- 📝 Doctor Kenji's Notes
- Posts
- ⚖️ On Work-Life Balance
I hope you all had a fantastic week. I'm writing this letter while working a locum night shift in paediatrics. It's been quite a quiet night so far, so I'm taking this opportunity to share my thoughts with you as always.
I'm nearing the end of my foundation training, and starting Wednesday next week, I'll officially be a locum doctor without a permanent work contract. This means that over the last few weeks, I've been increasing my locum hours to ensure I have a decent financial safety cushion for this uncertain period. Consequently, over the past few weeks, I've been inconsistent in other aspects of my life. For instance, I've only been able to work out once or twice a week. To be honest, my old self would have been very upset about that. However, I'm reminded that my old self had different goals than my current self.
Right now, it's fair to say that my work-life balance isn't exactly balanced. For the rest of August, it looks like this trend will continue, with me spending the majority of my week at the hospital to maximize earnings and savings (in the interest of transparency, I earn anywhere between £687.5-£937.5 per 12.5-hour locum shift). I want to start my locum journey with a head start.
There's a lot of focus on having the perfect balance between work, social life, health, and other important aspects of our lives. Of course, it's important not to burn out or overwork ourselves in one area. However, when facing important goals, it's normal and healthy for this balance to be overturned from time to time. For the next few weeks, at least, I'll be doubling down on financial gains. But I rest assured that when I reach my goal, I'll be able to reset the balance and return to working out and seeing friends and family more often. Work-life balance is great, but it is often a luxury that cannot always be established. As long as you're aware of the imbalance and dedicated to rebalancing things as soon as you can, it's okay not to always have the perfect balance.
So in this week's newsletter, I ask you: what sort of work-life balance do you have at the moment? Are you happy with it? Are there changes you can make? And if you find yourself imbalanced, is there a reason for this, and is it justified?
Have a lovely week and see you on the next one.
Doctor Kenji 🙂
👍🏾 Things I’ve enjoyed this week
Supacell (Netflix show) - I’ve been binging this show and so sad that I’ve not finished it. It’s based on a group of people that find out they have superpower. What’s better is that it’s based in London!
Nespresso Machine (home tech) - I’ve been really eyeing this machine for many years now. Coincidentally, my sister upgraded her machine and gave me her own one. It’s a bit on the pricey side, but after using it for a few days now I wish I had just bit the bullet and bought it sooner! Making delicious espressos in 20 seconds is a game changer.
Free Service Accommodation Course (YT course) - I’ve recently started dabbling in the business of serviced accommodation and fell upon this free 10-hour course on YouTube. It’s taught me so much and has allowed me to see good returns on my investment. Highly recommend as a skill to learn!
📹 The latest video in case you missed it:
📚 Highlight of the week
"I have learned that whenever I think "I don't have enough time to do that" what I usually mean is "I don't have enough energy" or "I am not actually interested in doing this." What I need to do a better job of is not managing my time, but rather caring for myself and identifying my true interests. When I am well rested and working on something I am genuinely excited about, finding time is rarely a problem."
"The imperfect project you actually complete is worth more than the perfect project you never finish."
When I hear a goal is hard, I want to do it because I know there’s almost zero competition. Take online writing for example. I can only find about 50 good writers in the whole world that I’m happy to read each day. I’ve searched far and wide and that’s it. So when people complain writing is hard, I laugh. There’s simply no competition. This means hard mode is easy mode if you can be patient and think long-term.
Resurfaced to me by Readwise
If you were forwarded this email, subscribe to Doctor Kenji's newsletter and get the next edition in your inbox. Subscribe here.
📧 Want to sponsor this email newsletter? Simply reply to this email and I'll get back to you soon.
Did you enjoy this week's issue? Help me improve!
Click on a link to vote:
Want to learn more from me? Check these out👇
🩺 (Free) How to Get into Medical School - From Application to Doctor: https://skl.sh/2TwpH0N
👨🏼💻 An Essay Writing Masterclass - The Best Essay Writing Technique: https://courses.kenjitomita.co.uk
🏥 My Online Medicine Interview Course: https://courses.kenjitomita.co.uk
📑 Study notes, my university personal statements, dissertation and more:https://www.kenjitomita.co.uk/shop
Please note: all profits are re-invested into the Youtube channel to pay for our resources and team to allow me to continue making free and informative content on YouTube whilst working full-time as a doctor.
🛠 My favourite tools 🔨
📚 Listen to my favourite book of all time (or any other) free on Audible
🥼 My daily hospital scrubs: HappyThreads
🎒 My everyday and travel bag from Menos (use KENJI10 for 10% off)
📝 My favourite iPad screen protector: Paperlike