Navigating Perfectionism in Medicine: Tips for Managing Expectations

💭 Thoughts of the week

This week's all about perfectionism.

Perfectionism can be a positive trait that drives individuals to seek excellence and success in every area of our life, including our medical career. On the other hand, when perfectionism is taken to the extreme, it can be a negative trait, leading to feelings of inadequacy and stress.

Being a doctor is not an easy job, and it requires a lot of dedication, hard work, and passion. However, many of us struggle with balancing our personal and professional lives, leading to feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and burnout.

As a doctor, I recognise the importance of balancing my identity as a medical professional with my personal life. It's a struggle that I continue to face, and I'm by no means an expert in managing these identities well. However, I have found a few small ideas that have made a big difference in maintaining a better relationship between my professional and personal life. And hopefully it would be of good help for you too.

1. You can’t have it all at onceThe moment I understood that I can't have everything all at once, I felt less anxious about achieving perfection in every aspect of my life. As a doctor, I spend a lot of time developing and growing my career while also pursuing my passions. It takes a considerable amount of time, so I have accepted that time is my limiting factor. I learned to let go of other things in life and focus on what truly matters. This brings me to my second point.

2. Knowing your prioritiesThe best exercise I ever did was to list out all my current identities and what it takes to form each one. Then, I ranked them according to priority. For me, my career was the top priority, followed by my relationships with my partner, family, and friends. While being a well-traveled person is also important to me, I realize that my passion for my career is greater than my desire to travel. This understanding helps me allocate my time effectively. These priorities, combined with the knowledge that I can't have everything at once, taught me how to say "no" to things that won't move me towards my goals.

3. Always look around and ask “Am I on the right route?”Review, reflect, and redirect. I always reflect on my week, look at my schedule, and ask myself if the activities I engaged in throughout the week steered me in the right direction. If they did not, I consider the reasons why I decided to engage in those activities. This intentionality in my life helps ensure that I am always on track. It also provides a sense of security that I am moving towards where I want to be with the current system I have in place.

4. One thing at a time might be better than all at onceTheoretically, doing everything all at once with small progress will achieve a similar outcome within a similar timeframe compared to completing one project at a time. However, I have found that completing projects one at a time helps a lot with building up confidence and motivation, as progress is palpable. On the other hand, doing everything all at once makes completion seem so far away that I've never felt content with what I'm doing at the time.

What about you? What are your tips on managing the balance and harmonious relationship between your identities?

💊 Did you know?

The first recorded surgery was trepanation, a procedure that involved drilling a hole in the skull. This procedure dates back to 6,000 BC during the Mesolithic period. The skulls of trepanation patients have been found in populations of hunter-gatherers distant from each other, both in time and space.

Trepanation was historically used to treat various conditions, such as head injuries, epilepsy, and mental illnesses. However, with the development of sophisticated procedures and neurosurgical skills for craniotomy, trepanation has become obsolete. Fortunately.

✍🏻 Quote for the week

If you enjoyed reading this short write-up, please consider subscribing to my newsletter. You will receive Weekly Writes every Thursday in your inbox, where I share a thought from the week and hopefully spark some discussions with all of you.