Last but not
the least, a happy you is key to a happy home. Make sure you are having at
least one meal with your loved ones sitting together with all other sources of
distraction such as the television switched off. Talking about their day and
yours, discussing old memories, making new ones. Keep in mind that life is
limited and so is the time with your loved ones. Don’t let work eat into it. Make
the most of what you have today even if it means sitting down for a
20 minute dinner with them instead of a 5 minute dinner alone late night in front of a screen.
So the next
time you start feeling bored, exhausted and done with it all, just remember,
all you need to strike that BALANCE between WORK and
LIFE is revisiting the points mentioned above. A simple solution to the ever growing complex problem for modern day 24 hour Dentists!
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