Small Chapters, Big Impact: A Microdose Reading List for Physicians

If you’re a physician who wants to read more but can’t imagine adding another obligation to your growing to-do list, this article is for you. And if you’re looking for a thoughtful gift for your favorite doctor, you’ve come to the right place.

As a reader who is often pressed for time, I’m sharing five books that are designed to be “microdosed”—read in tiny, potent chapters that you can fit into the beginning or end of your day.

Each book offers practical tools and reflective prompts that can spark curiosity, strengthen communication, help you reconnect with yourself, and deepen your experience of mindfulness and presence.

📘Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts is the latest book from one of my favorite authors. You might also check out Burkeman’s 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, a 2021 best-seller that offers a profound reality check.

This slim collection of reflections offers bite-sized philosophical resets for anyone who feels stretched thin or caught in constant urgency. Burkeman’s writing is grounding, perspective-shifting, and even soothing. It’s perfect for when you’re navigating complexity in daily life.

Why it’s worth your time:

🪷Provides a calm counterpoint to pressure, metrics, and nonstop decision-making

🪷Reconnects you with meaning beyond your to-do list

🪷Encourages presence, acceptance, and clarity

How you can use it:

Each chapter works like a micro-practice: read a single page, pause, and carry the insight forward into your day.

📘In Short: A Collection of Brief Creative Nonfiction edited by Judith Kitchen & Mary Paumier Jones

In Short: A Collection of Brief Creative Nonfiction is a wonderful anthology of tiny essays, some no longer than a paragraph, that spark curiosity, empathy, and imagination. It was recommended by one of my MFA professors at the University of Hartford, but it’s perfect for physicians who want to reconnect with creativity or rediscover reflective thinking.

Why it’s worth your time:

🪷Strengthens reflection and narrative thinking in just a few pages at a time

🪷Opens space for exploring different perspectives, including those that may mirror the experiences of your patients or colleagues

🪷Inspires you to observe the world (and yourself) in new ways

🪷A lovely way to close the day with a short piece that lets your mind unwind

How you can use it:

Use any essay as a journaling or self-reflection prompt. You might ask yourself:

What surprised me?

What emotion did this evoke?

What memory or connection does this spark?

📘The Next Conversation by Jefferson Fisher

You may know Jefferson Fisher from his wildly popular podcast. His book is just as entertaining, and equally actionable.

Written in short, punchy chapters, his framework is especially valuable for physicians who want to stay clear-headed, confident, and calm in challenging interactions. In The Next Conversation, Fisher distills communication into simple, repeatable skills.

Why it’s worth your time:

🪷Boosts emotional intelligence and relational presence 

🪷Helps you stay steady during difficult conversations with patients, colleagues, or family 

🪷Reduces conflict and misunderstanding through simple, actionable shifts

How you can use it:

Every chapter includes practical tools, including scripts, mindset shifts, reflection questions, or “try this today” strategies, that you can immediately apply to your real-world conversations.

📘The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad

Part memoir, part creative workbook, Jaouad’s Book of Alchemy invites you to explore healing, identity, and transformation in small, beautifully crafted pieces. It’s ideal for reconnecting with your self and finding your own True North, whether that’s during transitions, burnout recovery, or times when life feels heavy or out of sync.

Why it’s worth your time:

🪷Supports emotional renewal and personal clarity

🪷Helps you explore who you are beyond your professional role 

🪷Encourages creativity, meaning-making, and gentle introspection

How you can use it:

The brief daily readings include writing prompts, short creative exercises, rituals, and reflective questions. You can complete a single prompt in a few minutes and feel the shift immediately.

📘The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll

One of my long-time favorites, The Bullet Journal Method offers strategies for goal setting and purpose building in digestible chunks. Unlike the bullet journals you might have encountered on social media, Carroll’s method doesn’t require artistic spreads or elaborate pages. Instead, the power lies in simple, structured thinking which, when practiced regularly, will help you to define and achieve your goals.

Why it’s worth your time:

🪷Helps you capture scattered thoughts and transform them into clear action

🪷Reduces cognitive overload, especially during busy days at work

🪷Supports mindful time management and values-aligned decision-making

How you can use it:

Try a daily log, monthly reflection, a simple habit tracker—or all of the above. Even using one or two tools can dramatically improve your focus and follow-through.

Some Final Thoughts

Each book in this list offers deep insight in small, manageable doses. Whether you’re seeking clarity, creativity, impactful conversations, or a more organized mind, these five titles provide accessible and inspiring ways to support your wellbeing, one short and beautifully written chapter at a time.

