6 Tips for Staying Productive

Here are a few tips for improving your productivity!

While I am writing this, it is a Sunday.  My wife just completed a night shift and is currently sleeping upstairs.  I am up at the break of dawn enjoying a warm cup of coffee watching the sunrise through the window next to me.  This tends to be when I am at my most productive, early in the morning when all is quiet and still.  I was thinking about how my time management has evolved over the years.  When I was a medical student, I never would have thought that my time efficiency could have improved, but life finds a way to continually put more on your plate. Here are my 6 tips for staying productive!

Even now I think about how I have adapted to juggling a fellowship, being a husband, exercising, studying for boards, managing finances, buying a house, etc.  When left to my own devices, I can feel overwhelmed. This subsequently drives anxiety up, and pushes productivity down.  For this reason I reflect on methods I have developed to stay productive.  This list is in no particular order, but does offer a snapshot into how I approach both my work days and my days off. 

1. Stop snoozing and just wake up

The first tip from my 6 tips for staying productive is to embrace the early rise.  For me, at least, the very nature of medical education and training has forced me to wake up early.  During my first two years in medical school, a close friend and I would get up between 3 AM and 4 AM to start studying.  We found by doing so we had the library entirely to ourselves, no distractions.  This did become an extreme for me, but instilled the importance of the early hours.  See I have found a few reasons this is important. 

For one, the majority of the world is still sleeping between the 4-5 AM hour.  I would be willing to bet that even you or your significant other is as well.  In my experience, when I rise at approximately 4:45-5:00 AM, the only things there to greet me are my dogs.  In the morning, either in your house, your job, or at a public workspace, usually it is pretty deserted.  This is the best time to focus and avoid the inherent distractions that come with a shared space.  Once the rest of the world is awake, you can guarantee that the emails, phone calls, texts, and demands will begin.  Many of these tasks may take precedent over other things you wish to achieve for the day.  To this I say…just get up! 

If this means that you have to go to bed earlier, do it.  I recognize that there are barriers, but there will always be barriers.  Find a way to organize your evening that is conducive to going to bed early so you can get enough sleep.  By the time your alarm goes off between 4-5AM, you won’t regret it. 

2. Make a written To-Do list

Ahh hand-writing, it seems so archaic.  I do however keep a paper agenda on me at all times.  Now this does not take the place of a shared virtual calendar (more on that later) but it does serve one important purpose.  A written list forces me to, well, write my tasks down!  I find that by writing down my goals for the day, they are solidified in my mind.  We all breeze through emails, have thoughts rapidly come and go, and exchange comments with our family constantly.  I have found that the process of writing a list for the day solidifies it in my mind.  Number 2 on our list of 6 tips for staying productive is all about making to-do lists.

As stated above, when I wake up early, often the first thing I tackle is my daily to-do list.  I will turn to the respective day in my agenda and scribble away.  What emails need returning? What needs to be done around the house?  Is there anything in my finances that needs my attention?  Have I done my CME questions for the week?  Am I on dinner duty tonight?  Have I written a post for this week? 

As you can see, these tasks can build up quickly.  I do find this act of list making therapeutic.  There is so much metaphorical “white noise” in our lives that it can be hard to effectively weed through to discover which tasks are important for that particular day.  Once you get into a rhythm, you can start to block out the interruptions that distract you from what is necessary.  If you find that you are more comfortable by using an online/electronic tool for this, be my guest. 

3. Break up the monotony with physical activity

When I was younger, physical activity was an hour a day in a gym, lifting weights, drinking supplements, and taking long periods in the sauna, etc.  Clearly it was eons ago the last time I had the opportunity to live like this. 

Now, between clinical obligations, family obligations, home obligations, and commute time, finding the ability to have routine exercise has proven difficult.  I have found that periodically placing physical activity in my day keeps me awake and focused, breaks up the monotony of clinical or computer work, and allows me to feel better about myself. 

For example, early in the morning, after making my to-do list and using an hour or more to study or write (this post) I will take my dogs out for a walk.  This break normally occurs between 8-10AM.  Given that I have two relatively large dogs, a walk of 2-3 miles is necessary to tire the beasts out.  This will last anywhere from 40-60 minutes.  Often my wife will join me if able.  This is a great break as it allows me to clear my head and take my eyes away from the computer screen.  I find it also allows me to reflect on the day at hand.  Either in my mind or through discussions with my wife, I am able to decide if everything on my to-do list (see above) is appropriate and encompassing.  Usually I catch that I forgot something or have a deadline approaching. 

