Work Life Balance by Dr Sunita Maheshwari ,Co-founder , Teleradiology Solutions.

1. Life Work Balance….Life Work Balance….
Does it Exist?!Does it Exist?!
Dr Sunita Maheshwari ABP, ABPC (USA)Dr Sunita Maheshwari ABP, ABPC (USA)
““Dancing Doctor”Dancing Doctor”
andand
““Chief Dreamer”Chief Dreamer”

2. “Hudhudijeev”
Circa 1995: 16 hour days, ‘ ON ’ 24/7
Advice from my Mom “Don’t bother having
kids !!”
Circa 2015: Heart Doctor, Dreaming up
Companies, Writing Books and Articles,
Running 2 Trust funds, sitting at Tennis
courts, 8 hours of sleep…..
Adventures in the Quest for
Work -Life Balance

3. My 1st
Job in India: 1999
The Macho Cath Lab
Interventions, adrenaline-traditionally considered
a male job-only they can take the stress and the heat!
Me: trained at Yale to do them, felt I was as good ;
or Better ;)
Techs would not call me when case was starting,
Rounds starting at 7 pm after 2 hour coffee/smoking
session
Hung in there, worked hard:
New hospital- Make me a consultant
& then I’ll move!

4. Learning:
In the work place
• Stick to your guns politely
• Don’t allow them to make you give up your
core competence and do things you are
overqualified for
• Prove yourselves at the things you are
overqualified and under qualified for
• Be honest enough to admit when you’re
wrong-you’ll be appreciated for it
• Hang in there!

5. My next work place:
2000-2010
• Macho men
• 12-16 hour work days
• No help, solo pediatric cardiologist in
a busy hospital

6. Why are the kids at the hospital
more important than mine?
• Ultimatum-Wednesdays off, hire another
doc to help
• “Your career will never progress if you
continue this parenting nonsense”!
• ‘Before when I came home from school
there was darkness now there is light’
Learning:
In the quest for success don’t lose the
ones you love.

7. Decide to spend time
with the ones you
love….and you will find a
way
• Bus rides to Bijapur
• Toys outside the cath lab
• Doodling in a corner of the clinic room
• Playgrounds installation-took them along
• Karunashraya teaching program-took ‘em along
Neocon, Chitradurga
Fort Chitradurga

8. What is Life-Work
balance?
• Essentially enjoying work, kids,
family, friends
• without stress (gray hairs) and
• in addition….making space for
‘oneself’

9. Medically speaking….

10. Stress Increases…
BP increases…
• Look at nature, listen to music,
read, massages, quiet time,
change your routine, limit
caffeine, drink green tea, laugh!

11. Something NEW everyday
• Inner circle playground, coconut on
the roadside, buy bananas and give to
a poor kid, glass of lassi and sit on
the window-sill, call an old friend

12. Aim
For 30 minutes of
moderate intensity
exercise a day
• Take the stairs
• Spend a few minutes of your lunch break
taking a stroll around the campus grounds.
• If you have a family, schedule an
after-dinner walk. Make it quality time

14. Sleep…Do we need it?
• Too little sleep raises blood
pressure risk – a study
– Reuters, Mon Jun 8, 2009

15. Get your blood pressure and
cholesterol levels checked by
your GP
• Don’t pooh pooh those health checks
• They may save your life

16. Life-Work Balance….
Tips to Combine Work
and Family

17. Don’t Ask Why?
• Why a family?
– We all need a little TLC
– One doesn’t have to have one or the
other-they’re not mutually exclusive
• Why work ?
– You have to love it and want it
– Not wonder if you’re doing the right
thing

18. How I made my family
feel I cared ; while
I worked ?
• Made sure at least one meal together.
• Called if late; Reliable; Shared plans
• Did special little things: Light a candle
together, hold hands and do a prayer at
dinner, cuddle under the blanket for 5
minutes in the morning, plan a trip.
• BIG HUGS !!
Making memories:
What do we remember?
Experiences, not things

19. Rules with the kids
1) Never show guilt.
2) When home, give them your all
3) At work, call once a day
4) No post work grumpiness
5) Ask for space when
you need it

20. HOW is the Toucan
relevant to Humans?
• BOTH parents look after the young
ones!!

21. Friends: Make the time
• ‘You are sooooo busy’……..
• Be there when they are sick/down
• Make the time for important events
• ‘Late but there’!

22. ……….Who has time for that?
Romance?

23. We take for granted those we love the
most
“The alcove”
Hold hands, hug every morning
Check into Radha!
Meet for coffee before heading home
etc etc

24. Simplify Life at Home
• Hire help
• A little dust never hurt anyone!
• LO cuisine ie leftovers
• Forget the dhanya leaves on the dhal
• Involve kids, spouses in the household
chores.
• Trying to keep the house clean when the
kids are young is like trying to shovel the driveway while it
is still snowing

25. Hire Help
• But remember they need life work
balance too!!

26. The to do list
• Decide the night before the must do
items for the next day; visualise time
needed
• Put down my ideas so they don’t get
lost in the Universe
• Give myself measurable goals…short
term, for the month, for the year
Efficiency
Delegate but doublecheck

27. Made technology my
slave, not the other way
around.
• Family time in the evenings, con call/emails post this
• Cut travel…use video conferencing
• Reduced meetings and paper….used email…,,,,go green
• E-classes

28. Use ‘Time’ Effectively
• Walk with Hubby in am-exercise plus
catch up chat
• Emails in the car or at tennis court
• Catch up with friends while in car, at
airport, at a tournament
• Focused time on job at hand- eg
dedicated email time, meetings with
agendas-not rambling, learnt from
forum.
• Worked on this presentation on
“Lufthansa” flight back home! ;-)

29. And finally….Do Good…..
It makes Life Complete

30. How does One Begin?
• Make ONE change in your life At A
Time….
Thank you!