Time Doctor

…helping physicians manage time

Time Management Skills

“One day must tell another, one week  certify another  … and you will acquire a habit by which the one-talent man will earn a high interest….Steady work of this sort  gives…a sane outlook on the world.” ~William Osler

Are you a physician who keeps putting off important tasks? Poor time management skills & procrastination are likely the number one concern that makes physicians less productive and successful. Many get bogged down, endlessly putting off what they need to do to make their practice more successful.  This impacts the quality of their patient care, their relationships and life in general.Fiona Walsh is the  Director of the Varshney Business Career Centre  and she suggests you ask yourself if do you do any of these seven  things?

1. Avoid planning your day, because you have so much to do,  rather than just get “stuck-in”.

2. Fill your day with low priority tasks and email.

3. Tell yourself, “I'll do it later", but never get round to later...

4. Read emails several times before filing, deleting or responding.

5. Complete tasks for others with vigor, but run out of time to do your own?

6. Finally start a high-priority task, only to make a phone call, check social media, make a cup of tea or check your e-mails.

7. Repeatedly ignore or avoid doing an important task on your "To-Do" List.

Walsh suggests that if you do, you are probably procrastinating. Most of us procrastinate from time to time but If you consistently don’t do something, then you probably don’t want to do it. Remind yourself what  happens when you keep procrastinating on important stuff? What opportunities have you missed out on in your life? Next time you notice yourself procrastinating, ask yourself these three questions:

1. ”Do I really need to do it?" If the answer is no…forget about it!

2 "Am I not doing it because I don't know how to do it?" If yes, then figure out what you need to know to get moving.

3 "Am I not doing it because it's stuff I hate doing?" If yes, then source it out.  Can you afford to keep missing opportunities?