This week was a week of relatively mundane problems coming into my door - "I need a new script, my bloods are due to be checked, time for my flu vaccine...". It's certainly a challenge to keep motivated and alert at work sometimes, especially when you have been there a while, but it is important.

In my case obviously a GP needs to keep alert to the presence of subtle differences that turns something that sounds benign (and usually far more common) to a sinister sounding problem that needs more scrutiny; but it is important in any field, for you and the people you are serving/helping.

My own trick would be to aim for new levels of mastery:

While studying I used to work as a kitchen hand in an aged care facility. Initially I needed to learn the job and master each of the skills to be a valuable employee. Once this was achieved and embedded in my brain, I needed further challenge - I would try to isolate each skill (dishwashing, floor mopping etc.) and hone these until each was at the maximal level I could manage. Once this was mastered, then came organising the skills collectively in a way to make the process streamlined. With each time working through the process I would become more and more efficient.

There will always be days that feel like a drag, but motivating yourself doesn't have to be difficult.