I took the liberty of taking a few days off last week… I know, totally reckless aren’t I?!
I thought a bit of Christmas shopping, chance to properly tidy the house (tick the boxes on my OCD) that sort of thing. Now, I don’t know about you, but I struggle to switch off if I’m not physically away from work – if I’m abroad, sunning myself by a pool, or being entertained by the local culture, I’m not too bad but otherwise my brain starts click-whirring itself back into work mode. But I can’t afford to go abroad EVERY time I have a break!
I can sneakily check my NHS email account without my better half spotting me do it, and if I’m very clever, I can do this while he’s watching the footy…”of course I don’t mind you watching football love…..” I just don’t relish the thought of coming back on a Monday morning to 170 emails (mostly rubbish) trawling through bulletins and other such dross that I’ve been copied into… so the idea of dealing with them each evening while we’re watching TV is quite appealing.
It does mean though that I might hear of something happening at work that I think I ought to take action on, but I can’t really because I am supposed to be on ‘holiday’, however, fore-warned is fore-armed and all that, and is it better to know before you set foot back into the surgery on that Monday morning, that you’re going to be spending it sorting out some errant staff issue, or deal with a complaint?
Now, I’ve said before that I know I am a driven control-freak riddled with OCD, but actually in my experience, the majority of Practice Managers are just that – you don’t get to sit in the hot seat if you can’t take the heat, and the only way to take the heat is to deal with it as it happens. But then again, I do need a break in much the same way as I sometimes have to re-boot my computer because it just can’t take the stress of dealing with so many programmes all at the same time. My brain needs the drain and occasionally reading through a photo-filled magazine of how the beautiful people live is sometimes all I can cope with!
Walking the mutts is my usual ‘down-time’, a chance to think without anyone bothering me and the dogs are great because they don’t interrupt or answer back. But, we need more than a walk to brain-drain – there’s just so much going on now, not only for us all in our localities but also Primary Care/NHS as a whole. Our already-full brains can’t take much more.
So what do you do? Do you leave on a Friday night for a week/fortnight off and just say “stuff it all”?… or do you go to the nearest off licence, buy a bottle, get into your PJs and boot up the emails? You know, just in case?!
Should we be offering more support for Practice Managers? Should we make sure we’ve got someone who will deal with all the crap for us while we’re not in the building? Easier said than done, because it won’t get done the way I want it doing, obviously!
Or do we just accept that some of us (most of us, OK, me) have the control-freak gene and that’s the end of it?!
I’m not sure what the answer is – one size doesn’t necessarily fit all so have a good break, whenever/however you spend it. I’m off to spend my loyalty points at the off licence.
Nicola Hayward
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December 22, 2016 at 9:42 am
Great Blog Nicola, and spot on, except the dogs; Elvis the cat doesn’t do walks! Cooking, beer, whisky, football and racing also works for me, Very sad and typical.
Happy Xmas all.
December 22, 2016 at 10:25 am
Yes really enjoyed reading 🙂
I counteract the need to go abroad by going climbing – it is hard to think of work when one wrong move could mean imminent death 😉
Although cold nights in the tent do mean an excess of mulled wine is usually consumed, so probably all the same really!
December 22, 2016 at 11:06 am
It’s not OCD and control – it’s survival genes kicking in…………..
Unfortunately the hamster couldn’t survive the pace, the cat left, the child has gone to university, the wife plugs in the headphones and the local pub closed.
Even the birds have given up on me, no matter how many sunflower seed hearts I put out 😳
Not to worry – the local supermarket still let’s me in to get resupply of any booze on offer.
Liked your blog – made me smile. 😉 Thanks – and Merry Christmas to one and all
December 22, 2016 at 12:59 pm
Loved the blog and definately need to be a control freak – as my hubby is always teling me. Luckily he works shifts so I get time without being sneaky to take a peak at emails..
Merry Christmas and lets go for it in 2017, wow just 3 years until I can take retirement – too. Now theres a great way to end the year!
December 22, 2016 at 3:19 pm
Just wanted to say…….obviously that isn’t me in the photo…….. like I’ve ever been THAT thin…..ha!!!
