Not Enough Hours in the Day
Please excuse me while I verbally relieve myself for a moment. But, as always, this blog is various things, and although I probably shouldn’t use it for my personal soap box or venue to vent my emotions, I do. So there.
I truly enjoyed my vacation, but as I mentioned in my previous post, since I was so busy having fun, I neglected my “activities of daily living.”
I came home today and was immediately overwhelmed by the number of things I needed to do.
The most prominent item on my list was clearing out my email inbox. When did replying to emails become a task to dread? I’ve realized I spend (perhaps too much?) time replying to emails. While I do spend many hours at my computer, I think it is sometimes time well spent. But how to find a good balance?
I also have a problem saying no, and I have overextended myself a bit in the world of residency related items. I’m currently on a website upgrade committee, trying to write a journal article for one attending, working on a case write-up for another journal, and preparing a presentation for a national meeting, amongst other things…
In addition to all of the above items, I have a bunch of other items on my plate, which require my attention, such as fixing my slow draining bathtub, writing thank you notes, and obtaining a white coat for my upcoming medicine and neurology rotations.
Speaking of, if I am having this much difficulty keeping my head above water during my psychiatry rotation, how the heck am I going to survive beginning in January, when my hospital hours will likely double?
The question that I’ve been asking myself today is, since there are never enough hours in the day to complete all of my tasks, where should I skimp? Should I sacrifice my sleep? My runs? My sanity? Because those are the three items that I seem to have difficulty sacrificing…
I really need to start coming up with some solutions.
As I always say, life is about finding a balance. And right now I need to find mine. Time to eat. I’ve should really stop sacrificing that. And then time to check off a few more items from my infamous “to do” list…..
Addendum: Right before publishing this post I took a break and looked out the window. It’s snowing! That certainly helps bring some good perspective…
Photos: 1) The psychiatry residents’ “on call bed.” 2) Shoes hanging in Brooklyn. 3) A nice mural in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.