Episode 135: How to Escape the Urgency Trap

When was the last time you had ‘time’? Being on the frontlines means constantly working on urgent — sometimes matter-of-life — situations that require immediate attention. Urgent tasks can be important, urgency and importance are very different things. The problem is that we often fall into the urgency trap. While trying to extinguish tasks we deem urgent, we end up neglecting more important priorities.

Instead of moving closer to bigger goals, we waste time on things that may not even deserve our attention. How, then, do we escape and avoid falling into this urgency trap?

In this short episode, Rachel talks about becoming more productive in life and work by escaping the urgency trap. She discusses the principles of the Urgent-Important Matrix and how it can help us assess the urgency and importance level tasks. She then shares how to begin doing gradual deep work towards a bigger goal.

If you want to know how to escape the urgency trap and become more productive in life and work, stay tuned to this episode.

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

  1. Learn about the concept of the urgency trap.
  2. Identify tasks you should focus on using the Urgent-Important Matrix.
  3. Find out the power of doing deep work.

Episode Highlights

[00:40] On ‘Managing’ Time

‘You don’t have any control of time because you only have 24 hours in a day. Time carries on at a set pace.’ – Click Here to Tweet This

  • Traditional time management techniques focus on ‘managing’ time. But we can’t manage time because we can’t control it.
  • What we can control is our schedule and how we tackle tasks.
  • Many of us fall into the urgency trap. It is the feeling of constantly accomplishing urgent stuff over working on more important projects.
  • People who work in high-stakes jobs rarely have spare time. There’s no point talking about well-being if this isn’t addressed.

‘You have to start with enabling people to get some time and some headspace in their schedule to actually do those really important things like keep themselves mentally fit and healthy, so this is really, really important.’ – Click Here to Tweet This

[02:13] Urgent-Important Matrix

  • It’s a simple two-by-two matrix with two columns—urgent and not urgent—and two rows—important and not important.
  • The easiest box to fill is the urgent-important one because they are often time-limited.
  • Urgent-important tasks are a large part of our job.
  • But as we tick off our to-do list, it becomes easy to drop below the line of discernment between important and unimportant tasks.

[03:57] Urgency Trap

  • The urgency trap makes us feel good in the short term while we’re doing it.
  • It is counterproductive in the long term because we leave the big things unaccomplished.
  • Most things that progress goals and make a difference in the workplace take time to think about. They don’t come up as urgent, but they are vital.

‘I’m getting that done. I’m getting this done. I’m ploughing through it. Look at me, I’m really productive here. But in the long term, when we look back on those days where we’ve just spent our time doing urgent stuff, we think what did I actually accomplish that day, and we’ve still got those big things that are niggling at us.’ – Click Here to Tweet This

  • Guilt comes up when we set aside time to do important stuff that isn’t urgent at the expense of urgent ones.
  • The important, non-urgent stuff will soon become urgent if we don’t get to them.

‘We feel that perhaps we’re wasting our time and maybe it’s not that important after all. But, here’s the thing: in the long term, we’ll look back and think that was really important that I spent the time on that.’ – Click Here to Tweet This

[06:27] Navigating the Urgency Trap

  • First, recognise when you’re in it. Then, think about which stuff that feels urgent isn’t important, or you can delegate to someone else.
  • Work out how you will spend more time in the non-urgent but important zone in the quadrant.
  • People in healthcare often have their schedules blocked out for the whole day. But we can do so much in 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Do the big, important stuff when you get to work or before logging on to your computer.

‘Emails often feel urgent, but only a few of them are really, really important. An email is a low focus task.’ – Click Here to Tweet This

[08:57] The Power of Deep Work

  • You won’t be able to produce high-quality work for big projects when you’re firefighting urgent stuff.
  • Embrace the guilt of spending time on important but non-urgent tasks. It’s where you’ll be powerful and productive in the long run.
  • Set aside time every day to do some deep work. It can be as short as 10 minutes a day.
  • Do deep work somewhere you won’t be disturbed and interrupted.
  • Do your best work at your best time.

