Forget

Introduction

Forgetting is part of life and people forget surprisingly fast.

• Due to limited storage in our brain, our brain is selectively storing and erasing memory daily.
• Even the things that you used to do daily now, you may also forget one day.

Let us live in the present moment, instead of constantly reminiscing about past glories and happy moments.

• Truth be told, we have likely forgotten many of the struggles we endured during our school years, such as endless homework and examinations.

Creating Notes

I have been working at outpatient pharmacy for few years, and by now, I have forgotten most or all knowledge on IV drugs and dosing.

• I could hardly remember much on pharmacology that I memorized during university years too.
• Yes, once we stop using the knowledge, we start to forget slowly.

Hence, it becomes a habit for me to create notes when memory is still fresh.

Till today, I still remember this statement in the preface to the first edition of Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine:

• "We wrote this book not because we know so much, but because we know we remember so little..."

When I first started my job, I used to scribble notes on a paper when listening to training courses. Most of us believe we will keep it safely for future use. However, the papers are thrown after few months (or years). Hence, these days, I choose to type the key information into mobile note taking application, such as Google Keep.

Struggle at Work

Often, we forgotten who we once were.

• Yes, we are all once juniors and could face some struggles at work.
• Things get better with time, but the struggle is there.

At times, we might lose passion at work due to job burnout.

• Theoretically, the manpower should be more than enough to cope with the workload, but there are always sloths, snails, snakes and worms.
• There is a saying that says," If you cannot win them, then join them.".

There are also times that we have some dissatisfaction with the management. Hence, once we become part of management team, we should improve the situation, rather than taking the easy path of avoiding change. As a reminder for future me,

• We should lead by example, instead of blinding giving commands with overwhelming and unrealistic expectations.
• Have a mutual respect to all individuals.
• Be opened minded to suggestions and gives reasonable explanations on the decisions that we made today.
• Be transparent on information sharing.
• Make a well-polished plan with transition phase, instead of an overnight decision.
• Adequate training should be emphasized - if possible, before commencement of work.
• We should not guilt trip staffs to do things, especially those that is against their interest.
• Every individual, being married or single, also has equal lots of commitments to themselves and families.
• Try not to disturb at after office hours since everyone is having their own life too.
• The works for the sake of statistics and documentations should be abolished if it is not making any impact.
• Public hospitals and clinics are all working under ministry of health, not as an individual entity of business.
• Be judgmental on an issue professionally, instead of being too personal.
• Remember, everyone starts with inexperience, and it takes time to hone skills and increase speed. You were once in their shoes, so be patient and encouraging.
• Apart considering issues from management position, try to look at the current issue from a tiny potato staff perspective.
• For we are not in people's shoes, we may not fully understand the burden.
• Do not think about work after office hours.

NOTE: We should strive not to become the type of leader we once found distasteful.

Forget to Appreciate

In our fast-paced lives, we often forget to appreciate the things people do for us and take them for granted.

• Let us remember that nobody owes us anything, and every act of kindness, big or small, is worthy of recognition and appreciation.

We shall not be angry when people do not do what we expected, or they do it wrongly based on our own standards or preferences.

• When we reflect on our lives in 10 years, the things that currently seem like big issues or concerns will likely appear small and insignificant in retrospect.