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Journaling for Physicians: Find Balance, Gain Clarity, and Envision Your Future

Journaling can help you to perceive the lines that connect the dots. Through this accessible and time-tested form of self-reflection, you can build stronger connections with what and who matters most, At the same time, a writing practice may help you to give name to the obstacles that may be keeping you from living a life aligned with your values and goals.

In previous articles, we’ve explored the way that journaling can help you think through challenges, reflect on the present, and see yourself through your own words and dreams. In this third and final set of journaling prompts for physicians, I offer prompts that you can use to explore your own definition of balance both now and for the future.

As you gain clarity on the ways the diverse branches of your life intertwine, unexpected or creative ways to bring harmony to your work, your personal life, and your passion projects may emerge. Through journaling, you'll gain a deeper understanding of how you want to shape the life you envision. You may even rediscover a path that you lost sight of years ago and find that it is ready to be explored once again.

Finding Balance

1. How do my work, personal projects, family, and relationships influence each other? Are they currently in harmony? If not, what might need to change?

2. What does a balanced and fulfilling life look like to me? How close am I to that vision? What small steps might I take to start the journey?

3. Are there areas of my life (work, personal projects, family, or relationships) that I feel are receiving too much or too little attention? How can I redistribute my time and energy?

4. How do I prioritize between competing demands from work, personal projects, and loved ones? Is this system serving me well?

5. What is one thing I could change this month to better integrate work, personal projects, family, and relationships?

Creating Alignment

1. How do my work and personal projects align with my values and the type of life I want to build for myself, my family and/or my relationships?

2. What shared values or goals do I want to cultivate in my family and/or relationships, and how can my work and personal projects support these?

3. Are there ways I can involve my loved ones in my personal projects or bring my personal passions into my professional life?

4. Are there personal projects that I enjoy or aspire to that could open the door to new and sustaining relationships or communities? If so, how might that look?

Evaluating Impact

1. How does my work affect my personal projects, family, and relationships? Are these effects positive or negative? What adjustments could I make so that the impact is positive and sustaining?

2. How do my personal projects enrich my work, family life, or relationships? Are there new projects I could pursue to strengthen these connections?

3. When was the last time I felt deeply connected to both my professional and personal life simultaneously? What factors contributed to that feeling?

Fostering Connection

1. How do I make space for meaningful connections with my family and/or relationships despite work and personal project commitments? Is there one thing I could do this week to foster a deeper connection?

2. What specific actions can I take to ensure my loved ones feel valued and supported while I also pursue my work and personal goals?

3. How can I communicate my professional and/or personal aspirations and priorities with my family and relationships in a way that strengthens our connection?

Reframing Challenges

1. What challenges arise from balancing work, personal projects, family, and/or relationships? How can I view these challenges as opportunities for growth?

2. How do I handle moments when one area of life feels overwhelming and starts to impact others? What strategies or boundaries might help?

3. Are there sacrifices I’m making in one area of life for another? Are those sacrifices necessary or avoidable?

4. Is there something that I should let go of in order to give space for other opportunities, or for my relationships?

Visioning the Future

1. What would an ideal day look like if I seamlessly integrated work, personal projects, family, and/or relationships? What steps can I take toward that vision?

2. How do I want my work, personal projects, family, and relationships to evolve in the next 5-10 years? What specific actions can I take to guide this evolution?

3. Imagine celebrating a major milestone in my personal or professional life with my loved ones. What does that moment look and feel like, and how can I create more of those moments?

Reflecting on Fulfillment

1. What brings me the deepest sense of fulfillment? How can I prioritize those elements so that it encompasses the people and things that matter the most to me?

2. How do I ensure that my successes in work and personal projects don’t come at the expense of meaningful relationships and family life?

3. What legacy do I want to leave behind in my career, personal life, and relationships? Are my current efforts moving me toward that legacy?

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this journaling series. If you have any prompts that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you!

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary coaching discovery session, click the button below.

Connecting With Your Inner Wisdom: A Journaling Guide for Physicians

With countless demands on your time and attention, it’s easy to lose touch with yourself as you slingshot from one task to the next. This can get you through the day, but after a few months, years, or maybe even decades of living this way, it can be difficult to find your way back to your true self.

I know this, because I experienced this sense of disconnection firsthand. From starting medical school in 1984, through decades of practice, I felt as if I was on a treadmill. I was constantly striving for the next level, whatever that was, and rarely taking a chance to pause or to celebrate. I stayed active, had hobbies and friends, but it all felt pretty frantic. As I began to contemplate my life after cardiology, I wasn’t exactly sure who the “real” me was, or what she wanted next. That’s when I began journaling as a regular practice.

As a full time cardiologist with a busy practice, my days and evenings were highly regimented, with little room to add on yet another task. I was getting nowhere with perseverating over what was making me discontent, and I knew that I needed a way to sort things out.