‘Set some time aside every day if you can to do some deep work. This might just be 10 minutes a day. You might get to the point where you can schedule a couple of hours in on one of the days of the week, but do this somewhere you won’t be disturbed, where you’re not getting notifications and interruptions.’ – Click Here to Tweet This

[10:41] Doing Deep Work

  • These are tasks that need real brain work, research, and creativity.
  • If you don’t know where to start, get a piece of paper and write down everything that’s bothering you.
  • Then, come up with answers or solutions to the problems you’ve written down.
  • Schedule 10 minutes a day for deep work. Block things out in your schedule, and guard them with your life.
  • The time you spend doing deep work is when you take control of your workload and schedule.

‘You will be amazed at the answers you can generate, the way you can solve your own problems, if you just take the time to do it, to address it, to look at it.’ – Click Here to Tweet This

Enjoy This Podcast?

In today’s high-stress work environment, you may feel like a frog in boiling water. The pan has heated up so slowly that you didn’t notice the feeling of stress and overwhelm becoming the norm. You may feel it is impossible to survive AND thrive in your work.

Frogs generally have only two options — stay and be boiled alive or jump out of the pan. Fortunately, you are not a frog. You can escape the urgency trap and take back control of your schedule!

Learn to master your destiny and thrive even in the most difficult of situations. If you enjoyed today’s episode of You Are Not a Frog Podcast, hit subscribe now!

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Here’s to surviving and thriving inside and outside our work!

Rachel

Episode Transcript

Rachel Morris: This is a You are Not a Frog quick tip, a tiny taster of the kinds of things we talk about on our full podcast episodes. I’ve chosen today’s topic to give you a helpful boost in the time it takes to have a cup of tea, so you can return to whatever else you’re up to feeling energised and inspired. For more tools, tips and insights to help you thrive at work, don’t forget to subscribe to You are Not a Frog wherever you get your podcasts.

Today, I’m going to talk to you about the urgency trap, and I’m going to share with you the one thing that has made me much, much more productive in life and in work. You see, the problem with traditional time management techniques is that they focus on managing time, and as we know, we can’t manage time. You don’t have any control of time because you only have 24 hours in a day. Time carries on at a set pace. We cannot control that.

What we can control, however, is our schedule and how we tackle tasks. Many of us fall into the urgency trap where we feel like we are constantly firefighting urgent stuff, and we don’t get time to work on those important projects that might not be cropping up as urgent. But actually, we know that if we got to them, it would save a whole load of grief in the future when we leave things too late, and then, they suddenly do become urgent.

We get this deadline which we either miss or it just weighs on us very, very heavily. Now, this is really important because I know that healthcare professionals and those working in other high stress, high stakes jobs do not have any spare time, and that’s the one thing we noticed when we go into organisations and we talk about well being. There is no point starting with wellbeing. You have to start with time.

You have to start with enabling people to get some time and some headspace in their schedule to actually do those really important things like keep themselves mentally fit and healthy, so this is really, really important. Most of us just feel overwhelmed for most of the time. So what exactly is the urgency trap? So those of you that have done any of the shapes toolkit training with me will know that we use the urgent important grid to help us make sense of this, to work out where we even start.

For those of you watching this video on YouTube, I have an urgent important matrix drawn behind me. It’s very simple. It’s just a simple two by two matrix with two columns. One is urgent stuff. One is not urgent stuff and two rows. One is important stuff. One is not important stuff. So you end up with four boxes, and you might want to try this. Now, you might want to pause this podcast or the video and actually download your to-do list into the urgent and important grid.

Now, if you’ve done this, you will realise that the easiest box to fill up is, of course, the urgent and important one because often things seem very, very urgent. Often they are time limited, particularly when it’s patient care, patient crisis, surgeries, clinics, things that you need to do now. That is, as it should be, a large part of our job, and we just have to do them now, but what happens is that we get stuck in that urgent and important box just ticking off stuff on the to do list.

If we’re not careful, what we find is we very quickly drop below the line, the line of discernment, which is the line between the important stuff and the not important stuff. So we can quite quickly find ourselves doing things that are in the urgent, but actually not important. The thing about the urgency trap is that while we’re doing it in the short term, it feels good. We feel like superheroes because we are ticking things off on our to do list.

I’m getting that done. I’m getting this done. I’m ploughing through it. Look at me, I’m really productive here. But in the long term, when we look back on those days where we’ve just spent our time doing urgent stuff, we think what did I actually accomplish that day, and we’ve still got those big things that are niggling at us. So while it feels good to be working in the urgent bits of that grid, long term, it’s not great, and here is the problem.

