Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
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but you can set a boundary between work and home and stick to it. Set aside an hour or two when you get home to truly focus on con- necting with loved ones or to decompress. At a predetermined time, get back to work. But until then, let yourself turn off for a while. Amazingly organized and mentally fit people know their productivity wanes if they spend 8 straight hours at work thinking about the next item on their to-do list. When it comes time to engage in work-related tasks, you'll be much more focused if you take periodic breaks for a mental recharge. Eat right and exercise. Most people don't realize how much of an impact diet and exercise have on their daily life. Working long hours, failing to exercise and eating unhealthy food every day is a recipe for burnout. On the flip side, you're setting yourself up for success at work if you eat a well-balanced diet heavy on vegetables and low in calories and carve out time to exercise, even for 30 min- utes every other day. If that seems like an unachievable goal, get moving for 15 minutes and gradually build up your time commit- ment. If you're already physically active, work out every day. You might not have time to escape for a quick workout during a packed surgical schedule, but you can carve out time for exercise before or after work if you make your physical health a top priority. Learn to say no. This is the hardest step for many people. Most professionals are taught that saying no is a weakness and that they need to take the initiative and work hard to succeed. That's true to a point, but it's not feasible to say yes all the time — you'll end up burned out, which isn't good for you, your staff or your surgeons. Learn to say no by turning down events and tasks that don't align with your passions at home or responsibilities at work. Avoid saying, "Sure, 2 3 Staffing S 3 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 7