“What if, instead of treating everyday life as a hurdle to overcome, you treated it as the actual point?” – Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks
Medicine demands your focus, energy, and time—often leaving little room for anything else. The long hours, the weight of responsibility, and the unpredictable pace can make life feel like a constant race. It’s easy to feel like your days are consumed by the urgent, with no space left to pause, reflect, or breathe.
But what if there’s something in the small, ordinary moments—something quiet but powerful—waiting to be noticed?
Oliver Burkeman’s book, Four Thousand Weeks, is a great guide of how to think differently. Here’s some of the lessons from the book that apply to medicine.
The Chaotic Nature of Medicine—and the Value of Rituals
Doctors are no strangers to chaos. The pace of your work often feels relentless, with little separation between professional and personal lives. Small rituals—those repetitive, intentional actions—may not change the speed of medicine, but they can create moments of stability within it.
Why rituals matter in medicine:
- They act as transition points, helping you shift your mindset as you move between tasks or roles (e.g., from clinician to communicator or from work to personal time).
- They help manage decision fatigue, which builds up over a day of making high-stakes choices, by offering moments of simplicity and focus.
- They create a sense of control, even in an environment where so much is unpredictable.
But here’s the real question: How can rituals fit into a world where time feels so limited?
The Rituals Already Hidden in Your Day
The beauty of rituals is that they don’t need to be invented—they’re often already there. The key is to notice them and allow them to take on new meaning.
- Scrubbing In: Instead of rushing through the process, what happens if you focus on the rhythm of washing your hands? The lather, the temperature, the sound of water. Could it become a moment to reset your mind before a procedure?
- Charting Notes: What if, instead of viewing this as a chore, you used it as a grounding practice? A moment to slow your thoughts and reflect on the human story behind the patient’s data.
- End-of-Shift Transitions: The walk to your car or the act of removing your stethoscope—could these moments signal the end of “doctor mode” and the beginning of personal time?
Beyond Presence: How Rituals Impact Your Work
Rituals aren’t just about reducing stress or finding peace. They can have a tangible impact on your work and your interactions with patients and colleagues.
- Improving Patient Connection: Small rituals before entering a patient’s room—pausing for a breath or straightening your coat—can help you reset and focus fully on the person in front of you. Patients often notice when a doctor is fully present, and these moments of connection can improve trust and communication.
- Reducing Decision Fatigue: Medicine involves constant, high-stakes decision-making. Simple rituals—like taking a moment to write down key priorities or organize your workstation—can help clear mental clutter and make room for clearer thinking.
- Enhancing Team Dynamics: Rituals can even create shared moments of presence with colleagues. Whether it’s a quick check-in during a handover or a shared joke in the breakroom, these small acts foster connection in high-pressure environments.
A Bigger Question: What’s the Role of Rituals in Your Life?
This isn’t about adding more to your plate—it’s about asking yourself what already exists in your day that you might be overlooking.
- What moments—no matter how brief—feel grounding or restorative?
- Where do you naturally pause, even for a second, and how can you lean into those moments?
- What rituals could connect you more deeply to your work, your patients, or even yourself?
As Oliver Burkeman reminds us, the time we have is finite. It’s not about doing everything but about noticing the moments that matter, even in the mundane.
Closing Thought: Medicine Beyond the Rush
Doctors are trained to move quickly, to think on their feet, and to respond with urgency. But perhaps there’s something to be gained from slowing down—just for a moment—and letting the ordinary take center stage.
Your work will always be demanding, but within the chaos, there are opportunities to find stillness, connection, and meaning. The question isn’t whether you have the time for rituals—it’s whether you can afford not to notice the ones already waiting for you.