There is loads of stuff in the not urgent but important box that we need to get to. In fact, I would suggest that most things that progress your goals that make a real difference to your workplace. Take time to think about, like team development, like writing those guidelines, like thinking about strategies and protocols and delegation. All these things take time, and they often don’t come up as urgent.

So we’ve got all these things in that quadrant two, which is stuff that’s not urgent, but is really important, and we never get the time to do them. We tell ourselves, we’ll do them when we finish the urgent stuff. Here’s the problem. If we do set aside time to do that important stuff that isn’t urgent at the expense of the urgent stuff, we feel guilty. We feel that we should be getting on with that urgent stuff.

We feel that perhaps we’re wasting our time and maybe it’s not that important after all. But, here’s the thing: in the long term, we’ll look back and think that was really important that I spent the time on that. So short term, we feel good doing the urgent stuff, and we feel guilty doing the important but not urgent stuff. Long term, firefighting the urgent stuff all the time is just stressful.

If we’re not focusing on that important non-urgent stuff, we will find that things start to become urgent because we’re not getting to them. That is the basis of the urgency trap. So what do we actually do about this? Well, firstly, recognise when you’re in it, recognise when you are spending most of your time in that urgent column, and then try and think to yourself, is there anything that I’m doing that feels urgent at the time that actually isn’t important that I can get rid of or I can get somebody else to do it?

I’m a great fan of delegation. That’s a topic for a completely different episode, but delegate as much as possible. If you’ve got stuff appearing particularly if it’s more in the non-important quadrant, think to yourself, actually who can do this, not how can I do it, but who can do this. That will really, really help. Then, work out how you are going to spend more time in the top right hand quadrant in that zone that is non urgent but important, and this is where it gets quite tricky.

Many of you who work in healthcare and many of you who are on the frontline client or patient facing will know that when you get to work, it’s straight into the day job, to seeing people and your schedule is often blocked out for the whole of the day. So some people will be thinking actually when is there time for me to block out and get to that really important stuff.

But the thing is there are times in the day that we can use, even if it’s just five or ten minutes. Many, many people when they get to work, if they’re not going straight into a clinic or a surgery or something like that, turn on their computer, and the first thing they do is open their emails and start dealing with emails. Emails often feel urgent, but only a few of them are really, really important. An email is a low focus task.

Emails are good to do maybe in that post lunch dip, where you’re a little bit more distracted, or maybe a bit tired at the end of the day. What I’m suggesting is that when you get to work, you do your important stuff first, even if it is just 15 minutes of working on that big project, of doing that presentation, of thinking through that problem. If you can do it before you even log on, that is brilliant.

Some of you may just need to check your emails just to check there is nothing come through that really requires answering just to put your mind at rest, but then turn off all your interruptions and sit down and put in time for deep work. Now, Cal Newport has written a fantastic book about this called Deep Work, and I would recommend anybody get this book, because as professionals, your job is to think.

Your job is to really battle with these problems. A lot of them don’t have easy solutions, and your job is to work this out. You can very rarely do that when you’re just firefighting urgent stuff. If you then get a deadline and you have to do this very quickly, your work won’t be of such high quality. So embrace the guilt of spending time on the stuff that is important rather than the stuff that is urgent because in the long term, that is where you’ll be powerful and you’ll be productive.

Set some time aside every day if you can to do some deep work. This might just be 10 minutes a day. You might get to the point where you can schedule a couple of hours in on one of the days of the week, but do this somewhere you won’t be disturbed, where you’re not getting notifications and interruptions. Do your best work at your best time. Most of us are the best in the morning.

For example, I am recording this episode first thing in the morning, when I know I am fresh, and I can do it. Some of you are better late at night, so if that’s what floats your boat, then set aside time later in the evening, and tackle those big, meaty important things first, because if you manage to do that, then actually everything else will seem easy. Some of you might be thinking, well, actually, when I do sit down to do this thinking time, what should I do?

What should I do in this deep work time? Well, I would suggest that anything that needs some real brain work that you might need to research a little bit, that you might need to be creative about, that should go in there. All those things that seem quite difficult, so planning a difficult conversation, or maybe replying to a complaint, those sorts of things where you really need to be at the top of your game that should go there.

