The doctor is out...

Psychologists, self-help gurus, maybe even your own mother are forever advocating a life in balance. Work hard but not too hard. Make time for family and friends. Pursue a hobby or practice a favorite sport. Do something-anything-so that you don't burn out.

Easy to say; hard to do. But a lot of your colleagues have successfully carved out quality time for themselves. What are they doing when they're not seeing patients, dictating chart notes, or fielding phone calls? We asked our Kitchen Cabinet, an informal group of Medical Economics readers, and got some intriguing responses. For example:

Read on for several more-detailed descriptions of some of your colleagues' extracurricular activities. Maybe one will be just the thing you need to recharge your batteries.

Creating works of art from pieces of wood

Jeffrey Schultz, an FP in Baltimore, learned woodworking as a preteen from his father, a hobbyist woodworker. "I started in college by making shelves, a crude desk, and a bed," he says. He has since enhanced and refined his skills by taking weeklong classes in furniture-making, joinery (the craft of combining pieces of wood without nails), and marquetry (material, such as wood or ivory, is applied to a wood surface and then veneered to another surface for decoration).