The Island Club sounds like a movie or perhaps a great book to read on the beach. But it’s actually the name I use to describe the group of doctors who have discovered how to have a job they love while living their best life anywhere in the world!

So many of our Virtual Practice Accelerator members have moved to dream locations—resorts, mountains, and yes, islands—to run their virtual practices. They’re proof that doctor work-life balance isn’t a myth.

If you’re one of the countless doctors currently struggling to break free from the hamster wheel and take control of your work-life balance, you’re probably wondering how it’s possible to work less, make more money, and enjoy all that life has to offer. 

Let’s unpack the answer to help you embrace work-life balance in a way you never thought possible. 

How Many Hours In a Week?

When I began my career as a doctor, I spent at least 30 to 35 hours in the office each week to meet patients and sift through paperwork. And those were just my hours before counting events, trainings, and marketing efforts. My work was my passion, so I loved every minute of it… I just hadn’t expected to devote my days, nights, and weekends solely to my profession.

I had no time for anything else, which forced me to take a step back. This wasn’t what I signed up for! Talking with other doctors, I discovered that all medical professionals crave work-life balance, but few know how to obtain it.

The Root Causes of Doctor Work-Life Imbalance

It’s easy to wallow in the frustration you feel in the midst of yet another 80-hour workweek, but real change only occurs when you can identify why work-life balance continues to elude your grasp.

I’ve identified three root causes of imbalance. It could be one, two, or all three that are currently contributing to your hamster wheel rat race burn out.

First, you’re being run by your business instead of running it. As an entrepreneurial doctor, you are most impactful leading your practice, making strategic decisions, and scaling for growth. I understand that doctors instinctively think they must always be hands-on in the office, but there are many other ways for you to positively impact your patients!

Second, you aren’t harnessing effective time management strategies. I’ve worked with many successful doctors, executives, and entrepreneurs over the years, and they all share one common trait: they use strategic systems to manage their time with the utmost efficiency. There’s not a minute to waste when each minute can bring more success and income!

The third and final reason you’re struggling to achieve work-life balance may be because you’re trapped in the ‘reaction loop”. If you’re always putting out fires, there’s no time to make plans to avoid and prevent the next fire. All of your time becomes consumed in reactions instead of preparation.

The bottom line? Work-life balance is possible and accessible if you are committed to creating a bit of space in your mind (and office!) to create systems that generate more freedom– and income.

This Solution Is Different From What You’ve Heard Before

I know there’s no shortage of self-help advice out there for doctors and business owners. But the way that we approach work-life balance can’t be found in your standard set of recommendations.

We only prescribe what we have watched, time and time again, as it helped doctors create immense patient impact, time and location freedom, and exponential income.

Escape Your Past Challenges

The challenges of your past don’t need to define your future, and they definitely don’t need to follow you there!

Before I tapped into the potential of virtual healthcare, I didn’t have time to visit my parents or enjoy any of my hobbies. Fast forward to today, and I’m homeschooling my children and spending five or six months a year traveling, all while making more income than my brick and mortar practice could have generated.

Reverse Engineer Your Dream Life

The best way to take control of your work-life balance and maximize your potential? Reverse engineer your dream life. Envision exactly what it looks like, then work backward to achieve it. Nobody else can define what your life will become, but you certainly can by keeping your eyes firmly focused on the end result.

Follow the Theory of Constraint

The Theory of Constraint comes straight from the top thinkers at Harvard. According to this theory, you become more productive when you constrain your time. In fact, Steve Jobs regularly implemented the Theory of Constraint is Laws of Constraint to maximize his workday productivity, as do many other top executives in the business world.

Doctors can tap into the Theory of Constraint just like CEOs and entrepreneurs. Take one of our VPA members as an example. He decreased his in-office time to two days a week, and now he’s exceeding $2.5 million in revenue annually, more than he ever made with five days a week in the office!

Thanks to the Theory of Constraint, this doctor is more productive and seeing a better output on his time in just two days, leaving the other three for his virtual practice endeavors and income growth.

Use the Eisenhower Matrix

The Eisenhower Matrix makes it possible to categorize all of the tasks in front of you. Consider each item on your to-do list and decide whether it’s urgent, very important, important, or something to be delegated.

Many doctor’s offices use the Eisenhower Matrix to create a game plan for the day. Time can be far more efficiently managed when you know the exact order of your priorities. 

Harness Multipliers

Multipliers are activities that automate your responsibilities in order to create more time and revenue. There are so many multipliers out there with the potential to help you recapture your work-life balance.

Remember the doctor who brought his days down to 2 days per week? He’s the master of multipliers; he has systematically incorporated multipliers into every facet of his business to ensure maximum efficiency at every turn. 

When you break free from the traditional doctor’s office mentality, you realize there’s a full world of possibilities out there just waiting for you to create work-life balance, generate more income, and catapult the impact of your practice.