If you don’t know where to start, what I suggest is you get a piece of paper, and you write down everything that’s bothering you right now. All those questions you don’t have the answer to, like how do I deal with this member of staff or where do I even begin with this, and then, you answer your questions yourself. You will be amazed at the answers you can generate, the way you can solve your own problems, if you just take the time to do it, to address it, to look at it.

So why don’t you, this week, schedule in 10 minutes a day to spend doing deep work and everyday see if you can build that up a little bit. You will need to block things out in your schedule because otherwise, other stuff will just get in there. Once you have blocked those things in, guard it with your life, because you will look back and you will see that time that you spent and you will know that it was not wasted.

You will know that that was the time where you started to take control of your workload and of your schedule. So I would love to know any other tips and hacks and ways that you have done this. Let me know, email me at hello@youarenotfrog.com and I’ll see you for the next episode.

Podcast Links

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Dr Abdullah Albeyatti talks about improving your life and career by making changes and taking risks. He explains why settling for the familiar could be slowly ruining your life and how you can avoid this situation. Finally, he shares his top three tips to become a changemaker in your field. If you want to start doing things differently, creating change, and take more risks, then this episode is for you!

Episode 102: Why FAIL is Not a 4-Letter Word

Drs Claire Edwin, Sally Ross, and Taj Hassan join us to discuss how we can manage and deal with our failures more effectively. We explore the idea that rather than doing something wrong, failure is an opportunity to really grow and learn both as individuals, as leaders and as organisations. In any situation, it’s important to remember that we’re all human. It’s okay to be honest with ourselves and each other about our mistakes - after all, vulnerability is not a sign of weakness. If you want to know how to change your mindset around failure, stay tuned to this episode.

Episode 101: Making Helpful Habits Stick with Sheela Hobden

Sheela Hobden joins us to discuss how we can harness the power of checklists to create a routine. She shares how you can approach your goals in a more realistic way and learn to encourage yourself using specific goal setting techniques. Sheela also recommends creating identity-based goals to ensure that you keep building your new identity even after completing certain milestones. Start small, and eventually, you’ll see these good habits stick!

Episode 100: Dealing With the Guilt of Not Being Okay With Dr Nik Kendrew

Dr Nik Kendrew unravels why we experience overwhelming guilt when bad things happen to us. He also shares some tips, techniques, and resources on how to deal with guilt, especially in these difficult times and circumstances. Apart from this, Nik talks about the significance of scheduling our entire day to do important things. Finally, he discusses why setting boundaries is necessary to maintain our sense of self.

Episode 99: How to Deal with Criticism When You’ve Reached Your Limit with Dr Sarah Coope and Dr Rachel Morris

Dr Sarah Coope joins me to talk about the workload of medical professionals and the benefits of setting boundaries while dealing with criticisms amidst the global pandemic. We discuss the three elements of the Drama Triangle and ways to navigate or avoid them reliably. As we dive deeper into the conversation, we explore the art of saying 'No' through acknowledging our limits. Awareness and recognition can go a long way in maintaining our boundaries. If you want to take the first step in recognising your limits, handling criticism better and setting proper boundaries, tune in to this episode.

Episode 96 – How to Deal with Difficult Meetings with Jane Gunn

We hear from the expert in conflict management and mediation, Jane Gunn. She discusses important tips to keep in mind to host great meetings. She shares some practical conflict management tips and how to make decisions that you and your team agree on. Jane also emphasises the importance of putting the fun back in functional meetings and the need to give a voice to participants.

Episode 93 – How to Delegate, Do It, or Drop It with Anna Dearmon Kornick

Anna Dearmon Kornick joins us to share the time management strategies crucial for busy professionals. She lays down tips on how medical practitioners can have more control over their days. Anna talks about how to manage admin time and imparts ways to combat distractions. We also discuss the importance of delegation both inside and outside work. For this, Anna introduces the passion-proficiency lens and knowing your zone of genius.

