Re-entry Plan AI transcript and summary - episode of podcast Re-Mind Yourself

Go to PodExtra AI's episode page (Re-entry Plan) to play and view complete AI-processed content: summary, mindmap, topics, takeaways, transcript, keywords and highlights.

Go to PodExtra AI's podcast page (Re-Mind Yourself) to view the AI-processed content of all episodes of this podcast.

View full AI transcripts and summaries of all podcast episodes on the blog: Re-Mind Yourself

Episode: Re-entry Plan

Author: Michelle Chestovich MD
Duration: 00:13:44

Episode Shownotes

Physician coach Michelle Chestovich MD shares a strategy to ditch the dumpster fire that is often waiting for you after a long weekend or vacation.

Want regular tips on stress reduction, time managment and work life balance? Sign up for my ReMinders email series here: https://mamadoclifecoaching.myflodesk.com/remindersDrop me a line at [email protected]

Full Transcript

00:00:00 Speaker_00
You are listening to Episode 174 of the Remind Yourself Podcast. Welcome to the Remind Yourself Podcast, the podcast for physician moms just like you who want to ditch mom guilt, stop yelling, and start enjoying their lives today.

00:00:21 Speaker_00
I'm your host, Michelle Chestovich, certified life coach, family physician, and mom of four. If you want to overcome overwhelm for once and for all, this is the place for you. Hello Mama Docs and welcome back.

00:00:39 Speaker_00
I hope you are having an absolutely wonderful summer. This past weekend was a holiday weekend and it made me think that there is something that I haven't talked about that is going to benefit all of you.

00:00:51 Speaker_00
Recently, I talked about how to be your own Fairy Godmother and to plan ahead for yourself. And this builds a little bit on that concept, but with a little bit more concrete details. And this is what we're going to talk about today.

00:01:04 Speaker_00
We are going to talk about your reentry plan.

00:01:06 Speaker_00
Whether it's coming back from a long holiday weekend and showing up to clinic on Monday with full schedule, full inbox, all kinds of papers on your desk, and or coming back from, you know, a week or two of vacation.

00:01:19 Speaker_00
I want you to have a simple strategy that you have in your back pocket that can help you feel less overwhelmed. Because how often is it that we go on vacation and we come back and it's so overwhelming that we think, why do I even take a break?

00:01:34 Speaker_00
The work seems to have piled up so much. and it doesn't need to be this way. Certainly, you've heard me say time and again that we have a broken medical system, but there are some things that you can do simply to help you gain back control.

00:01:48 Speaker_00
So today, we are going to dive right in and talk about our re-entry plan. Before I get into that, I want to remind you that I am now sending out regular emails with exclusive content called my Reminders email series.

00:02:04 Speaker_00
And if you haven't yet signed up to be on my email list, you're definitely going to want to do that because while you think this content is great, you're going to be getting even more in your email

00:02:13 Speaker_00
that you can check at your own convenience and refer back to. So click on the link in the show note if you're not already on my email list so you can get on my reminders email series.

00:02:22 Speaker_00
Another thing that when you're on my email series you will hear about are free group coaching sessions that I offer, free masterclasses. and a free virtual book club that is going to be coming up in August on the five resets by Dr. Aditi Narukar.

00:02:38 Speaker_00
Definitely, you're going to want to be a part of that. The email invitation will be going out soon. So again, click on the link in the show notes. Didn't want to forget to tell you to sign up for my reminders email series if you haven't already.

00:02:50 Speaker_00
Okay, back to the task at hand, the re-entry plan. Number one, take some time and do some thinking.

00:02:57 Speaker_00
Part of the problem with reentry is that we just dive back into the dumpster fire and it's super overwhelming and it's reactive and we're doing whack-a-mole and putting out fires all day long. Big exhale.

00:03:11 Speaker_00
It doesn't need to be that way, but we need to be strategic. And being strategic means taking a little bit of time, slowing down a little bit now, creating a plan so that it's smoother in the future. So when you have a moment, take 15 minutes.

00:03:25 Speaker_00
Sit down and write down all of the things that are problematic when you come back for work. For me, it was often that my whole week was full. I had no openings available.

00:03:35 Speaker_00
My inbacks felt like a dumpster fire and I had no other plan other than, you know, to spend extra hours in the evening responding to messages. Refills were gangbusters also needing to be dealt with.

00:03:47 Speaker_00
And I know that for each and every one of you, it's different. If you're a surgeon, you're gonna be having more patients wanna get into clinic. People are gonna be wanting to, you know, get on your schedule, that sort of thing. If you're rounding,

00:04:00 Speaker_00
Hopefully the people who are taking care of it in the hospital, we're dealing with it.

00:04:03 Speaker_00
But I get it that you also have emails to respond to, and that you've got follow-up things you need to deal with, as well as just getting, you know, when you come on service, kind of getting in the groove with the patients that you haven't been taking care of, that someone else has been taking care of.

