I need cheering to reduce work hours

[AuroraBorealis]

Hi everyone, I need a little push / cheering to take the step of reducing my working hours.

There's nothing objective that stands in the way. I have thought it through.

The only thing holding me back are internal struggles. I have been taught that working full-time equals being productive equals good. And working less equals laziness equals bad. I have learnt that the only acceptable reason to reduce working hours is childcare or physical illness. Additionally to that upbringing, all my work experiences so far have given me the same messages. Medicine is full of workaholics, and many senior doctors believe that young doctors have no place to reduce their hours. It's a crappy mindset but it's been passed down to me.

I need people to tell me it's okay to reduce hours just because I want to have more time to myself. Thank you.

 

[Mary Terry]

It's okay to reduce your hours! You'll be a better doctor if you are less stressed out and exhausted all the time. Same is true for your relationship with your partner. Being overloaded doesn't help anyone in the long run and you deserve to be kind to yourself.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Well, we all know you're a lazy bum of a doctor if you're working less than 60 hours a week.

I know of a handful of female doctors who have cut their hours to 2 days a week so that they can be a mother to their children. Each physician group has their own contracts with the hospitals they serve and depending upon the specialty, the group may already understaffed, but you know this already. Run it past the group and see what they say.

 

[kriss72]

Hi everyone, I need a little push / cheering to take the step of reducing my working hours.

There's nothing objective that stands in the way. I have thought it through.

The only thing holding me back are internal struggles. I have been taught that working full-time equals being productive equals good. And working less equals laziness equals bad. I have learnt that the only acceptable reason to reduce working hours is childcare or physical illness. Additionally to that upbringing, all my work experiences so far have given me the same messages. Medicine is full of workaholics, and many senior doctors believe that young doctors have no place to reduce their hours. It's a crappy mindset but it's been passed down to me.

I need people to tell me it's okay to reduce hours just because I want to have more time to myself. Thank you.

It's ok to reduce working hours, it's your choice, you are the one who is living your life, and if you regret, couldn't you increase the hours some time in the future?

(I went part time (4h/day) about 1½ years ago, it was the right choice for me, I thought it was only temporary for a month or two, but I don't see myself going back full time now, I have realized I can actually have a life where I'm not in a constant state of stress)

 

[Tiffany Kate]

I was told, "Work isn't fun. If it was fun, it would be entertainment, and you'd have to buy tickets."

Then there's the old quote, "Nobody on their deathbed ever said, 'I wish I'd spent more time in the office'."

Life is for living - for doing things you enjoy, being with people you love, and so on. Yes, some people do enjoy their work so much they'd still do it if they weren't being paid, but they are few.

For the rest of us... If you can go part-time, heck yeah! Get in there! Ditch the job (or as much of it as you can) and spend the time climbing up Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs until you get to self-actualisation.

I currently work full-time, but only because I need the money. If I didn't, I'd be out of there so fast you'd hear the sonic boom.

Also, consider: productivity does not just apply to a money-earning day job. It can also apply to helping in your community, writing a novel, running a marathon, doing any number of worthy things.

 

[Outdated]

This girl's story might resonate with you and perhaps help you find some insights. She first started earning her degree in the UK working under the NHS, after two years she came to Australia on a working holiday and completed her degree working within the Australian Medicare system, then she burnt out and quit.

While she was burnt out she stopped posting but during that time she moved back to the UK, got married, and is now working full time as a surgeon so she obviously found some answers within herself. She's a straight talker and very easy to listen to as well.

Surina Taneja