Episode 92 – How to Avoid Becoming the Second Victim with Dr Caraline Wright & Dr Lizzie Sweeting

Dr Caraline Wright and Dr Lizzie Sweeting join us to discuss the second victim phenomenon. They explain why patient safety incidents are occupational hazards and how they can affect healthcare providers. Caraline then shares her personal experience of being in the “second victim” role. Finally, they share tips on how to avoid second victimhood and how to provide support to someone going through it.

Episode 91 – How to Break Up With Your Toxic Relationship With Your Career with Dr Pauline Morris

Dr Pauline Morris joins us to share her career counselling advice for physicians and other professionals in high stress jobs. We discuss the common pitfalls that lead doctors to unsustainable work habits. Pauline also sheds light on why staying in your comfort zone can be detrimental to your performance. To avert this, she shares tips on how to better recognise and advocate for your own needs. We also learn about the importance of self-care and taking time for yourself.

Episode 90 – What to do About Bitching and Backbiting with Dr Edward Pooley

Dr Edward Pooley joins us again to discuss what to do when colleagues make inappropriate comments about others. We talk about why it’s crucial to consider the question behind the question in workplace backbiting. Ed also teaches us how to challenge in a supportive way. Most importantly, we learn some strategies to prepare ourselves to speak up when the situation requires it.

Episode 89 – Should I stay or should I go? with Corrina Gordon-Barnes

Corrina Gordon-Barnes joins us to share how to better relationships and take control and stay in your zone of power. She shares how to make a good decision by questioning thoughts and assumptions. We also discuss how you can change your perspective to become more compassionate, accepting, and empowered. If you want to know how to better relationships, stay in your zone of power, improve your decision-making skills, and be true to yourself, then tune in to this episode!

Episode 88 – How to Ditch the Saviour Complex and Feel More Alive with Rob Bell

Rob Bell joins us in this episode to discuss the perils of the saviour complex and the desire to keep hustling even when we’re miserable. We learn that taking time for rest and reflection only helps us get stronger. You can’t heal and help rebuild a broken system if you don’t look out for yourself first. Tune in to this episode to find out how to ditch the saviour complex, feel happier and live a more fulfilling life.

Episode 87 – Complaints and How to Survive Them Episode 5: What Should I Do When I Think a Complaint is Unfair? And Other Questions with Drs Sarah Coope, George Wright, Samantha White, and Andrew Tressider

We’re joined by a panel of expert guests to share their thoughts on how to handle complaints. Together, we discuss ways that you can adjust your perspective and respond to unfavourable situations. Most importantly, we tackle issues regarding malicious complaints and how to cope with them. If you’re having trouble managing yourself during complaints, then this episode is for you.

Episode 86 – Gaslighting and Other Ways We’re Abused at Work: What’s Really Going On? with Dr James Costello

Dr James Costello joins us to talk about his new book and the insidious ways that organisations and individuals can undermine us. They compel us to do extra emotional labour for us to cope with the workplace dynamics. We also chat about what happens when authority and power are misused. Finally, James shares some of the disastrous consequences bullying in the workplace can have and what we can do about it. Tune in if you want to know what to do if you suspect that you or a colleague are experiencing relational abuse in the workplace!

Episode 85 – How to have crucial conversations with Dr Edward Pooley

Good communication between colleagues is crucial for the success of any organisation. Dr Edward Pooley joins us again to teach us how to communicate well. He discusses the three strands present in any conversation and helps us understand how we can be more aware of each. We also share some frameworks that can help you navigate difficult conversations. Understanding the importance of emotion is crucial in being an effective communicator and connecting with your team.

Episode 84 – Complaints and How to Survive Them Episode 4: Creating a Workplace Where It’s OK to Fail

Professor Susan Fairley and Dr Jane Sturgess join us to discuss how to create a workplace that doesn’t shy away from failure. We talk about how civility can save lives and also touch on the issues around incident reporting in healthcare. Most importantly, we talk about creating a culture where people can have difficult conversations without defensiveness. If you want to know how to approach failing and speaking up in the workplace, tune in to this episode.

Episode 83 – The Ups and Downs of Being a Man-Frog with Dr Chris Hewitt

Joining us in this episode is Dr Chris Hewitt who also uses the metaphor of a man-frog in coaching professionals to have a better work-life balance. Chris talks about why we find it so hard to recognise burnout. He also shares his top tips and practical strategies to address work dissatisfaction. If you want to stop feeling like a man (or woman) - frog in a pan of slowly boiling water, listen to the full episode.

