FROM THE PRESIDENT by Thomas Higgins, MD, MSPH, MBA
Finding Your 20 %: Enjoying Your Practice and Avoiding Burnout
The weight of responsibility you shoulder as a physician is immense. The endless stream of patient appointments, administrative tasks and the constant need to stay abreast of the latest guidelines can often feel like an unyielding tide. It’ s easy to get caught in the 80 % of essential, routine daily grind of clinical work that, while important, can sometimes lead to a sense of predictability and, eventually, burnout. But what if you could shift your focus sometimes to reignite your passion at work, and better yet, in life? What if 20 % of your time were challenging, exhilarating or just something outside the ordinary? Could that be the key to a more fulfilling and sustainable practice?
Strategically carving out time and space for passion projects helps me keep my drive going. But I have to watch myself. Sometimes, I take on too much at a time. Sometimes, my 20 % challenge becomes 30 % burden and stress.
That’ s when I do a reset. I’ ve found that actively working to maintain that healthy balance is essential.
As physicians, we are trained to care for others, but the demands of our profession can sometimes leave us feeling drained – mentally, emotionally and physically. I often think of the energy meters in video games, the little bar at the top of the screen that indicates your character’ s stamina or vitality. In those games, it’ s easy to see when you’ re running low and need to pause, recover or take corrective action to keep going. In real life, however, we don’ t have a visible energy meter to remind us to check in on our own well-being, especially when immersed in patient care.
I’ ve used a simple strategy to estimate my balance: dedicating 20 % of my time to passion projects or challenges, while keeping the stability and consistency of my routine for the remaining 80 %.
The 80 / 20 Philosophy
The idea is simple: spend 80 % of your time doing the predictable, routine work that keeps your practice running smoothly, and reserve the other 20 % for something that excites, challenges or inspires you. This 20 % could be a research project, teaching students, mentoring colleagues, learning a new skill or improving some aspect of patient care. It’ s about finding something that reignites your passion for medicine and reminds you why you chose this profession in the first place.
Why 80 % Routine Matters
The 80 % represents stability. It’ s the bread and butter of your practice, the day-to-day takes, that may not be glamorous but are essential. These tasks provide structure and predictability, which are important for reducing stress. Routine work can also be fulfilling in its own right, especially when you see how it benefits patients. But when routine becomes repetitive or monotonous without any spark of creativity or novelty, it can lead to disengagement over time. That’ s where the 20 % comes in.
Let’ s See Your 20 % Challenge
The 20 % is your opportunity to break out of autopilot mode and do something that excites you. It’ s about identifying what makes you feel energized and motivated in your career— something that brings joy or purpose to your work.
When this issue gets posted on the GLMS social media channels, I’ d love to hear about your 20 % challenge, whether you’ re doing it now, you did it in the past or you want to do in the future. Post your experience in the comments and let’ s see what everyone is up to!
How to Implement the 80 / 20 Approach
» Reflect on Your Interests
• Start by asking yourself: What excites me? What part of my practice do I love most? Is there something I’ ve always wanted to explore but never had the time?
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