My second physical activity occurs in the early afternoon.  When I return from walking the dogs I will return to my work, reveling in the fact that my dogs are exhausted and now beholden to their dog beds.  This allows me to grind away with minimal distractions.  I often work until 2-3 PM, breaking every hour to take my eyes from the monitor, and to eat.  Around the 2-3 PM hour I will take another 30 minutes to workout.  Here I will either run, walk, lift weights, or hop on the Peloton (bike or app).  Again, this allows me to break from my current task, clear my head, sweat, and feel physically productive.  The endorphin release is vital this time of day as here, I begin to hit a wall. 

Now, I understand that this is much more difficult for those working a 9-5 schedule, or for physicians working sporadic shifts.  What I want you to take away is that periodic physical activity, preferably outside (but not necessary) will drastically improve your focus and concentration.  Make time to stand up and walk around your unit if you have to.  Walk outside around the hospital if able.  If none of these options are available, prioritize physical activity early in the morning or after work.  Easier said than done I know.  Make it a habit and it will seem like less of a chore.  Tip 3 of our 6 tips for staying productive…exercise.

4. Optimize your Electronic Health Record (EHR) efficiency tools

Here is a work related one for you.  Often, we find ourselves at work feeling like we can’t catch a break because we are seeing an endless stream of patients.  Finding ways to optimize your efficiency with documentation is pivotal if you want to free up time at work.  With the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system we have at our hospital, we have the ability to develop smart phrases.  Smart-phrases are short hand code you can use in your note to auto-populate a preset list of text.  This allows one to create a note quickly and only fill in changes where necessary.  I have taken the time to create Smart-phrases for over 90% of the patient presentations I encounter. 

I have ones for clinic, inpatient admissions, significant events, cardiac arrests, family discussions, admissions, discharges, transfer of care, etc.  You name it, I have created a smart phrase that allows me to quickly and efficiently complete a note while still meeting all coding and billing criteria.  If you find that oral dictation is still your most effective means of documentation, I am sure you have a way to modify a note template prior and only dictate where necessary.  When you have some downtime, optimize your templated notes and it may allow you more free time on the job.  Tip 4 from our 6 tips for staying productive has to do with working smarter, not harder.

5. Keep a shared e-calendar with your significant other

This one took a while to catch on in my house.  As I eluded to in my previous tip, I keep a physical agenda.  This made it difficult after I married and had another’s schedule to consider.  We started by sharing a physical calendar on our refrigerator.  Lo and behold, this proved incompletely effective.  Our medical institutions started having us use Apple Calendar on our work phones to coordinate conference schedules and it was helpful.  I looked into this more with my wife and we opted for Google Calendar.  We chose this option as we were already using Google Documents and Google Sheets for other reasons including our shared household budget.  We decided that we would pursue a shared virtual calendar as well. 

You can color coordinate your schedule, set reminders, share with others (nanny), and have recurring events including birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, etc.  I can quickly look at our calendar and determine our schedules, or if there is a conflict in our planning.  I have found this a immensely helpful for my marriage and my organization. Tip 5 of our 6 tips for staying productive focuses on keeping a shared calendar.

6. Put a ‘hard stop’ on your day

Lastly, I will end with a productivity tip I find (possibly) the most important.  Place a “hard stop” on your day.  What I mean is, find time each day where you stop being productive with your work and just be present. 

As healthcare professionals, all the stereotypes about not being available are frequently true.  For this reason, I have found joy denoting a time when I stop trying to be productive and just be present, at home, where needed.  This is around 5-6 PM like many others, but can vary based on your schedule.  When I say “hard stop” I do not mean that I no longer participate.  What I mean is I no longer hold myself to a predetermined schedule from that point on.  Am I needed on dinner duty now?  Do the kids need a bath?  Should my wife and I take a spontaneous walk to catch up or decompress?  I think this is vital to a sustainable lifestyle.  Ending your day with the freedom to help others is crucial. The final tip of our 6 tips for staying productive is about knowing when to end your workday. As a matter of fact, I think I may do that right now.

I hope these handful of tips are helpful to you in some way!  If you liked this article, make sure to check out The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Doctors! As always…

Stay motivated!

The Motivated M.D.

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