Beating Burnout Through the 10-10-10 Approach

The LOUNGE - A Newsletter for Savvy Physicians

We scour the net, selecting the most pertinent articles for the busy doc so you don’t have to! Here’s what kept our focus this week…

• Burnout may be stubborn, but a simple 10-10-10 tool could help fight back.

• History shows us that even brilliant minds sometimes pitch ideas that sound like science fiction.

• Effective AI strategies must align with business priorities and customer needs.

• Leadership breakthroughs don’t always start with strategy—they start with mindset.

• Manual access management may be putting patient data at greater risk than hackers.

• Physicians earn $363K/year on average, yet many still under-save for retirement.

Boost Your Practice with SEO: Sustainable Marketing for Functional Medicine

Dr. Mike Woo-Ming sits down with Andrew Newland, CEO of Functional Medicine Marketing, to share expert strategies for boosting visibility in functional and integrative medicine practices. From SEO fundamentals to community engagement and AI adaptations, learn how to attract ideal patients, optimize content, and build sustainable growth without quick-fix tactics!

LOUNGE TALK

Physician burnout rates may be falling, but with 43% of doctors still experiencing exhaustion and cynicism, the issue remains far from solved. Burnout doesn’t just impact providers—it also drives lower patient satisfaction, reduced care quality, and higher risk of medical errors. While healthcare institutions must continue addressing systemic causes, individuals also need accessible tools to protect their own mental health. Enter the 10-10-10 Prevention Tool: a structured way to weave mindfulness into daily life by listing actions that take 10 seconds, 10 minutes, or 10 hours. These micro-to-macro practices—ranging from box breathing to journaling to full days off—help lower the mental friction of choosing wellness in stressful moments. Originally created for medical students, the tool’s flexibility means it can be customized for any profession or lifestyle, targeting burnout, anxiety, or even sedentary habits. Ultimately, the 10-10-10 approach reframes self-care as something practical, scalable, and necessary for long-term resilience.

In December 1799, George Washington died after a brief illness, despite efforts from three physicians who treated him with bloodletting and steam vapors. Enter Dr. William Thornton—a trained physician, architect of the U.S. Capitol, and inventor—who proposed a radical plan to revive Washington. His method? Thaw Washington’s frozen body, perform a tracheotomy, inflate his lungs, warm him gradually, and transfuse lamb’s blood. While bizarre today, Thornton’s idea reflected the Enlightenment belief that science could solve nearly any problem, and his fear of premature burial wasn’t uncommon at the time. Washington’s family ultimately rejected the proposal, honoring his wish to rest undisturbed. Thornton remained convinced his plan could have worked, though modern medicine says otherwise. This episode serves as both a quirky historical footnote and a reminder that even “serious” science can veer into the surreal. The column closes with lighter asides, including doctor-approved beer ads, emo kids flocking to a My Chemical Romance concert, and a reflection on a Taking Back Sunday song.

AI has moved from niche labs to the mainstream since ChatGPT’s viral debut in late 2022, amassing over a million users in its first month. The hype quickly translated into boardroom agendas, as leaders rushed to frame AI as the next big growth driver. With models like DeepSeek slashing costs and lowering adoption barriers, expectations have only soared higher. Yet, enthusiasm doesn’t automatically equal impact. Many companies risk spending heavily on AI without building strategies that tie back to real business value. The lesson: AI adoption should be less about chasing trends and more about aligning with core goals, customer needs, and measurable outcomes. Otherwise, what looks like transformation could just become another costly experiment.

Leadership is often framed as a role or skillset, but the real differentiator between average managers and extraordinary leaders is a subtle mindset shift: willingness. Unlike ego-driven leadership, willingness fosters humility, curiosity, and accountability, creating psychological safety and genuine connection with teams. This mindset activates a right-brain shift—fueling resilience, adaptability, and confidence grounded in values rather than external approval. Willing leaders make tough calls with integrity, attract loyalty through authenticity, and define success as continuous growth instead of external validation. They embrace feedback, own mistakes, and turn setbacks into opportunities for development. Even humor becomes a leadership tool, building trust and reducing fear of failure. Ultimately, willingness transforms leadership from authority-based to purpose-driven—where influence comes not from power but from presence, growth, and genuine engagement.

Healthcare’s workforce churn—rotating nurses, temporary contractors, and shifting roles—creates a perfect storm for access management risks. Manual provisioning can’t keep pace, leaving behind orphaned accounts, outdated permissions, and compliance gaps that expose organizations to fraud, data breaches, and regulatory fines. Shared devices and terminals only compound the problem, blurring accountability when clinicians forget to log out. Legacy governance tools designed for static roles fail in this environment, turning reviews into reactive cleanups instead of proactive safeguards. Automation offers the scalable solution: synchronizing access with real-time HR data, enforcing session controls, and standardizing provisioning across fragmented systems. Beyond reducing risk, automation eases IT burdens and prevents bottlenecks in clinical workflows. For healthcare leaders, the real question is no longer if to automate, but how fast they can close the access management gap.

Bad habits in food, finances, and personal growth may seem harmless in isolation, but together they compound into long-term damage. Diet fads and quick fixes fuel a massive $89.9B U.S. weight-loss industry, yet most fail to deliver lasting results because the root problems—processed foods, sedentary lifestyles, and stress—remain unsolved. Similarly, physicians and high earners often struggle financially, not because of income shortfalls, but because lifestyle inflation and weak saving habits erode wealth. True prosperity comes from compounding positive behaviors: disciplined saving, consistent exercise, and mindful self-development. Data highlights the stark contrast between those who save diligently and those who spend reactively, regardless of income level. Beyond money and health, the Harvard Study of Adult Development shows that emotional intelligence and strong relationships, cultivated by habit, are the biggest predictors of a fulfilling life. Ultimately, the only way to escape the trap of bad habits is to replace them with intentional, growth-oriented ones that stack long-term dividends.

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QUICK BITES

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