Creating the right work and home balance is very important in today’s society. We are all in a hurry to get through our days and then repeat the process again the next day. However, striking the right balance as a surgeon and a father is challenging due to the nature of each job. You strive to give 110% during each surgery as well as at home with your own kids. Sometimes it’s hard to leave what happened in the operating room at the hospital and focus on your loved ones at home. Creating the right balance means more than just spending time with your kids. Here are some ways to create a better balance for surgeons and fatherhood:

Leave your surgeries at the hospital. We all carry what went on at our workplace home with us. It’s a natural habit because we vent about it to our partner or ruminate on what happened. When you leave the hospital for the day, take a few moments in a quiet place to relax and visualize the stresses of the day melting away. This will renew your energy and you will be able to enter your home in a better frame of mind.

Eat meals together. This may be difficult in the morning since everyone in your household has different schedules. For example, your youngest child may still be asleep when you leave for work. However, you can plan dinner time to be family meals. This is when everyone sits down and has the opportunity to discuss their day. It’s the perfect way to get caught up on important events for each family member.

Vacation Time. This goes without being said that vacation time should be used as that — vacation time. The vacation should be spent away from home and the location should be agreed upon by all family members. During the vacation, it is important that time be equally spent with each child as well as to be fully present. Being fully present is not as easy as it sounds because work issues tend to creep into our brains at any moment. It’s crucial that you recognize when this happens and shut them down.

Date Night. Along with spending quality time with the kids, you cannot forget to spend quality time with your partner. Schedules and work issues can take up the majority of your week and by the time the weekend comes, you and your partner are too tired to connect. Scheduling a date night, even if it’s one month, is sure to recharge your relationship as well as create time to really speak to one another (and not “kidspeak”). When you and your partner are on the same page, everything runs much more smoothly.