00:04:18 Speaker_00
So whatever the circumstances for you, it's all a little bit different, but all of us have this period of time where we show up and things feel very overwhelming.

00:04:28 Speaker_00
I will remind you that the way we think, I have too much to do, I can't get it all done, there's no way I'm going to get this done, those thoughts swirling in our brain make us feel overwhelmed and stressed.

00:04:39 Speaker_00
And the way we feel drives what we do and don't do. Typically, when we're feeling really overwhelmed, we're not very efficient. Our brain is going sideways, looking for danger, scanning, oh my gosh, I got more emails.

00:04:51 Speaker_00
Oh my gosh, now I've got even more labs to deal with. Now they're trying to put in somebody and I don't even have any room, right? The brain is just spinning and seeing how it is true. that there's too much to do and you're never gonna get all done.

00:05:02 Speaker_00
Good to know that many of our brains do this on default. But again, what I want you to think about are what are all the things that cause you stress and write them down. And then the next step, step number two, is what would be helpful?

00:05:17 Speaker_00
Kind of going back into that fairy godmother role, if someone could wave a wand, what would it look like?

00:05:24 Speaker_00
I remember doing this and sitting down with my office manager at one point saying, you know, what would be really helpful is if my schedule wasn't completely full the week I came back.

00:05:33 Speaker_00
And in fact, it would be really helpful if when my two partners are gone on vacation, that my schedule was also not completely full so that I could absorb some of the patients of theirs that need to be seen.

00:05:42 Speaker_00
It's not rocket science, but unless someone sits down to think about what would be helpful and talk to somebody who can help affect change, it's never gonna happen. And here's the next thing. We need to take it to the next level.

00:05:53 Speaker_00
And even if someone says, oh, no, that's not possible, just say, yeah, for the safety of my patients, this is what we're going to need to do. And say, I'd like to do an experiment and try this out.

00:06:02 Speaker_00
When I come back from vacation or after a long weekend, we should have X many spots available on all of our schedules to absorb, you know, the patients who've been waiting to get in all weekend long. It makes so much sense.

00:06:15 Speaker_00
And if your clinic is already doing this, I applaud you and spread the word. And if you have particular things that you do that are working, please email me. There's my email on the show notes. Send me an email. Tell me what's working.

00:06:27 Speaker_00
It is so important to think about what would be helpful. Maybe to have somebody there who can answer the messages that day.

00:06:37 Speaker_00
Maybe just somebody goes through, one of the nurses, one of the medical assistants just calls all the patients and schedules them out. And or for you, how are you going to deal with the patient messages?

00:06:46 Speaker_00
Of course there are going to be more patient messages after a long weekend or you've been on vacation. Number one, who takes care of this when you're gone? Number two, what would be helpful?

00:06:57 Speaker_00
Can you have a dot phrase, say, schedule an appointment, schedule an appointment? You've heard me talk about this before. I have a previous podcast episode on inbox management. You can refer back to that if you haven't already listened to it.

00:07:08 Speaker_00
But think about what would be helpful. I mean, great, wouldn't it be great if we could wave our wands and it could all just disappear? Maybe someday that will happen, but at this point, this is our unpreferred reality. Now what?

00:07:18 Speaker_00
What can you do to make it easier versus just screeching into work on Monday morning after a long weekend, just moaning and groaning about the dumpster fire you're about to walk into? It doesn't need to be that way.

00:07:29 Speaker_00
Maybe you leave all the messages till later. Again, I don't know what's gonna be right for you, but do a little brainstorming. Do I wanna come in early? Do we wanna task it to someone in the clinic? Do I wanna save it for later? I don't know.

00:07:40 Speaker_00
Think about that, okay? And then another thing to think about would be what else might be beneficial? And again, all the scenarios are different. What would be beneficial when you came back from work?

00:07:53 Speaker_00
Maybe you have a half day to get caught up on your messages, your paperwork, your emails, all of that. And then you start seeing patients.

00:08:01 Speaker_00
Maybe you say, I need at least an hour and a half every day in the afternoon to be available for all my patients who needed to get in and see me could be seen. But another thing I want you to remember is patients can see other people.

00:08:13 Speaker_00
Yes, we feel a lot of ownership and we have a lot of connection and a great relationship with them, but when we feel such ownership that they can only see us, they're so complex they can only see us, that weighs on us and makes everything seem a little bit heavy.

00:08:26 Speaker_00
So that's a little bit of an aside, but a lot of times I coach women on the fact that they feel very obligated to be doing a lot of extra work outside of their regular hours because they're the only ones. And yes,

00:08:37 Speaker_00
Of course the patient loves you, of course they prefer to see you, and there are other people who can help out if you're on vacation or out of the office.

00:08:44 Speaker_00
Another thing that often creeps in when we come back from vacation or back from a holiday weekend is that we are then at work and our brain is a little sneaky and it's thinking about all the things that we need to do at home.

