Instead of focusing on your time, focus on your energy [PODCAST]

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“I can attest to the tremendous power of simply noticing these rhythms and attending to them. It’s part of a larger attempt to live a more authentic life. So much of my time over the past 20 years has been vying to achieve someone else’s standards or to live the way I ‘should.’ I should exercise in the morning since it’s healthier! I should shut down my computer at 5 p.m. so I can be focused on my family! I should block out all distractions on the weekends! The fight against the ‘should’ is a common one for many physicians, especially female physicians. We are inculcated with the notion that success is defined by one particular aspect of our lives or one particular way of being. In the process, and in the struggle, we silence the part of ourselves that knows a better way. We silence the truth inside that is trying to guide us down our individual path. If we turn towards that truth – little by little – we open up to endless possibilities and countless ways of being. We can turn on our creativity and bring forth our unique gifts and skills; and in doing so, increase our abilities to honor ourselves and serve others.”

Laura Huete is a family physician.

She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, “An argument against time management.”

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Hosted by Kevin Pho, MD, The Podcast by KevinMD shares the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from.

Transcript

Kevin Pho: Hi, and welcome to the show, where we share the stories of the many who intersect with our health care system but are rarely heard from. My name is Kevin Pho, founder and editor of KevinMD. Today on the show, we have Laura Huete. She is a family physician, and she wrote the KevinMD article “An argument against time management.” Laura, welcome to the show.

Laura Huete: Thank you for having me.

Kevin Pho: So we’ll get into your article in a little bit, but first off, can you share your story and journey to where you are today?

Laura Huete: Yes. So I’m a family physician based in San Antonio, Texas. I’ve been in medicine for a little over 20 years now, and I still see patients. I’m still active in clinical practice. I’ve moved more into an administrative role over the past 10 years. I’m a medical director for my organization, and so I had an opportunity to pick up some leadership roles and expand my expertise area there as well. And I have recently become a physician coach as well. I recently completed a coaching certification, so I’m a master-certified physician development coach, and that’s something that I’m really excited about too.

Kevin Pho: What’s something about that administrative role that you didn’t know before going into that?

Laura Huete: I didn’t realize just how different a philosophy there was. I think in medical training, at least when I was in training 20 years ago, we were really encouraged to do things on our own and not to ask for help, and asking for help was considered a sign of weakness. But as I’ve moved more into this leadership role, I recognize how important the team is, how critical it is to ask for help, and how much we really have to rely on each other. Some of those skills that we are not really given a chance to hone as physician trainees are critical for being a physician leader.

Kevin Pho: We always encourage more physicians to step into those leadership roles, because these are the decisions that, of course, affect our lives in the clinic. Now, for those doctors who are interested in pursuing leadership roles within their organization, what kind of advice do you have for them?

Laura Huete: I would say if you have an opportunity and an interest, do it. There sometimes can be a conflict between practicing clinicians and clinicians in leadership roles, and I absolutely agree with you that we need more physicians at the table. We need more physician voice in leadership and business decisions. We’re not going to change health care delivery unless we have a voice as well.

Kevin Pho: When we’re at the table, are there any things physicians can do to prepare themselves for leadership positions? Because a lot of the skills that you mentioned, like you said, aren’t necessarily taught in medical school or residency.

Laura Huete: Right. I think a lot of medical schools and training facilities now are really focusing on some of that team-based care, so making sure that you can operate in that team and making sure that you understand, again, that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. So if you have to delegate something to somebody, that’s OK. We still need to be practicing at the top of our license in whatever role that we’re in. That was something that is really difficult for physician leaders, and as I’m coaching physician leaders, and I’ve been coached on it myself over the years, I recognize how sometimes just changing that mindset can be really important.

Kevin Pho: So you mentioned working within the team structure several times when making that transition. Give us an example of what exactly you mean by that, that a doctor not in the leadership roles may not necessarily be aware of.

Laura Huete: So it’s something as simple as putting together a presentation or putting together a cost-benefit analysis for a business meeting. There are skills that some other folks on the team might have that are better than us. Maybe we can rely on our financial analysts or our CPAs or our PowerPoint wizards or gurus to do some of those tasks for us, or at least to help us with those. I think as physicians, we tend to think that we can do all those things on our own. We probably can, but there are just not enough hours in the day, and our skills are better used in other capacities: strategic thinking, building teams, building relationships, and having conversations with our physician colleagues.

Kevin Pho: All right, let’s transition now into the KevinMD article that you wrote. It’s titled “An argument against time management.” Now, for those who didn’t get a chance to read your article, can you just walk my audience through it and share the story of why you decided to write it?

Laura Huete: So I wrote it not long after we had a massive winter storm in Texas. In Texas, this was a really unusual event for us, and unfortunately there were some tragic consequences. I’m very lucky that my family and I came through the storm unscathed. However, that storm really helped me to understand: What are the priorities that I have? What are the priorities that I set for my day? And how can I allow myself to put my task list aside sometimes and give myself time to rest? So that was one of the areas that I explored.

The other one was trying not to be tied to a particular schedule or rhythm for the day. Sometimes my energy is going to fluctuate, and so it’s not necessarily about how well I manage my time but how well I manage my energy. How do I move with those ebbs and flows of the rhythms throughout the day and throughout the week, and give myself permission to rest when my body’s telling me to rest, and to go when my body’s telling me to go, regardless of what time of day it is or what I think I should be doing?

