Work Life

Since last post I've made it through the transition back to days and made it another 10 days in the PICU. I only have one week left before it's off to the healthy babies in the Newborn Nursery - a population of significantly less sick patients. I'm not really in a rush to switch, as I feel like I've just now gotten a better grasp on the flow of the PICU but that's the way it always is. We switch every month, often with a week of nights somewhere in there, so it feels like constant transition. It really used to stress me out when I first started doing clinical rotations, and I still get a little nervous about starting something I've never done before, but I think we get used to being in flux.

Meanwhile, I've been trying to figure out my life outside of work. Some days it feels like I have too much time and not enough planned and other days I can barely get everything done.

This is my list of things I would do in an ideal day with plenty of time (besides work, as that is a given):

1. Exercise

Neon Run Shoes

2. Spend time with John

Oregon Coast August

3. Spend time with other friends

Miss you!

4. Study

Oh wait, study medicine. I should have specified.

5. Cook dinner/eat

A recent meal from recipes in Appetite for Reduction: Blackened tofu, butternut squash coconut rice, lemon green beans

6. Go out to a community event or volunteer or some outside-of-work commitment

Isotopes game here in Albuquerque

7. Walk Luna

Looking pretty scruffy on the day we brought her home.

The problem is, while some of these can be combined, it's really hard to fit them all in every day. At least, I haven't been able to with the natural flow of time. I think it would take a lot more advance planning. I think I didn't notice it so much in the months before residency because I had plenty of time off to do other activities so days when I worked all day there wasn't any pressure to fit in lots of other things. Now though, it's really work - I get 1 day off per week and that's not enough time to feel like I have a life outside work if I never do anything but stay home on weekdays.

So this is my challenge right now, to figure out how to fit everything I want into my life.

I guess maybe that's everyone's challenge. How do YOU do it?