Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

A neurosurgeon makes 3 resolutions for 2020

Mark McLaughlin, MD
Physician
January 16, 2020
Share
Tweet
Share

The start of a new decade seems more meaningful than the beginning of other new years. I tend to think more long-range at these mileposts. For 2020, I’ve made three resolutions that I hope will have a positive impact on my life for years to come:

1. Ramp up reading

Starting now, I intend to consume more books on a regular basis. Crucial to meeting this goal will be diverting my gaze more often from the screen to the printed page. It’s startling how much time we spend looking at mobile devices and watching television. A typical day for me: three hours on my mobile devices, one hour of the tube. This ratio between books and screens needs to shift now.

I’ve already written an article for Business Insider about how reading books has enhanced my life. It’s clear that reading helps me think and write more clearly and creatively. It has also given me a broader worldview.

I’ve also learned that there’s a qualitative difference between reading something in print and something online. I concentrate more on a book than I do when reading on a screen. Research shows we are less likely to have our attention diverted when reading something in print. In a 2016 survey of college students reported in The New Republic, 67% of respondents said that they were much more likely to multitask while reading digitally, versus 41% when reading print.

Since elimination of distractions is important for reading, I’ve designated one room in my house for me and my books. It has no television or computer that can lure me to the easy option of pressing a button. It also makes reading more of a treat. Of course, you don’t need a library in your home for this. A comfortable chair in a quiet place with good lighting will do the trick.

2. Listen up

I’m ushering in the new decade with a strong resolve to listen more attentively, so I can better understand what is being communicated to me. Doing so will require approaching conversations with curiosity and patience.

Stephen Covey said it best: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” By adopting the intent to understand first, I hope to be a more effective listener and avoid misunderstandings or jumping to the wrong conclusion. I believe a more receptive stance will lead to a more engaged experience for both myself and the person I am speaking with — and will help both of us find more mutually beneficial solutions to problems.

Case in point: Recently, a member of a board I was chairing told me he was quitting because he didn’t have time for it. His reasoning puzzled me, since the board convened only four times a year for one-hour meetings. When I asked him to clarify his challenge with the time commitment, he revealed that he felt out of the loop in previous board meetings, as if he were a fifth wheel. Drawing him out this way helped me realize that I needed to engage him more in the meetings, and I was able to persuade him to stay on the board.

This year and beyond, I will try to pay attention to what is not said — but is evident in nonverbal cues.

Nonverbal communication is a crucial part of our interactions, more than most people may realize. Landmark research by psychologist Albert Mehrabian showed that the total impact of a message in personal encounters is 7% verbal, 55% nonverbal, and 38% vocal (which includes tone of voice, inflection, and other sounds.)

3. Make downtime think time

Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” Nowadays, we don’t think enough — which can make us less than we can be. Dan Cathy, the president of Chick-fil-A, sets aside one half of a day every two weeks and one full day a month to perform what he calls intentional thinking. This allows him to focus on his most important projects.

We all have pockets of time for reflection, but we often tend to fill the minutes by pecking away at our mobile devices. My quest is to divert more of this time to focused, uninterrupted thinking, not doing. Opportunities for reflection are available every day, and I plan on taking advantage of them. For starters, I will take more walks, even short ones, without giving in to the urge to look at my cellphone. These are the times when fresh ideas, even great ones, may bubble up into our consciousness.

You may be “thinking” as you read this that you simply don’t have the time for much action-free reflection. Of course you do. There are many ways to capture more think time without wasting time. While walking the dog. Waiting for a train. Jogging outside or working out on an elliptical trainer. Idling in gridlock during rush hour. Even while sitting in the waiting room before having an appointment with me!

ADVERTISEMENT

Ironically, letting the mind drift without targeting our thoughts can also enhance our performance. As essayist/cartoonist Tim Kreider tells us in the “The Busy Trap“: “The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration … ”

This makes me think of what I once read about Jonas Salk. His major insight for coming up with a cure for polio didn’t occur while working at the lab, but while walking on the grounds of a thirteenth-century monastery in Italy. I, too, have had a number of “a-ha!” moments about difficult patient cases after meditating and making my mind go quiet for a while.

The new decade has begun. May resolutions rule during the 2020s!

Mark McLaughlin is a neurosurgeon and can be reached at his self-titled site, Mark Mclaughlin, MD. This article originally appeared in Business Insider.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

10 common doctor financial blunders

January 15, 2020 Kevin 1
…
Next

Setting the facts straight about The Joint Commission's stance on food and drink

January 16, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Practice Management

Post navigation

< Previous Post
10 common doctor financial blunders
Next Post >
Setting the facts straight about The Joint Commission's stance on food and drink

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Mark McLaughlin, MD

  • From perfunctory to profound: 4 self-evaluation questions that blew my mind

    Mark McLaughlin, MD
  • Concussion treatment centers: 5 red flags to watch for

    Mark McLaughlin, MD
  • Death is certain. How you choose to die isn’t.

    Mark McLaughlin, MD

Related Posts

  • The many firsts of the 2020 election

    Anjani Amladi, MD
  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • A letter to 2020 interns

    Wendy Peltier, MD
  • A medical student’s summer of 2020: Family matters

    Rohan Sehgal
  • Changes are coming to health care in 2020. Are you ready?

    David Conejo
  • What is the Trump health plan for 2020?

    Robert Laszewski

More in Physician

  • Life’s detours may be blessings in disguise

    Osmund Agbo, MD
  • Inside the heart of internal medicine: Why we stay

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • The quiet grief behind hospital walls

    Aaron Grubner, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    How to advance workforce development through research mentorship and evidence-based management

    Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD
  • The truth about perfection and identity in health care

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • Civil discourse as a leadership competency: the case for curiosity in medicine

    All Levels Leadership
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      GJ van Londen, MD | Meds
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Life’s detours may be blessings in disguise

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Inside the heart of internal medicine: Why we stay

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • The quiet grief behind hospital walls

      Aaron Grubner, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

      AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section | Policy
    • How Project ECHO is fighting physician isolation and transforming medical education [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • Why specialist pain clinics and addiction treatment services require strong primary care

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • Who gets to be well in America: Immigrant health is on the line

      Joshua Vasquez, MD | Policy
    • When a medical office sublease turns into a legal nightmare

      Ralph Messo, DO | Physician
    • America’s ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within

      Kristen Cline, BSN, RN | Conditions
    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      GJ van Londen, MD | Meds
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
  • Recent Posts

    • Life’s detours may be blessings in disguise

      Osmund Agbo, MD | Physician
    • Inside the heart of internal medicine: Why we stay

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician
    • The quiet grief behind hospital walls

      Aaron Grubner, MD | Physician
    • Why peer support can save lives in high-pressure medical careers

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Bundled payments in Medicare: Will fixed pricing reshape surgery costs?

      AMA Committee on Economics and Quality in Medicine, Medical Student Section | Policy
    • How Project ECHO is fighting physician isolation and transforming medical education [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...