Kevin Pho: Can you share a story or an example of what you specifically mean by that, about better managing your energy, say before versus after the storm?

Laura Huete: So during the storm, it was a real challenge for me, because I tend to be somebody who likes to have everything in order, all my chores done, all my tasks done, before I allow myself to rest. When we were in this situation where we didn’t have power, we didn’t have hot water, our sinks were stopped up because pipes were freezing, we couldn’t do dishes, and literally we barely could make food, there wasn’t anything that we could do. We didn’t have enough internet to get work done. So it was really just a matter of, we just have to huddle together and stay warm enough to think clearly and get through the day and think how we’re going to manage through this.

So it was a forced rest for myself and my family, and it really allowed me to think about what sort of standards I am setting for myself, and whether I am giving myself the permission to rest when my body’s telling me to rest. Clearly during the storm, it was so cold. It just takes up so much energy just to stay warm. It was in the 30 degrees in my house, and so just the amount of physical toll that it took on me and my family was something that was a surprise to me, and something we had never been through before and hopefully won’t ever again. But it was really just that understanding that my job right now is to physically weather this storm, and all those other chores and all those other tasks can wait.

And at the same time, sometimes I tend to procrastinate on work that needs to get done, because I feel like, “Well, I’ve got emails to do. I’ve got chores to do. There are other pressing things.” It’s really about how I can give myself permission to work on what I know needs to be worked on, and not worry so much about the tasks or the dishes or the chores or the emails that are left to reply to.

Kevin Pho: As you can imagine, a lot of physicians are very task-oriented. We’re very to-do-list-oriented. How difficult was it for you to shift away from that mindset?

Laura Huete: It was very difficult, and it’s still difficult. It’s something that I’m still working on and still struggling through, and still kind of being mindful of every day, when I am sitting down to think about how I can be more strategic and how I can set aside time for reflection. I’m realizing how important that is, not just for me but for my team.

And I think that’s something else that is difficult for clinicians as well, and for a lot of us in leadership roles: We tend to think that self-care is selfish. I know that’s a term that I’ve heard before, and it’s really not, because if we’re not taking care of ourselves, we don’t have anything left to give, and our energy is going to be transmitted to those around us. We’re not going to be the best leaders. We’re not going to be the best physicians, partners, spouses, parents, children, friends, all of those roles that we play. We’re not going to be at our best selves.

Kevin Pho: Now, for those physicians and other health care workers who are listening to this podcast or read your article, what kind of advice can you give?

Laura Huete: I would say definitely make time for those activities that you know that you need, that are regenerative for you, that are refreshing for you. So rest and sleep, obviously. We’re all physicians. We know the importance of rest and sleep, healthy food, exercise, play, meditation, journaling, yoga, whatever it is, being with your family, being with your friends, hobbies, whatever the things are that will spark your joy and refresh you. Those are important not just for you but for the people around you, and it will make a difference on those around you if you are able to take that time for yourself and give yourself that permission.

Kevin Pho: We’re talking to Laura Huete. She’s a family physician, and she wrote the KevinMD article “An argument against time management.” Laura, so you mentioned that you stepped a little bit away from clinical medicine. You’re now in a leadership role, and now you’re also a physician coach. For those other doctors who also want to step a little bit away from clinical medicine and want to do these other hats, how can they do that? Because a lot of doctors on this podcast, and when they write to me after reading some of the articles on KevinMD, find it very difficult to step away from clinical medicine. How did you do that?

Laura Huete: Yeah, I am blessed to be part of a large organization that supports all of our physician leaders to still maintain a clinical practice, but to also be in leadership roles. So most of us physician leaders in the organization wear the two hats and have the dual roles. I’m blessed to be part of an organization that supports that, and the structures that support that. I have amazing physician and APC colleagues back at my clinic who assist with patient care when I’m not physically there to see the patients, so I am lucky enough to have that structure around me.

I know it’s difficult for a lot of physicians that might be in private practice. I think there are still opportunities within local medical societies, county medical societies, and state organizations. There are other opportunities for physicians to get involved. Again, if we don’t have a voice, then we’re going to be drowned out.

Kevin Pho: Well, you sound pretty busy, but you also have a coaching practice. Why did you decide to start that?

Laura Huete: It’s something that I’ve been considering for several years. I have done some informal coaching and mentoring within the organization, and it’s something that I really, really enjoy. I’ve been lucky enough to be coached, and I have found it so valuable for me to have another person be a little bit more objective about what might be my thought patterns, my thought habits, that are contributing to the results that I’m getting and are keeping me from achieving my best self and becoming my best self. So I wanted to pass that gift along to others.

Kevin Pho: And my final question: What are some of your take-home messages that you want to leave with the KevinMD audience?

Laura Huete: Definitely invest in yourself. It is so important. It’s not only going to impact you and the way you practice and the way you lead, but it’s going to have an impact on your patients. It’s going to have an impact on your families and your loved ones and your colleagues. So definitely make time for it.

Kevin Pho: Laura, thank you so much for sharing your time and insight, and thanks again for being on the show.

Laura Huete: Thank you for having me.

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