Last Updated: 21st July 2017: Practice managers are coming under increased pressure to economise and this has lead to even more demands on your time. In light of this, we have updated and improved our time management tips with extra information and a bonus tip.
As the manager of a medical practice, patients might not always see you, or even know you’re there. But, you're the secret ingredient that makes their experience a positive one, by overseeing bills and finances, scheduling appointments and treatments, and ensuring the doctors and nurses have everything they need.
A good practice manager is essential to every clinic’s success. You're the one who can see the big picture and juggle everyone’s busy schedules. But with so much to keep track of, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the seemingly endless responsibilities of your job. Here are a few of our favorite time-management tips, so you can stay on top of your clinic’s nuts and bolts with a smile.
#1 - Quit Multitasking, Start Chunking
It sounds crazy, right? As a practice manager, there are million things clamouring for your attention, all at once. In fact, you may well have been hired for your talent at “multitasking.†So how could you stop?
More and more research is suggesting that multitasking actually hurts productivity, slowing down your work and creating distractions. Instead, productivity experts suggest “chunking:†setting aside time blocks to focus on one task without distraction.
If you’re not used to chunking, start small. Set aside a part of your day for one important task. Close your email, don’t check your phone, and work on the task until it’s finished. You might be surprised at how quickly it goes without interruptions.
You can also set aside certain days of the week for certain responsibilities, like billing, scheduling, and meetings with staff members. Of course, a busy practice manager can never totally eliminate interruptions, but chunking can help you free up some time for whatever is thrown in your path.
#2 - Plan Your Day Around Action, Not Reaction
Most people have a similar work routine: get to the office, sit down, and open their email. It makes sense, since once you’re in the clinic, it’s tempting to get right down to business and hit the ground running.
Experts suggest starting the day a bit differently. Try this: before checking your email or listening to your voicemail, set aside five minutes to plan your day. Write down your goals and tasks for the day and spend a couple minutes prioritizing them and thinking them through.
This way, you’re focusing your day on action, instead of reaction. If you start your day by diving into your inbox, you might have a hard time staying focused on your goals over the endless chatter. Instead, get yourself centered, remember your priorities, and then tackle your emails.
#3 - Have A Clear Idea Of What You Want To Achieve
Before every call and meeting, make sure you have a clear picture of what outcome you want from it. By visualising what a successful outcome looks like you can work out how to achieve it.
Try this: before a meeting or phone call, take a moment to consider exactly what result you want to achieve. Think about what you'd like to ask for and then use this preparation to keep your conversation centred around this desired result. Afterwards, take some time to consider whether the result was achieved, and how.
By visualising the results you want, from any situation, and how you can make them happen will help you stay focused on the important things and make your communications clearer and more effective.
#4 - Schedule Your Interruptions
By now you’re probably laughing. How is it possible to schedule interruptions?
Of course, you can’t completely eliminate unplanned interruptions from your day, but you can minimize them. Practice silencing distractions like social networks and instant messaging. Instead of leaving your email open, check it once per hour, and be prepared to actually respond to new messages when you do.
Try and schedule conversations with your staff members ahead of time when you can, rather than having them on the fly. This will also help you prepare what you want to say, and think about your goals for the interaction. Or, set aside the same hour or two each day, when your clinic’s staff know they can come to your desk and talk to you.
#5 BONUS TIP - Rethink Your To-Do List
To-do lists are fantastic tools. They both help you get an overview of what you need to do and allow you to free up valuable brain-space for more important things.
For many people, a to-do list is very simple: just a list of tasks with little-to-no organisation. This can make it difficult to prioritise and you can end up spending more time trying to find an item on the list than actually doing it.
One way to improve your to-do list is to use a system like Bullet Journal. Their methods of Rapid Logging, priority signifiers and indexing take your to-do list to the next level and ensure you always know what you need to be working on. What is more, it doesn't take long at all to learn how to bullet journal. You can be up-and-running and organised in about 10 minutes.
There is also a fantastic community around Bullet Journal, on Instagram especially, with people sharing their modifications (known as Modules) that could give you inspiration to improve your own system.
Conclusion
Medical practice managers know that clinics and hospitals stay organized because their staff are organized, and because their work behind the scenes streamlines the patient experience.
Do you have any other tips for time management on the job? Have your say and share them in the comments below!