I’m Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits.
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In building a profitable practice, it’s key to maintain a social life. If work is inhibiting your social life, you’ll want to read this:
Do you find yourself caught up with one aspect of your life? If that’s the case, it probably means you’re missing balance. Balance is one of the most important things in life. Typically work takes precedence because it pays the bills. Has that been your experience? Are you so caught up with work that your social life suffers tremendously? If so, it’s something you can attempt to change.
In order to have peace of mind, it’s important to allow yourself time to do things other than work. Take a look at some of the things that can happen if you lack balance in your life:
1. You’ll have constant stressors. Allowing room for nothing but work increases your exposure to stress. If every second of your day is spent meeting deadlines and satisfying patients, you’ll likely feel on edge. Set a cut-off time for work. Let the time coincide with the end of your workday. Avoid worrying about work when you’re away from the hospital.
2. Sleepiness. Sleepiness goes hand-in-hand with stress. Give your mind time to unwind, or you’ll wake up feeling just as tired as when you went to bed. Going to sleep with work on your mind keeps it in your subconscious, preventing a restful night’s sleep. When work leads straight to bed, you can count on still feeling stressed in the morning.
3. Lost friends. If you fail to set aside time for friends, you’ll lose them. Friendship involves periodically checking in, even if you’re unable to see each other. It can be detrimental to your friendships if time isn’t allocated for social purposes. When you work too much, you end up forgetting special occasions. The easiest way to lose friends is to forget a birthday. If you’re constantly at the hospital, it probably means nobody can contact you on the phone (and a get-together can be nearly impossible).
Now take a look at how dramatically your life can change when you make time for a social life:
1. You’ll have relaxation that counteracts stress. One of the first steps to an enhanced social life is to avoid taking work home. Use home time for activities that relax you and relieve stress. Put your feet up and watch your favorite comedy. These things help prep your mind to handle work tomorrow. Make time for some of your favorite things, even if it’s only 30 minutes. Anything that breaks the monotony of your work helps.
2. You’ll have extra energy. Finding a balance between work and a social life ensures you have enough energy for both. When you end up looking forward to something, you naturally get excited. When you build up positive energy, even things like exercise can fit into your schedule. And exercise is an important balancing activity.
3. Strong friendships. Your social life ensures you maintain great friendships. Making time for friends means opening yourself up to their experiences and sharing your own. These are things that make these types of relationships blossom.
When breaking a habit—in this case, overworking—it helps to consider your belief systems around the behavior. If you’re spending more time than working, you might believe that those around you won’t be as loving or supportive if you aren’t as financially successful. Then again, you might think that the more present you are in your business/employment, then the more successful you’ll be. These are just two examples. If overworking applies to you, consider your reason(s).
In your transition from being a workaholic to a balanced individual, use a calendar to help you remember special occasions. Ease yourself into your new modus operandi. It’s important to note that the aim isn’t to overdo socializing. Remember, your goal is to incorporate balance into your work and social life. Exposing yourself to just enough of everything is important. Take your time with the transition. Give yourself the opportunity to experience something else besides work. Your body and mind will benefit greatly.
I am Dr. Hassan, Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own independent practice so that they can achieve financial independence and live without limits. Please go to businessofrehab.com/guide to pick up the free guide to help you determine the best business entity for your new practice.
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Transitioning your lifestyle often requires personal change. Check out our blog here on the structure and benefits of personal change.
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Attention, Physiatrists! Stop leaving money on the table. Sign up for the free video series: How To Build A Profitable Practice in 90 Days or Less: http://www.sixtytosuccess.com
