Time management for doctors

Where does your time go ?• Do you make your patients wait because

you are always running late ?• Do you find it impossible to pursue a hobby

because you are too busy ?• Are you getting fat because you cannot find

time to exercise ?• Have you missed your daughter's school

play ?

Answers ?

Time management for doctors• Problems have become worse• Smartphone - expected to be on call 24/7• Our time is not our own - doctors live

chaotic lives• Daily wage earners• No work life balance• Burnout !

The time paradox•You are the most valuable resource in your clinic•You are the bottle neck in your clinic

Improving your time management skills

• How do you currently spend your day. Are you being effective ? Or incompetent ? Use an app to track your time, so you can see where it goes !• Are you a lark ? Or an owl ?

5 Principles• Set priorities• Delegate responsibility• Say NO !• Organise your work area• Don’t waste time !

Classify priorities in 4 time categories

•Do it now•Do it soon•Put off until later•Doesn't need to be done

4 Ds of handling Email• Delete: half of the emails you get can probably

be deleted immediately. • Do: if the email is urgent or can be completed

quickly. • Delegate: if the email can be better dealt with

by someone else. • Defer: set aside time at a later date to spend

on emails that require longer action.

Delegate !• You are the bottle neck in your clinic – and

the most highly paid resource• What can you get someone else to do ?• Create clear SOPs with a due date• Remember there is a learning curve – be

patient and follow up • Don’t dump your work on an assistant!

Medical SOPs –http://www.freeprintablemedicalforms.com

Learn to say No !

• If you don't think you would benefit or enjoy something, say no• Chances are, someone else will

appreciate the opportunity to get involved• Guard your time – it’s too precious to

fritter away on pointless meetings

Is your desk like this ?

Simplify !

• Get rid of clutter• Throw away stuff you haven’t

used in the last year• Give away useful items that you

no longer need to someone who will make good use of them.

Personal productivity tools to help you manage your time better

• Time trackers for analysis . When are you most productive ?• Apps to improve your focus• To do lists to track your tasks and

goals• Tools to help you find everything you

need instantly !

Evernote – never forget anything !

To – do lists• List your tasks , so you can organise your

day• You feel good when you strike them off the

list ! • 2 tips–Budget for unforeseen delays– Block private time for yourself

(meditation)

Any.do = Task list

Do It Tomorrow = Task list

CamCard – Business card scanner

App to help you stop wasting time on your smartphone !

Work smarter, not harder• Time management is about behaviour, not

time. We all have only 24 hours in a day• Match your behaviour with your

priorities and goals• Like any skill,

it takes time to master.

The 3 buckets in which your time goes

• Doctoring time = doing valuable clinical work. When you are in flow = in the Operation Theater• Delegate-able time• Downtime = wasted time. Causes

frustration

Make use of your down time = hidden time

• Time lost while waiting for meetings; patients; and while commuting. • Reclaim this time !• Read medical journals on your smartphone• Listen to CME podcasts• Multitasking !

Your poor patients

Why are you always running late ?

• Staffing issues ( insufficient, unreliable, unproductive staff)

• Emergencies (unexpected complications) • Scheduling problems (overbooking)• The heartsink patient –

long list of complaints and inquiries

• Like making patients wait !

5 Ss of productivity in your clinic• Style

–How you manage your time

• Staff• Space• Signage• Systems– SOPs for patient flow

Ask your staff for help !

• Brainstorm about the ways that time is wasted • Come up with strategies to

reduce these inefficiencies

How to make sure you are always on time !

• The consultation is free if you are more than 60 min late

How to make better use of your time with your patients• No interruptions when you are with a

patient• No phone calls during clinic hours• Return all calls at a fixed time• Intelligent phone systems for recording

all calls. Cloud based virtual receptionist• I prefer email – no phone tag

Teach your patients to respect your time !

• Reduce “ no shows” . Help them by sending sms reminders • Train your patients to come on time• Online consultations• Pre-visit patient coaching – educate

patients through your website so their FAQs are answered even before the visit !

How to improve

• Learn from colleagues who seem to have all the time in the world. How do they do it ? • Discipline yourself !• Enemies = Time wasters.

Proacrastination is the first sin

Take home message • Balance your daily schedule

with your overall life goals• Plan better so you

can spend more time doing the things you enjoy