get things done « The Doctors Coach

Coaching for doctors: questions to ask yourself

As a doctor you have probably heard about Life Coaching and may have been wondering what it is and if it might be useful for you. But something has held you back from exploring the option of hiring a coach. Perhaps you thought it was a bit ‘wishy-washy’ and not Continue reading Coaching for doctors: questions to ask yourself

How to be organised and get the ward round finished eventually

Take a look around your ‘personal space,’ your desk, your office, your incoming letters, your piles of things needing to be done. Or perhaps your eyes might be drawn to your clothes where you keep them, what you do with them when they need a wash, what you do with them when they are clean; where you store your shoes, coats, umbrella, suitcases? [...]

Expectations of a busy doctor: real or imagined?

Expectations about what is likely to happen in a certain situation can lead to frustration and unhappiness for you as a busy doctor. Perhaps you are feeling very cross because someone hasn’t done something you’d expected them to do. You hadn’t actually told them what you wanted from them and yet you believed they would know instinctively what it is you want from them. Do you recognise this scenario? Continue reading Expectations of a busy doctor: real or imagined?

What is coaching?

Coaching is a process which enables people to be more fulfilled in their personal and professional lives. Are you really clear what is important for your life? There is no right or wrong answer to this question. You can do what you feel drawn towards rather than what someone else has told you that you should do. Recognise that life is for living now rather than in some theoretical time in the future.

Coaching can be a useful tool to increase your commitment for change and increase your motivation. Continue reading What is coaching?

Time management tip: to-do list

Time management is one of the challenges of modern day living. One way to organise your time more effectively is by writing down your to-do list.

Notice I used the words: ‘write down.’ Some people believe so long as you keep what needs to be done in your head you can easily get everything done.

But you know that doesn’t always work, does it? You reach the end of the day and suddenly remember who you were supposed to contact or what task you were supposed to have done.

So, train yourself to follow a new habit and Continue reading Time management tip: to-do list

Get things done

Sometimes you may feel as if you are being consumed by all the things you have to do: as if “Medicine’ is eating you up! If you have a long list of things you want to get done on your ‘to do’ list, which never seems to Continue reading Get things done

Prescription for doctors who want more time

Reclaim time for yourself, during evenings and weekends – you are important and having time for yourself is vital. So when you begin to free up time set goals just for you, and do things you’ve missed while you’ve been so busy.
Speed up tasks by making simple changes -even quite simple changes will make a huge difference and save time. Spend a few minutes each day observing what you are doing. Perhaps moving something nearer to your desk or the examination couch will have a profound effect (or at least save you a few minutes)
Have equipment to use on the patient close to hand – if you have to walk across the room each time you need to use your stethoscope then move it into your pocket or next to you ( or have a spare one )
Input the computer with as little as possible shift in your chair – arrange yourself, your chair, the patient and the computer as conveniently as you can so there is little movement between them all!
Make a chart of routine daily tasks for yourself – so you can tick them off as you complete them.
Break down the big tasks into small chunks – so you make a start rather than never even getting started.
Set a timer for half an hour and see how much you can get done in that time -surprise yourself by whizzing through some of the boring things quickly.
Change activities every half an hour – by doing this you will keep fresh and not bored.
Leave paperwork in a special area of your desk so you can get back to it easily – you are ready to pick a task whenever there is an opportunity to do so.
Use time management tools such as an on-line calendar -so you never have to search for your diary and have everything listed together.
Establish routines and stick to them as much as possible – this means introduce new time aware habits and consciously follow them until you have repeated them so they become on auto-pilot.
Have a file management system on your computer and in your office organise where you put things.
Delete or throw away as much as possible.
Things you feel must be kept file in a filing cabinet or in folders in my documents.
Enjoy life when you’ve taken control of your time – now that you have more time get out there and enjoy yourself.
Set goals, step out of your comfort zone and find out what life has to offer you now!

Continue reading Prescription for doctors who want more time

Improve your time management skills

Are you overwhelmed with the amount of work you have to do in your day to day life as a doctor? Delegating is OK in theory but sometimes you find yourself doing jobs which are not really in your remit. It’s too easy to start to feel sorry for other Continue reading Improve your time management skills

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