Journaling was something that I played with over the years, but the habit had never stuck. To be honest, the empty pages always felt a little daunting. So this time, I made a commitment to myself to spend just 10 minutes a day sitting with my thoughts.

The Power of Journaling: A Path Back to Your True Self

Every evening I would pose questions to myself, trying to unravel the knots that I had tied over the years, until I rediscovered the threads that could lead me to my next steps. And remarkably, the process worked! Through introspection and time, I developed a set of goals and a sequence of tiny little steps that got me farther than I ever could have imagined.

This article is the first in a three-part series. In each one, I’ll share a different collection of journaling prompts designed to help you to connect your own dots and rediscover what truly matters to you. Whether you’re exploring a new professional path, planning for retirement, or seeking greater happiness and satisfaction in your life, these prompts will guide you towards clarity and self-awareness.

Getting Started with Journaling

Journaling is a wonderful way to access your own thoughts and values, getting in touch with what matters most to you. It’s a form of mindfulness that doesn’t require any skills or knowledge. All you need is a pen and paper and as few as five minutes.

Why do I say pen and paper, and not a keyboard? Because research has convincingly shown that writing by hand is far more activating for the brain than typing. Newer devices that save and transcribe handwriting, like the reMarkable, may help to bridge the gap between analogue and tech. If writing doesn’t come easily, you could also experiment with dictation. Most important is that you find something that works for you and feels comfortable and natural.  

Journaling to Uncover Your Next Steps

This series of prompts will help you to reflect on your values and your sense of purpose, realigning the trajectory your life into something that feels resonant and clear.

For a kick start, if you haven’t already completed the Values Workbook, this is a great time to begin that exercise. You can get your free copy through my website.

Don’t feel as if you need to take on every prompt. There’s a lot to ponder here! Perhaps choose one or two for the week and see where it takes you.

Exploring Your Values

1. What do I value most about my role as a physician? Are these values reflected in my daily work and life? If not, what changes would need to happen in order for my values to be aligned with my work?

2. If I could describe the legacy I want to leave in one sentence, what would it be? How do I want people to remember me?

3. When have I felt most fulfilled in my career? What about those moments made them meaningful?

Clarifying Your Purpose

1. Why did I choose to become a physician? Does that "why" still resonate with me today? If it has changed, does it still feel true? And if not, what is missing?

2. What parts of my work energize me the most? How can I focus more on these aspects?

3. How does my work align with my personal definition of success? Where am I now in relation to that definition?

Evaluating Your Current Path

1. If my current career trajectory continued for the next 10 years, would I feel proud and content with my life?

2. What sacrifices am I making to sustain my current career path, and are they worth it?

3. Are there aspects of my personal life or passions that I’ve neglected? How can I reintegrate them?

Imagining the Future

1. If I could design my ideal work-life balance, what would it look like? What small steps could I take to get closer to that vision? What could I do today that would start to change things?

2. Imagine a day in your dream life. What are you doing, who are you with, and how do you feel?

3. What skills or interests do I have that I’m not currently using in my career? How might I incorporate them? And what skills do I wish I had? Are they important enough that I want to explore how to acquire them?

Confronting Barriers

1. What fears or doubts are holding me back from making a change I know I need? Are these fears grounded in reality? If so, is there something within my power to change?

2. Who or what am I afraid of disappointing if I follow my heart? How might I address that fear?

3. What is the worst that could happen if I pursued a career change or took on a new role? What strategies could I take to mitigate that? Are there other opportunities that outcome might open up for me?

Building Resilience and Courage

1. When have I faced significant challenges and grown from them? What strengths did I discover?

2. What does courage look like for me right now? How can I embody it in my decisions?

3. Who in my life inspires me to live authentically? What lessons can I learn from them?

Finding Alignment

1. Are there moments in my work when I feel disconnected from my authentic self? How can I realign?

2. How do I want to feel at the end of each day? What changes would help me experience that feeling more often?

3. What small, actionable steps can I take this week to bring more meaning into my work and life?

Cultivating Gratitude and Joy

1. What aspects of my career am I most grateful for? How can I focus more on these positives?

2. When was the last time I felt joy in my personal or professional life? What contributed to that moment?

3. What can I do today to make space for more joy and connection in my life?

In the next article in this series, I’ll share prompts to guide your exploration of personal projects, family connections, and meaningful relationships. The final article of the series explores journaling to envision your future.

If these prompts have been useful, or if you have some of your own that you’d like to share, drop me a line! I’d love to hear from you.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I may earn a small commission when you click on the links, at no additional cost to you. These commissions help to support the website.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary coaching discovery session, click the button below.