December 23, 2016 at 9:19 am
great read on Christmas eve eve, relate to all what you say .. making a list, checking the emails and checking them twice, wanna find out if NHSE are being naughty or nice !!! haha.
looking forward to my few days off Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and then back at it …
Merry Christmas all, lets see what 2017 has to bring .. and Sus what a lovely thought 3 years until your retirement .. happy days ..
December 23, 2016 at 9:22 am
The danger comes when you get home and speak to the children and the dear old hubby as if they were one of your work colleagues, my son is upset as he got verbal permission to take Christmas off his care work and then they yank him in.
I simply comment that it would have been far better for him had he ensured he had this in writing.
Oh… sometimes we need to get out more
December 23, 2016 at 9:32 am
Just brilliant Nicola – I think you have put into words what we all think and feel let alone do.
For me I try and leave on a Friday and forget work. Unfortunately I don’t drink but have another addiction – horses – so off I toddle into the countryside on me steed, let the cold air freeze my brain and the smell of horse s…t remind me that there is a life outside work.
Like you a sneaky look at the emails does creep in but I get cross with myself for looking when there is something I have to deal with.
CQC say that the practice should be able to operate in our absence – will I am yet to see this happen totally.
Have a great Christmas and may the New Year bring on a time for PM’s to relax LOl LOL
December 23, 2016 at 9:32 am
Hi Nicola,
As an OCD control freak myself I truly don’t think it would be possible to do our job without these wonderful qualities. I’m the same as you go home walk the dog PJ’s on and constantly check emails on my phone flag the ones that need dealing with the next day delete the rubbish. Oh and Gin I like gin lol
December 23, 2016 at 9:35 am
Spot on.
No dog walking for me, but have a great relationship with local Wine Shop !
Merry christmas, and a happy and not too stressful 2017 to all.
December 23, 2016 at 9:38 am
Great blog Nicola, very funny but sadly true! I don’t have anyone to download to at home and no animals to walk but baking (bashing the hell out of a lump of bread dough) or making jam/marmalade/pickle (too busy with timings and sterilising jars) help me take my mind off it.
I’m off between Christmas and New Year and did a contingency plan for the staff called “It’s Christmas … Who you gonna call? (not Julia as she’s in Wales with no mobile signal)” It listed everything I could think of that could go wrong and what to do including the most common question – who do I go to for milk money?!
Definitely not going to check my emails, however tempting, but agree that it is worth being forewarned!
Have a great Christmas all :o)
December 23, 2016 at 9:52 am
Excellent Blog. This is so true from my persepctive. Glad im not the only one who thinks this way. LOL.
December 23, 2016 at 9:57 am
Thank goodness for the iPad. Couldn’t manage without it. Never take more than one week off a year, the rest is a day here and there and never seem to use up all my holiday – too frightened to come back to a pile. The only problem with logging in on the iPad is that so much of the rubbish that people send us is littered with attachments and you can’t save them to your desktop or shared drive with the iPad. This means that you really need a laptop with remote access, but perhaps that really is interfering with your ‘holiday’. Still, would we have it any other way? Yes!
December 23, 2016 at 10:06 am
Great blog, so many things resonate with me.
Merry Christmas 🙂
December 23, 2016 at 10:07 am
“Now, I’ve said before that I know I am a driven control-freak riddled with OCD”.
Fortunately I do not have OCD. But I do profess to suffering from CDO, which is the same as OCD but WITH THE LETTERS IN THE CORRECT ORDER!!!!
Wishing all a most restful break.
December 23, 2016 at 10:30 am
I keep in touch by text to my colleagues but not if I go abroad and have a good team, so I don’t have to worry when I am away!
December 23, 2016 at 12:54 pm
Yes I am a control freak….but have now said ‘stuff it’ and am leaving next year but I still cannot let go….here I am worrying about who is going to take over – are they any good -will they upset the staff – will they maintain our Qof etc etc…..arrraggghhhhh – so I care yes of course I do……………
December 28, 2016 at 10:35 am
Brilliant blog – so very true. I’m exactly the same – if I’m out of the country I can switch off a little easier, but a few days off at home – am constantly checking e-mails, texting or ringing the reception manager to check everything is okay. Can’t switch off properly at all.