Are you super busy? Being busy is a contagious disease. Cure yourself now.

 

“ I have often said that the sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room” Blaise Pascal

Did you say you are super busy? I’m sure you are busy. Congrats! You are so important. I am sure your little kids are also very busy. They are following the instructions of a harsh taskmaster to be high achievers and future leaders. Your grandparents are also very busy and active. They are all effectively networking and interacting on social media. Oh they are all so influential !!  Did you say you don’t have a social media account?  Then you are “nobody”.

The world of the doctors is a busy one. It is possible you may not have efficient junior doctors, helpful colleagues and all the resources to help you at work. Large section of doctors are working in remote district hospitals and small towns in various parts of the world. They are managing to take care of the patients with limited resources and are part of a happy and satisfied community.

Yes, I have also worked in District Hospital under high pressure and  it has prepared me for various difficult situations in my own country.

No matter where you work, how much time and effort you put into your daily activities, you will experience stress numerous times.

You may work for many hours and still you can never get everything done on time.

The people who complain less are those who are experienced and know how to maintain a work life balance.

If you can maintain a routine and organize your workload, you will find ample time to enjoy life and finish your urgent work everyday without screaming “I’m crazy busy”.

As a trainee pathologist I was told that those who complain of being too busy, are usually inefficient and don’t know how to prioritize their work. Busyness does not prove that you are important or a productive person. It means you are inexperienced and unable to handle your work. This applies in case of every profession.

If you want to be productive, don’t feel guilty to sit idle. Learn to be lazy. You will be happy, active and an asset to your own country.

Be more present with your family. Enjoy festivals and weekends, without getting distracted.

Find time to play with your kids , laugh and crack silly jokes.

Be a blogger for fun and entertainment without bragging about your expert skills and knowledge. Write enjoyable posts which everyone can understand.

Learn to be modest. There is always someone smarter, more knowledgeable and charismatic than you. Being envious of others is a waste of time and energy.

Social media is a place to interact with like-minded friends and curate interesting educational contents. It is a global platform for  everyone. Follow and interact with those you feel will provide useful contents. You are your best brand advocate. If your reputation depends on the number of  social media followers, likes and retweets, you have a serious personality disorder.

Please don’t continuously spam your friends with your own blog posts. I find it annoying and I think your close friends feel the same way.

Respect is earned not taken. Read and promote books of senior experts in your field, specially those you know and respect.

You will make everyone uncomfortable if you start talking about race, religion, politics, poverty, war and inequality.

Don’t spread false gossips as you may run into some unexpected problem.

Build meaningful positive, long lasting relationships, which is just not based on give and take.

Crazy busy people suffer from depression, anxiety, high blood pressure and cardiac disease, indigestion, obesity and exhaustion.

You don’t have to attend every conference, and meeting. Take a vacation with your family and cherish those special moments.

If you are rushing from one activity to another, you may earn money and fame, but you will not have the time or energy to enjoy a “good life”.

Don’t sit behind a microscope all day reporting trays of  slides. See the urgents first and take your time to study other cases slowly. Appoint someone to report routine cases.

Stay calm. Even if you are an efficient pathologist there can be unexpected situations like mix-up of biopsy specimens , rude clinician repeatedly troubling you for a preliminary report. You should be able to handle these unpleasant situations smartly.

Don’t check your cell phone in the middle of clinical work.

Spend sometime in the nature, everyday. It can be your own little garden.

Don’t take your loved ones for granted. Be ready to be treated the way you treat others.

Next time you call yourself super busy, may be you should change your way of working and do something that will keep you less busy and more HAPPY.

Life is too short to be “crazy busy”. Don’t let your life pass you by.

Try to maintain a healthy relationship not only with others but also with yourself.

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