Prioritization, Balance, Towards Living an Undivided Life

     The documented decline in idealism, and increase in cynicism, during dental & medical training is blamed primarily on heavy workloads.

     “Task saturation” refers to high-pressure situations, in which pilots must suddenly cope with so many things at once, that they lose their ability to prioritize, with potentially dire consequences. I first heard this aviation term in relation to the 2009 helicopter crash off Newfoundland, during which 17 people died. "Rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic" refers to task saturation. 

     We in health care are exposed to versions of task saturation, starting in university. Like overwhelmed pilots, we may take our focus off what's important without even realizing it. Because there’s so much to learn, we tend to ignore personal wellness / work-life balance during our studies. Then training is immediately followed by the rush to establish a career, start a family etc. By this time, a goal-oriented, workaholic lifestyle is solidly established. Personal wellness and work-life balance too often languish on the back burner - until we “crash”.

     It's wise and healthy to periodically reassess our lives and reset age- & life-stage-appropriate priorities. Everything around us is changing constantly. We need to check in with ourselves from time to time and re-vision where we are, what we're doing, how we're doing it, even why we're doing it. All of these are constantly changing as well. To lead an "undivided life", our outer life needs to be heading in the same direction to which our inner compass is pointing.

    Many of us "will never retire. I wouldn't know what to do with myself!" Some retire, then quickly go back to work - or - quickly die. Many others "are busier than ever" after retirement. Let's face it, most of us are like the old donkey that spent it's whole life walking in a circle, pushing a pole to pull water up from a deep well. When it was deemed too old to work and set loose by it's owner, the old donkey walked in a circle till it dropped dead. Donkeys are not alone in suffering from a lethal lack of imagination!
     See also: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2013/11/432-i-try-and-i-try-but-i-cant-get-no.html