Episode 82 – Complaints and How to Survive Them Series Episode 3: Surviving the Process

Drs Jessica Harland, Caroline Walker and Heidi Mousney join us in this episode to discuss healthcare professionals’ experiences when dealing with complaints. We talk about the different emotions you may experience and practical tips on getting through. If you want to know how to survive the process after making a mistake at work and receiving a complaint, stay tuned to this episode.

Episode 81 – When Soft and Fluffy Met Coronavirus with Steve Andrews

Steve Andrews, Associate Director of Leadership for East and North Herts NHS Trust shares how, through using just five crucial questions, you can check in on people, rather than check up on them. The 5 questions will help you to find out how people really are, help them look out for their colleagues, empower them to solve their own problems AND communicate empathy and support. Want to know how you can apply compassionate leadership in your organisation? Then, this episode is for you.

Episode 80 – Complaints and How to Survive Them Episode 2: What to Do When You Make a Mistake with Drs Clare Devlin and Dr John Powell

Drs Clare Devlin and John Powell join us to discuss the proper way of responding to professional mistakes. We talk about why doctors have a hard time whenever they make a mistake at work. Clare and John also share valuable advice on minimising negative consequences and getting a good outcome for you and your patient. If you want to learn a roadmap for what you should do you make a mistake at work, then tune in to this episode.

Episode 79 – How to Give Yourself Permission to Thrive with Dr Katya Miles

Dr Katya Miles joins us once again to talk about burnout and giving ourselves permission to thrive. Having experienced work burnout, Katya shares her story and discusses the red flags of burnout. We also talk about why we find it difficult to give ourselves permission to thrive and how we can overcome our own internal barriers. If you want to learn about how you can listen to your needs so that you can thrive in work and in life, then this episode is for you.

Episode 78 – Complaints and How to Survive Them Series 1: Preparing to Fail Well with Drs Sarah Coope, Annalene Weston and Sheila Bloomer

Drs Sarah Coope, Annalene Weston and Sheila Bloomer join us in this first episode in a new series on ‘Complaints and How to Survive Them’ to talk about coaching doctors and dentists through complaints made against them. We also talk about the perfectionist mindset and how changing our perspective towards failure can help us and those around us. If you want to know how to deal better with complaints made against doctors and other professionals in high-stress jobs, stay tuned to this episode.

Episode 77 – Denial, displacement and other ways we neglect ourselves with Dr Andrew Tresidder

Dr Andrew Tresidder joins us to talk about how many medical practitioners and other professionals in healthcare and high stress jobs neglect their health and well-being. We're so focused on taking care of others that we forget to take care of ourselves but our well-being is vital if we want to keep doing the work we do. Find out why healthcare professionals need to learn more about health, as opposed to only learning about disease and if you want to know how to focus on taking care of your health and well-being, stay tuned to this episode.

Episode 76 – Tech Tips for Happy Hybrid Working with Dr Hussain Gandhi

Dr Hussain Gandhi, or Dr Gandalf of eGPlearning, joins us in this episode. He is a GP, PCN director and host of the eGP Learning Podblast that shares deep dives into health tech for primary care. He shares his tech and time hacks for hybrid working to survive and thrive in the new virtual environment. If you want to find out how to improve your hybrid working experience, then tune in to this episode!

Episode 74 – Managing your Time in a System Which Sucks with Dr Ed Pooley

Dr Ed Pooley joins us in this episode to share his take on time management techniques for busy individuals. He discusses the three types of competing demands and how to manage them. We also talk about being more comfortable holding difficult conversations about workplace issues - vital to help change the environment we work in. Tune into this episode to discover how time management techniques and communication can help you get a calmer and more time-efficient workplace.

Episode 73 – How to Find Your Tribe: The PMGUK story with Dr Nazia Haider and Dr Katherine Hickman

Dr Nazia Haider and Dr Katherine Hickman join us on this episode to discuss the importance of a work community. We talk about the inspiring stories from the online community they created, the Physicians Mums Group UK (PMGUK). Nazia and Katherine also share their tips on how to increase connections and find your own tribe at work. If you want to know how to create a network of supportive colleagues and feel more connected, then tune into this episode.