00:08:56 Speaker_00
Because once our brain gets in this feeling of overwhelm, it wants to like call in all of the troops and like amplify this fire, right? Like there really is a major problem. I'm never going to catch up. Remember all that laundry?

00:09:07 Speaker_00
We just came back from vacation. All this laundry. Everything needs to get put away. We haven't even gotten groceries. Take a deep breath. Thanks brain for trying to keep me safe.

00:09:15 Speaker_00
What can really be helpful is if you have things that you would like to accomplish at home but you haven't had a chance yet before you go to work,

00:09:23 Speaker_00
take time and write that down, and then figure out what can I delegate, eliminate, automate, and or what can just wait till later in the week. It is not an emergency that there's dirty laundry at home.

00:09:35 Speaker_00
Worst case scenario, your kids and family are going to have to figure something else out. But again, this is an opportunity for you to think about, oh, this is fascinating.

00:09:43 Speaker_00
Every time I come back from a vacation, there's a mountain of laundry and there's an empty refrigerator. How could I deal with that with a strategic plan?

00:09:53 Speaker_00
Maybe I order shipped on the way home so groceries are delivered within an hour of me arriving home. Hmm, that would be amazing.

00:10:00 Speaker_00
And or maybe I do a laundry service this week or hire the teenage neighbor who's looking to make a few bucks to do the laundry. Maybe those things aren't for you.

00:10:08 Speaker_00
I'm just giving some ideas to show you that you are an amazing problem solver and you can figure these things out instead of just throwing your hands up. Oh my gosh, there's just so much to do, so much to do.

00:10:18 Speaker_00
Oh my goodness, you are bright and amazing. Create a strategic re-entry plan.

00:10:24 Speaker_00
Another thing I would encourage you because again when our cortisol level starts to go up, we do get stressed and the amygdala fires and then the adrenals shoot out a little cortisol and it does all start to amplify upon itself.

00:10:36 Speaker_00
What more than ever do you need to do to help calm yourself down?

00:10:40 Speaker_00
Maybe particularly on these reentry days, you need to say, you know, 15 minutes sacred during the noon hour, I need to get outside and walk around and get in nature, do a few rounds of 478 breathing to just calm me down, remind myself that I'm fine, that I'm going to be okay, and then get back to work.

00:10:59 Speaker_00
Again, you get to decide what's right for you, but that can also be a part of your re-entry plan. It doesn't have to be like on your market side, go and race. That's how I often used to feel.

00:11:09 Speaker_00
And in fact, when I'd come back from vacation, I often used to feel that way for several days and it's not so fun, right? It doesn't need to be that way. You're smart, the same problems crop up all the time.

00:11:21 Speaker_00
What would be helpful and how can you implement that plan? Okay? That is what I have for you today. A re-entry plan so you don't dread coming back to work after a vacation, after a long holiday weekend, and you don't dread going to work.

00:11:35 Speaker_00
And we're not going to get all Pollyanna. The ideal of having all of your fellow physicians there and, you know, all the standard flow of a regular week is not there. So, yes, there may be more numbers on your schedule.

00:11:49 Speaker_00
There may be more numbers in your inbox. But you're smart and when you have a plan, your brain calms the F down and you can actually get to work and get after it. So when your brain goes back to the default, Oh my God, there's so much to do.

00:12:03 Speaker_00
Put your hand on your heart. Take a deep breath. Yes, I'm having these thoughts that's making me feel very overwhelmed. But I'm going to remind myself that I have a plan. And this is going to be my strategy. I'm going to see my patients.

00:12:17 Speaker_00
I'm going to finish my notes. I'm going to deal with the messages. I've got plenty of openings on my schedule for later this week to get patients in who need to be. Calm yourself down by deliberate thinking and instituting this strategic re-entry plan.

00:12:33 Speaker_00
Okay friends, that's what I have for you. I would love to hear from you. If you have a way that you've made this re-entry process just amazing and I didn't talk about it, oh my goodness, please let me know so I can share it with all the others.

00:12:45 Speaker_00
And as I previously said, if you're not on my email list, please hop on the reminders because we've got some fun masterclasses and virtual book clubs coming up later this summer. and I don't want you to miss out.

00:12:57 Speaker_00
Click on the link in the show notes and you will receive all of that content in your inbox. Okay, dear friends, I hope your re-entry week has gone well. And if it didn't, oh my goodness, have compassion. Yeah, that was a dumpster fire.

00:13:10 Speaker_00
I made it through, here I am now. Next time, I will create a plan that I can institute. Until next week, peace and love to all of you. Are you ready to take control of your life and put these tools into action? I'm here to help.

00:13:27 Speaker_00
I offer free consultations for physician moms to see if my one-on-one coaching package is right for you. You can sign up for a free consult at www.MamaDocLifeCoach.com.