Working Woman

Nicole (Please Don't Weigh Me at the Zoo)

Hey Laura! Good for you for taking charge instead of complaining…a lesson that could do many people well, including myself sometimes. 😉 I understand where you’re coming from completely…I spent 8 years in college (4 years of undergrad and 4 of med school), so when it was finally time to really enter the workforce I had a pretty difficult time adjusting and finding happiness.

I do a lot of the things you do already – pack my stuff up the night before, plans my meals out on the weekends, get some relaxing in before it’s time to go to bed, and wake up 15 minutes early. That last one is a HUGE one for me, because I hate rushing as well, and starting out my morning in a frazzled state of mind really makes it tough for me to hold out much hope for the rest of the day. Also, I don’t know what your schedule will be like, like if you’ll have actual appointments or whatnot, but that’s how my day is structured and I’ve found that having my own boundaries helps me a lot. For instance, if I know that I have 50 minutes with a patient, I take 50 minutes – period. Unless there’s a dire emergency or extenuating circumstance, I allow myself that 10 minutes that’s built into my schedule every hour. A girl has to pee and reset her brain! It was hard at first because I wanted to please everyone, but I quickly found that I can’t do the job that my patients deserve when I’m going out of my mind.

I love your last one about seeing the day as a learning experience. I try that one and generally fail miserably, but I like to think of myself as a work in progress. 😉

And one last thing…have you ever considered meditating? I know, I know…New Age-y and weird. But honestly, I’m NOT a New Age-y kind of person, but I’ve found that meditation has helped decrease my anxieties so much, and it really does help me to think through situations more clearly, whether I’m thinking about work stuff or ways to relax. I never thought I’d be able to commit to meditation because I can’t even stop my mind for a minute, but I bought a great book called 8-Minute Meditation that’s done wonders for me.

Wow, long comment. Just some thoughts! I can’t wait to read how the things you’ve chosen are working for you. 🙂

Laura

Here’s my $.02:

If you can find a way to work out in the morning, do it. I hated the first day that my alarm clock went off at 5 am, but once I got used to it, I really enjoyed the fact that by the time I made it to work at 7:45, I’d already worked out. It also meant that I felt much more awake and alert at the beginning of the day (and throughout the day, really). I found it was a lot harder to motivate myself to go to the gym after a long day of work than it was to do it first thing. It also frees you up after work so if you want to grab dinner with a friend, you don’t have to worry about fitting in a workout.

If you have any ironing to do, do it all at once and over the weekend. It’s nice to know that everything in your closet is ready to go during the week.

Last random-and-possibly-not-as-applicable-in-your-line-of-work thing: each week, create a list of three things you’ve just accomplished, three things you’re working on, and three things that you will work on once your current tasks are completed. It’s a good way to keep yourself accountable for what you’re trying to get done, and also a good thing to do so that if your anyone asks what you’re working on, you have a clear and organized response.

Hope you had a good first day!

Kat

Personally, I detox best by exercising post-work, so that’s probably the best thing I do for myself.

Otherwise, since 99.9% of my life revolves around food, I would highly recommend packing your lunch the night before and allowing enough time for an unrushed breakfast. That’s what puts me in a good place for the day.