Improving Productivity
Out of time, again? Try these 9 tips for reclaiming your day.
By William Morgan, DC
Whether you work in an integrated environment or a stand-alone clinic, the world of health care requires you to be more and more productive with your time. My goal has always been to use technology and discernment to make my workday more productive and free up more time for my family. Below are a few things I’ve learned over the years.
Have a Web site
Stop answering the same questions over and over. And stop repeating the same patient instructions. Use a professional Web site to share information about you with your patients and your team of integrated physicians. My staff automatically sends links for our Web site’s back- and neck-care presentations to all new patients (after obtaining a written authorization to share non-personal healthcare information via e-mail). Defer to your Web site for sharing much of the information about you and your clinic’s policies.
Streamline Your Correspondence
In a clinic that interacts with referring physicians, do not reinvent the wheel every time you send a report of findings or a clinical update. Save form-letter templates in your computer and just change the portions required to communicate what is happening with that patient.
Get an Extra Computer Screen
Several surveys have shown that an extra computer screen attached to your comper can make you up to 42 percent more efficient. Newer computers allow two or more monitors to be used from one system. As I write this article, I am using two screens: on one screen I am typing this article, while on the other I am reviewing surveys and other articles about this topic. Try it; you’ll love it!
Get a Third Screen
Two is good, but three is better. Adding a third screen may require installing a graphics card into your computer.
Read Your E-mail Twice a Day
Compulsively checking e-mail or surfing the net is one of the great time sumps of the computer age. Try to limit your time responding to e-mail. When you do respond, use polite, short notes. If an e-mail requires more than two paragraphs, pick up the phone instead.
Cancel Cable TV
My wife and I have never subscribed to a cable service, and I guarantee we haven’t missed anything. Instead of watching TV or playing computer games, do something productive or interactive with your family or friends.
Use Mass Transit
I take the train and bus to work whenever I can. This allows me to turn my commute time into productive time. I try to have devotional time on the commute to work. On the return trip, I try to create productive time by reading and using my laptop. Mass transit is also good for the planet.
Don’t Try to Impress People
Much of our time is spent trying to impress people. Buying fancier cars, houses or boats requires more money. More money requires more work. Learn to be satisfied with what you have. The new definition of being wealthy is not having more possessions; rather, it is having more time and mobility.
Don’t Over Commit
Just say no! Say no to things that are unproductive. Ironically, it’s frequently small commitments that gobble up time: the letter of recommendation, visitors interrupting your administrative time, the committee membership. You owe it to your patients, your staff and your family to be a good steward of your time and focus.