Read time: 2 minutes
Everyone wants the same thing
No matter what field you work in, finding a work-life balance is the issue of our time.
Healthcare is no different.
For each individual, that balance point will be different.
Our own specific balance point is some amalgam of our past experiences combined with our unique world-view.
Within any group, we should expect that everyone will have a very individual sense of what that balance looks like for them.
So how do you solve for your desire to find a better balance, an optimal balance of work and life?
How to make sure no one gets everything they want
The most common solution is that you, me, we search for jobs that offer more of what we want and less of what we don’t.
Seems like a good way to get closer to optimal.
We find an employer who has what we want for the most part.
This job listens to feedback and tries to give its employees what they want.
So now we are at a job that is better than our last in all objective measures, but it still has some friction points because nothing can be perfect.
Unfortunately, the problem with finding work-life balance as an individual is that it cannot be solved at the level of the group.
That is to say, there will always be individuals who fall through the cracks of group policies, who don’t have their concerns addressed, or their version of balance fulfilled.
Most people are fine in these environments because they don’t actually value their own work-life balance as much as they value the job security, camaraderie, shared suffering, etc.
A small segment of the population wants more.
You have the wrong idea of what perfect looks like
Perfect comes in many colors and flavors, but the usual refrain goes something like this: everything you desire and nothing you don’t.
Seems fair enough.
But, perfection is individual. At least the realization of what you find to be perfect is very likely to be different from mine.
The only way to find your version of perfection – the only way to pare down and build up your version of what you want is to do just that: pare it down and build it up.
Yourself.
Summary
There’s only one very good life and that’s the life you know you want and you make it yourself…Diana Vreeland
If you have a little voice in the back of your head that’s gnawing at you, making you want for more, pushing you to speak up, or has you considering leaving for something new – then you are the type who needs to try finding your own way, on your own terms.
You can’t expect a suit off the rack at Macy’s to fit you as well as one made for you by Brunello Cucinelli, any more than you can expect workplace policies designed for the collective group to work specifically for you.
You get what you pay for. But do you believe you are worth the cost?
Whenever you’re ready, here are 2 ways I can help:
1) Let’s talk through what choosing your own path through medicine looks like. Over the phone, confidential, free: https://calendly.com/tonyvullo/20min
2) Free Articles and Resources to Help You Reclaim Your Time and Autonomy: www.tonyvullo.com
Help Patients. Work Less.
Do More of Everything Else.
