Work-life balance is a ‘swinging pendulum’ that requires attention on each side
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Balancing personal and professional lives as a physician often requires maintaining a schedule that allows for necessary flexibility while understanding when to say no, according to Stephanie L. Graff, MD.
“People always talk about balance, and I think balance is almost a myth. I think work-life balance is really more of a pendulum,” said Graff, director of the breast program at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute HCA Midwest Health and associate director of the breast cancer research program at Sarah Cannon Research Institute. “There are days where I’m doing a lot of ‘life,’ and there are days where I’m doing a lot of ‘work,’ and it’s constantly swinging back and forth depending on what needs are in front of me.”
Graff said that along with her work at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute, she is also an active volunteer with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, participating in the leadership development program, research community forum and quality care council; editor for Missouri Medicine; and on the board of directors for the Kansas/Kansas City Area American Cancer Society.
In addition, she also has a husband who is a physician and three children who are both socially and physically active, including involvement in sports.
“One of the nice things about oncology is that it’s predominantly a clinic-based specialty, so a clinic day is a clinic day, whereas my husband’s profession has him at the hospital. So I have to be mindful of when his day ends,” Graff said.
She explained that she likes to keep a “militant schedule,” and two things she counts on after waking up early is exercise and a separate time for social media.
“I find that exercise in the morning helps me feel like I have ticked that off of my to-do list and helps me destress,” she said. “Being up that early gives me a separate time to just focus on me. It’s also when I’m able to do social media without feeling like I’m distracted from the kids. I’m able to do a lot of things for myself without feeling guilty before anyone else wakes up. That’s been an important habit or ritual.”
Graff added that her husband and she developed an “elaborate calendar-sharing system” to make sure each is at the right place at the right time. There are a lot of moving pieces, and managing them can feel like a full-time job, she said.
“If it’s the day before my 9-year-old’s birthday, I might cut out of work early to decorate the cakes, blow up balloons and wrap presents. The same is true around the holidays. With these events, there are extra demands on your time,” Graff said. “We’re also facing the back-to-school season, and there are a lot of what-if’s about what is going on with coronavirus. That takes a little extra attention.”
In contrast, she added, there are times that she needs to focus on increasing demands at work, whether it is deadlines for professional society meeting presentations and abstracts, or direct needs at her job. With the “pendulum swinging, it becomes important to recognize that if you stay on one side too long, the other one is going to suffer, and that’s not healthy.”
On a final note, Graff addressed the unique opportunities she has found around the otherwise detrimental outcomes of COVID-19. With more instances of telecommunicating for meetings or other telehealth access to work, she has developed new ways to keep up with professional needs while spending time with her family.
For more information:
Stephanie L. Graff, MD, is a member of the Peer Perspective Board for Healio’s Women in Oncology. She can be reached at: stephanie.graff@hcamidwest.com.
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