When researching the Time Management for Physicians handbook, I came across some physician stories about how they managed time that was quite eye-opening. Each of these stories highlights just how stressed and unbalanced a physician’s professional life can be. See what you think….
In The Time Trap, Mackenzie shares the time management techniques of Dr. Julia Files, a physician from the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Files talks about “running a minute by minute schedule, not an hour by hour schedule” and approaching tasks in small increments. She also practices focused concentration to attend to the task at hand. Dr. Files uses car and shower time to plan. These kinds of examples, which highlight other physicians’ stories about how they effectively manage time, are particularly helpful for physicians to hear.In “Ten Time-Management Tips for Family Practice Physicians,” published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. John Crosby describes some of his own successful time management strategies. First among them is to get help. Crosby suggests physicians set up mutually convenient, paid, three-hour long, uninterrupted Saturday morning meetings to brainstorm about how time is wasted in your office. Like Dr. Files, Crosby suggests doing things in batches, minimizing interruptions, and multitasking. For paperwork, he suggests doing it daily and only touching paper one time. He also recommends using advice sheets for common acute and chronic conditions. These sheets can be given to the patient or referenced by the physician. Another article, “Life Balance: 17 Tips from Doctors, for Doctors,” written by Jennifer Bush for the American Academy of Family Practice, surveyed physicians to identify some of their best time management strategies. Among them are the following words of wisdom, from doctors to doctors: Don’t try to be too efficient. Take time to really listen to a couple of patient stories a day; we need to be fed by our patients. Learn when to multitask and when to focus wholeheartedly on things that deserve your full attention. Develop a support system, and realize that each one of us has our own mountain to climb. Try to remember to pause to enjoy the view along the way and to help and let yourself be helped by others you meet on the path.
You can read more in the online resource Time Management for Physicians....
