In today’s fast-paced world, being a physician is the equivalent of being a superhero but instead of wearing capes and saving the world from villains, you wear white coats and save the world from illnesses. However, the reality is that even superheroes need to plan out their day, or else the fate of their people is doomed. Don’t let that scare you fellow doctors! Between patient encounters, research, administrative tasks, and your personal life it can all get hazy and overwhelming but here are some effective time management strategies that will leave you with ample time to take a breath.

Master the Art of Time Management and Prioritization

Think of your tasks as patients in the emergency room and hence divide them into levels of priority. You can use the “ABCDE Method” for this; Some are critical(A), some can wait for a little bit(B), some are fun to do(C), some can easily be delegated(D), and some can be eliminated(E). This method is a life-changer by ensuring that the most important tasks are being dealt with first, while managing all the work stress, making you yield great time management skills.

It’s important to be productive with this. If a task is simple and doesn’t take more than two minutes, then apply the two-minute rule and handle it immediately. Don’t put it off for tomorrow. You know what they say, tomorrow never comes! After dealing with the minor tasks you can easily focus on the major cases.

Delegation, Delegation, Delegation

Never underestimate the power of your medical team. What’s the use of taking the extra burden of tasks that don’t even require your specific expertise? It’s easier to delegate in such cases. All the nurses, physicians, and administrative staff are here to help you so free up your time by letting them. This is the best way to manage time.

Let me introduce you to the ultimate form of delegation. Meet AizaMD, an ambient AI Scribe and your new best friend in the clinic. This AI Scribe translates your medical encounters into SOAP Notes, handling medical decision-making documentation while also syncing your documentation to the existing EHR system through a Chrome extension. With AizaMD taking care of the task of documentation you can direct all your focus on your top priority; patient care. I have to say, this one takes the award for the best time management strategy.

Schedule Efficiently

Trying to find ways to manage time? Time blocking will save you tons of time. Allocate different blocks of time from your day to different tasks like patient encounters, research, and administrative work. By using this effective time management strategy, you can handle all tasks according to the time they’ve been allocated without having those tasks spill over into your time off of work.

Don’t let stress interfere with your focus at work. This is why it’s important to deal with tasks having similarities within the same time block to stop your focus from unnecessarily shifting, increasing efficiency.

Take advantage of today’s technology

According to nationally representative survey of American physicians, 16.6% of their working hours is occupied by administrative tasks (Olena I., 2023). To save time, make use of telemedicine to handle follow-up appointments or any minor consultations that don’t require in-person visits. This will reduce the no-show rates and also expand your reach.

You’ll be surprised to find out how much time is wasted on scheduling appointments. Hence, to fix this you need the best time management strategies. Implementing automated systems for scheduling and appointment reminders. This allows patients to book appointments online, freeing up your staff by letting them handle more important tasks.

Say Goodbye to interruptions

One of the most effective time management strategies is to set aside a time in your day when you do nothing but work. Let your co-workers know about this so that they don’t bother you. This will help you get the majority of your work done as there will be no distractions making you realize how easily things get done without distractions. Turn off all your unnecessary notifications as well, you’ll be surprised how much time they rob you. Remember, time is money!

It’s okay to be selfish

You can use the best time management strategies but they’re no good unless you take a moment for yourself. Taking regular breaks isn’t just normal, it’s crucial. All those short breaks will increase your productivity and prevent the ultimate enemy; burnout. Use these breaks to the fullest to refresh your mind so you are ready to get back to work to put in your all. As a physician, how effectively you can take care of people depends on your health too. Take some personal time to focus on your mental well-being. You’re a human too just like all the people you work so hard to take care of.

Never too late for improvement

Take time at the end of each week to see what worked out for you and what didn’t. This will help you eliminate inefficient strategies and focus on effective time management strategies by polishing them even further. They say learning never ends and the same can be applied here. Stay updated and educate yourself about the latest technology in healthcare and time management.

The Power of Saying “No”

Setting boundaries in every aspect of your life is important, especially at work. Start saying no to tasks that don’t fall under your expertise to let go of the extra burden on your shoulders. It’s completely okay to say no to tasks that don’t align with your priorities. It’s the best way to manage your time and workflow (Qureshi, 2024).

Let AizaMD handle the mundane task of documentation. Say no to additional paperwork that AizaMD can do in half the time you would’ve taken.

Conclusion

As a physician, your time is highly valuable. Not only for your patients but for you too. Prioritizing, delegating, scheduling efficiently, embracing technology, limiting interruptions, being selfish once in a while, constant improvement, and saying no to extra burdens can ease a lot of the stress. Besides, with AizaMD by your side, you have nothing to worry about. With all these effective time management strategies in mind, I’d say you are more than ready to rock that white coat while juggling flaming swords like a true master of time.