Episode 72 – Working well – from anywhere! with Dr Katya Miles

Dr Katya Miles joins us to discuss how to work well from home by creating healthy boundaries. She shares how to be more productive by using the third space hack and taking breaks. Katya also talks about how to be more active and better connect with people in the workplace. If you want to learn about working well from home and achieving a better work-life balance, then tune in to this episode.

Episode 71 – Create a Career You’ll Love with Dr Claire Kaye

Dr Claire Kaye joins us to discuss how to find a career you love. As an executive coach specialising in career development, Claire is an expert in guiding people how to find a career they love. We talk about the value of job networking and diversifying in our career journeys. We also share our tips and experiences on how to find a career you love. We do this by helping you identify the roles that best suit you and how to go about getting these roles.

Episode 70 – How Safe Do You Feel at Work with Scott Chambers

Scott Chambers joins us to talk about why we need to make people feel comfortable and safe enough to speak up in their workplace. When we create psychological safety in our team, we improve overall happiness and boost performance! If you want to learn how to create psychological safety for a better and happier team - whether you’re the boss or not, stay tuned to this episode.

Episode 69 – Make Time for What Matters with Liz O’Riordan

Liz O'Riordan joins us to share productivity life hacks. These have helped her transform how she approaches work. Now, Liz can spend quality time with her family and enjoy life. In this episode, she teaches us how we too can achieve this. If you want to learn some new life hacks, beat burnout and work happier, then tune in to this episode!

Episode 68 – The Revolutionary Art of Breathing with Richard Jamieson

Richard Jamieson discusses how we can utilise breathing techniques to feel calmer, make better decisions and be more productive. He explains the different steps we can take to change our breathing patterns. When you’re in a high-stress situation, remember this: just breathe. If you want to know how to use breathing techniques to beat stress in everyday situations, stay tuned to this episode.

Episode 67 – Bringing Your Best Self to Work with Dr Sarah Goulding

Dr Sarah Goulding discusses how to bring your whole self to work without leaving bits of you behind. Sarah shares her own story of experiencing burnout at her old job and rediscovering her true passion. We also discuss how applying our core strengths to our jobs can mean the difference between burnout and having a sense of fulfilment. Don’t miss out on this episode if you want to learn more about how to be yourself and how to bring joy back into your work!

Episode 65 – Passing the Naughty Monkey Back with Dr Amit Sharma

Dr Amit Sharma joins us to discuss the effects of taking on too many of other people’s ‘naughty monkeys’. We talk about why professionals in high-stress jobs so often take on the rescuer role and how to shift that mindset. Amit and I also discuss the importance of empowering patients to take control of their own health. If you want to know how to avoid being weighed down by too many naughty monkeys, stay tuned to this episode.

Episode 64 – What to Do When You’re Out of Fuel with Dr Jess Harvey

Dr Jess Harvey, a GP partner and GB triathlete, talks about what happened to her after running out of fuel and feeling burnt out. She discusses how we often ignore the symptoms and signs for too long and why resting and refuelling is as important as what we're doing in the first place. If you’re feeling burnt out, tune in to this episode to find out how you can plug the holes in your energy bucket!

Episode 63 – How to Survive Even When Times are Tough with Dr Caroline Walker

This episode is part of the COVID-19 Supporting Doctors series, and joining us again is Dr Caroline Walker. She's here to discuss why rest is crucial, especially for people in high-stress jobs. Caroline also shares key strategies that can keep us going through the crisis. The previous year has been tough, so don’t miss this episode to start 2021 better prepared.

Episode 62 – Self-Coaching for Success with Dr Karen Castille, OBE

Dr Karen Castille joins me in this episode to discuss her book on self-coaching. She shares powerful questions to ask yourself which will jumpstart your self-coaching journey. She also talks about the importance of developing this vital skill and crafting powerful life questions. Before we close the show, Karen gives her top tips for self-coaching. Don’t miss this episode if you want to learn how you can find clarity and achieve success through self-coaching!

Episode 61 – The Self Help Book Group on Happiness with Dr Nik Kendrew

In this episode, You Are Not A Frog regular Dr Nik Kendrew joins me to discuss the concept of happiness. We tackle the everlasting question of ‘What is happiness’? We also talk about perfectionism and fear and how these can hinder us from doing the things we want to do. At the end of the show, Nik and I give our top tips to being happier. If you want to know more about living a happy life, then this episode is for you.

