Top Ten Time Thieves
These common time wasters rob you of
valuable time that could be used to advance your medical
practice and your career
So you want to find a practice, run a
better practice, and develop a medical career, but you
can’t find the time to do it. The secret is to free your
time and the rest will follow. Once you identify your own
personal time wasters, you can eliminate them and move forward.
Below is a list of the
top ten time wasters. Use them as a guide to regain lost time
so you can pursue your important career goals.
1. Procrastination, Excuses
If you don’t start, you can’t
finish. Reach your goals and objectives by actively working to
accomplish them. Stop waiting until the last minute, putting
things off, and making things more than they are. Cut things
down to size. Excuses, no matter how legitimate, are just that,
excuses. Act or nothing happens
2. Errands & Commuting
Plan ahead. Arrange things based on
importance and need. Make only one trip or as few as necessary.
Avoid making duplicate and unnecessary trips. Combine tasks.
Know what you need and who has it. Find a good time to get it
or consider having it delivered. Give notice (call, fax,
e-mail, register) ahead of time. Stop traveling in heavy
traffic times like rush hour, even on the Internet. Make the
time you spend traveling pay dividends.
3. Rushing
Oops, you forgot, now you must hurry. And
to make matters even worse, something else just came up. . .
Relax. Stop trying to do everything at once. Realize things may
take longer than initially expected. Avoid waiting until the
last minute to get started. Do the little things regularly.
Don’t give things a chance to pile up. Schedule and plan
ahead. List what must be done and the time it takes to do it.
Make allowances for delays, the unexpected, and surprises. Take
time to do things right the first time. End the costly
mistakes, oversights, and stress of rushing.
4. Gadgets & the Internet
Technology should make life and business
easier, but are you using it wisely? Do you know how to use it
and why you use it? Does it meet your needs? Do you make
reentries and overlook existing data? You back up files in case
of crashes, erasures, and re-usage, right? Do you spend tons of
time on line? It’s addictive, especially playing games
and chatting. Get what you need and log off. Bottom line:
Make technology work for you by using it correctly. End
problems before they begin.
5. Telephone, E-mail & Mail
Be selective. Screen, filter, and block
incoming messages. Only give your address to those you want to
contact you. “Opt-out” and never respond to
“junk.” Why call or write? Clearly define:
your purpose, the person to contact, how to get what you
need. Speed things up by preparing and using brief scripts,
outlines, and templates. Set a time to call and write. Take and
return messages when it is convenient for you. Accomplish your
objective and move on.
6. Meetings
Why meet? What’s covered:
purpose, subject, scope? Schedule carefully (write it
down): time, date, location, length, type, attendees.
Address the issues and key points. Avoid fluff. Prepare
everyone. Eliminate unnecessary meetings.
7. Paperwork, Reports & Memos
Have a purpose for paperwork. Avoid
duplications. Put all paperwork and records in a form easily
understood. Store it where it can be quickly found and used. Be
clear and concise in its creation. Get to the point. Test the
relevance of it as it comes in and act accordingly. Regularly
purge excess, but be careful!
8. Planning & Decision Making
No one plans to fail, they just fail to
plan. But planning can lead to
“paralysis-by-analysis.” Get the job done:
Prioritize. Gather the facts. Weigh both sides. Combine
tasks. Delegate. Embrace failure and learn from it. Plan your
way to success. Make the decision to act!
9. Entertainment, Television & Radio
Are you an informed viewer or a couch
potato? Why tune in? Is it really important? If not, tape it or
catch the rerun. Alternatives: Be a self-starter, do
something productive, exercise, start a business, take up a new
hobby, read a book, bond with loved ones, meditate, pray. When
you can find no value, tune out and turn it off.
10. Just Say “Yes”
Don’t bite off more than you can
chew. Think about the consequences of delivering less than
expected and missing deadlines. Be honest with people (and
yourself) and they will respect you for it. Do NOT accept
things that can’t fit into your schedule, no matter how
tempting! Know what you have to do, what is important to you
and your limits (resources, time, ability, money). Prioritize
on importance and need. Delegate. Don’t be a “yes
man.” Just say “NO!”
Your time is now your own.
No more excuses. Let the healing begin. g
Top 10 Time
Wasters is an excerpt from The Self-Employment Resource
Guide by Arthur A. Hawkins II,
a time management coach based in Chicago. Unique Opportunities
readers can learn more at www.inforesearchlab.comselfemployment.chtml. For more on time management visit www.TimeManagement4U.com
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