time management « The Doctors Coach

Doctors, even more tips to manage your time

Doctors you can manage your time even more if you follow these tips: 1. Be clear about what has to be done each day. Until you know your schedule for the day, which clinics, ward rounds, visits, and which patients have to be seen Continue reading Doctors, even more tips to manage your time

How to never have any time for anything except medical work

Some doctors work so hard and such long hours that it is as if they want to avoid becoming involved in anything else apart from their medical work. Maybe you do manage to go out with friends occasionally or spend time with your family. Perhaps you even get to go Continue reading How to never have any time for anything except medical work

Doctor, take time for yourself….

Are you an overworked doctor who has put aside many of the joys of life because you have been striving for years to reach the pinnacle of the medical profession wherever or whatever you perceive that to be?

You have had years of studying Medicine, designing and carrying out and then writing up medical research projects so that your name can be listed amongst the good and the great doctors, yet something seems to be missing from your life.

You have gradually come to the realisation that there is more to life than Medicine and yet may be feeling guilty about even having that thought.

What is it about the culture of Medicine which means that many doctors, believe that everything else in life must take second place to progression in your speciality? Yet there is a dilemma here: senior doctors who have lived this sort of life and don’t want to admit any regrets maintain that in order to be the best medical specialist you need to devote the majority of your time to working as a doctor and learning in and about your chosen medical speciality. Continue reading Doctor, take time for yourself….

Challenge of time management for doctors

Time flies

One of the most common challenges that many doctors face is managing their time effectively. When you aren’t time aware the medical work seems to be endless and takes priority over the rest of your life. This means that your work-life balance suffers. The less you manage your time the more the problem grows. You begin to feel overwhelmed and frustrated and become less efficient as a result. You don’t sleep well which also increases the problem. This has an impact on your life outside of work too. Continue reading Challenge of time management for doctors

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

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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