Episode 60 – Creating a Workplace that Works with Dr Sonali Kinra

Dr Sonali Kinra joins us to discuss why people leave their jobs and how to prevent it. We talk about the importance of workplace culture and its role in creating an environment that makes people want to stay. We also discuss why you need to seek opportunities that broaden and develop your career. Don’t miss this episode if you want to find out how to keep yourself in a job you love.

Episode 59 – A Social Dilemma? With Dr James Thambyrajah

In this episode, Dr James Thambyrajah joins us to talk about social media’s subtle yet profound effect on our daily lives. We discuss the perils of being unaware of how our online decisions are influenced. James also shares his insights on how we can improve how we stay informed and inform others. Tune in to this episode if you want to learn more about how to go beyond your digital echo chamber.

Episode 55 – The One About Alcohol

Dr Giles P Croft is back to chat with Rachel about his experiences following a revolutionary read he was recommended. You might remember Giles from episode 46, where he talked about how as humans, we naturally default to happiness.

Episode 52 – A year of the frog

The week’s episode is a special one as the Frog celebrates a year of podcasting! It’s been quite a year - including charting in Apple’s Top 100 Business Podcasts in the UK!

Episode 50 – Freeing yourself from the money trap

Joining Rachel in this week’s episode is Dr Tommy Perkins, as well as being a GP Partner, and father, Tommy is one half of Medics Money. Medics Money is an organisation specifically aimed at helping doctors make better decisions with their finances. It’s run by Tommy and Dr Ed Cantelo who is not only a doctor but a qualified accountant.

Episode 49 – The Self Help Book Group No 2 with Nik Kendrew

This week Rachel is joined by You Are Not A Frog regular, Nik Kendrew. Last time Nik joined us, we discussed a book that has helped him in his professional life as a GP, trainer and partner as well as his personal life. Nik’s back this week to talk about another brilliant book and to share what insights and learnings he’s gained from it.

Episode 47 – How to Have a Courageous Conversation

Rachel talks with Beccie D'Cunha about the conversations that we avoid and the conversations we really need to have with our colleagues, teams and managers. They can be described as difficult conversations, but we can redefine them as courageous conversations - because ultimately it takes courage for both parties to listen and be heard.

Episode 46 – Default to happy

Rachel talks with Dr Giles P Croft about his take on how to beat stress and burnout. Giles  is a psychology graduate and former NHS surgeon who stepped aside from clinical practice for a decade to explore a number of career paths, including health informatics, cycling journalism, public speaking and high street retail with his wife.

Episode 45 – Rest. The final frontier

Rachel is joined by Sheela Hobden, Professional Certified Coach, wellbeing expert and fellow Shapes Toolkit facilitator. We talk about why rest isn’t just important for wellbeing, but important for productivity and creativity too. 

Episode 40 – Leading with tough love with Gary Hughes

In this episode, Rachel is joined by Gary Hughes, author of the book Leadership in Practice, blogger, educator and facilitator who is a Practice Manager by day. We chat about how leadership in the COVID-19 crisis has had to adapt, and the different roles that a leader has had to take.

Episode 37 – How to manage conflict during COVID with Jane Gunn

Rachel is thrilled to welcome back Jane Gunn – lawyer, mediator and expert in conflict resolution who has been known as the Corporate Peacemaker. This episode is for you if the thought of addressing a difficult issue with one of your colleagues send you running for the hills…

Episode 20 – A creative solution to stress with Ruth Cocksedge

In this episode, Rachel is joined by Ruth Cocksedge a Practitioner Psychologist who started her career as a mental health nurse. She practices in Cambridge and has a particular interest in EMDR for PTSD and creative writing as a way to improve mental health and wellbeing.

Episode 11 – The magical art of reading sweary books

In this episode, Rachel is joined once again by Dr Liz O’Riordan, the ‘Breast Surgeon with Breast Cancer’, TEDx speaker, author, blogger, triathlete and all round superstar who has been nominated for ‘Woman of the Year’.

Previous Podcasts

2023-02-03T11:23:26+01:00
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