Maximize Efficiency and Achieve Work-Life Balance: The Time Priority Matrix for Physicians

Do you ever finish the day feeling as if the time raced by, but instead of making progress on your goals, you’ve just been putting out fires?

With a constant surge of urgent issues, combined with daily responsibilities and opportunities, it can be challenging to prioritize effectively.

Using the Time Priority Matrix can help you to visualize not only where but how you are spending your time. By categorizing your daily activities, you will discover how your attention is being directed, and where you might be able to streamline and optimize the way you use this most valuable and limited resource.

This tool is also known as the Eisenhower Matrix. Former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower didn’t create the idea, but he famously referenced Dr. Roscoe Miller, a former president of Northwestern University, when he said: "I have two kinds of problems: the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.”

The matrix was subsequently popularized by Stephen Covey in his landmark book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.  It’s something that’s often taught to business leaders, but the concepts can easily be applied to physicians and anyone else seeking to take back some control of time and attention.

Quadrant I tasks are both urgent and important. Ideally these are limited, but as a physician, these tasks are part of daily life.

The critically ill patient, the urgent report, the call from a worried family member. Often these issues are out of your control. But sometimes there is a way to mitigate the urgency, and that's where Quadrant II comes into play.

Quadrant II: Preparation, planning, and prevention fall into Quadrant II. By working in this quadrant, you anticipate and trouble shoot before trouble arises. That's what preventive care is all about.

You can also apply this idea to your own life. For example, if you're studying for your boards, taking a set amount of time every day for a few months will get you much farther ahead than waiting until the last couple of weeks to study. And learning a new skill or technique and making the time to practice it will ensure that when you need it, you'll be more confident and prepared.

Building trusting relationships with patients and colleagues also falls into Quadrant II. By taking the time and putting in the work at the outset, you’ll build trust and confidence. Ultimately that will enhance your ability to provide care more efficiently and collaboratively.

Work in this quadrant might not always be exciting or immediately fulfilling, but it will keep you on track to accomplish the goals that are meaningful to you.

You can apply Quadrant II ideas to your personal life as well. Think about your relationships, family, and other interests. What can you do to ensure that the things that matter to you outside of work are cared for and able to flourish?

Quadrant III is more problematic. In this quadrant, you're dealing with things that are not particularly important, but which require some urgency to complete.

As a physician, you're probably all too familiar with this quadrant. Interruptions, EHR redundancies and pre-authorization inefficiencies that have to be addressed are daily if not hourly occurrences. Some meetings and much email fall into this category.

Sometimes it can help to work on these things in "chunks" so that your attention is focused and you can be more efficient. This is known as task batching, and it can be a highly effective way to clear out some of the clutter that routinely piles up. Making it clear that these non-urgent issues will only be addressed on a certain day at a given time is one way to not only set boundaries but to limit interruptions.

Delegating whenever possible is an important aspect of Quadrant III management. For example, can someone else be assigned to fill out routine paperwork, leaving only the physician-specific sections for you to complete? Perhaps staff can be empowered to respond to simple patient requests for notes or documentation, or to schedule a visit when it’s clear that a non-urgent call or message requires more than a simple response.

Quadrant IV is where you have the greatest likelihood of clearing out some time and space. Mindless scrolling, low-value emails, watching random TV shows, and stressing over social media are good examples of this quadrant's activities.

Sometimes you need a little downtime, but being cognizant of how you are spending it may help you to gain some well-earned margin for the things that matter most to you.

It can be a great thought exercise to think through the way you are using your time. The Time Priority Matrix is a valuable tool that can help you to manage your workload and your personal life more effectively. By identifying and prioritizing tasks based on urgency and importance, you can enhance your productivity, improve patient care, and achieve a healthier and more fulfilling work-life balance.

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Define Your Values to Create Your Ideal Life a Physician

Your values are integral to your identity. They are a very personal and multifaceted set of foundational qualities that have the power to provide a guiding light, leading you towards a life that feels in harmony with your true and ideal self. While they are a fundamental aspect of the complex person that you are, external pressures, social circumstances, and even inertia mean that it’s common to live out of sync with your values. But once you give your values a name, the way forward becomes far more clear.

Most of the time we can distill our core values into a set of five or six concepts that give our life meaning and purpose. In this article I’ll guide you through a simple exercise that can help you to get clarity on your own values. From there, you may begin to see patterns of alignment, or perhaps misalignment, in your life.

Through this process of awareness, you’ll find that your decisions become more clear. You’ll begin to feel the confidence to say “yes” to the opportunities that serve your higher purpose. You’ll find a way to energetically reach towards the next foothold, even when it’s challenging. And you’ll feel more certain when you say “no” to those choices that are not the right fit.

First, Define Your Values

The first step is to define your values. This might seem a little contrived, because you may feel as if you know yourself well enough to understand what matters to you. But putting a name to your values, and seeing them written out in black and white, can be surprisingly enlightening. For the purposes of this exercise, a value is a single word that encompasses an idea or belief in a certain way of being in the world. I’ve created a list of values for you to get started with. You can find them here.

Go through the list and circle the values that speak most strongly to you. Don’t overthink it. Your values may change over time, and that’s completely normal. There are no right or wrong, or good or bad, answers.

Once you have circled your top values, write them out. Take a good look at what you have written and see if you can narrow them down into five groups. From there, discover what themes emerge. These are your core values.

Next, Put Your Values into Action

Now, thinking about your core values, consider how you might choose to elevate these values in your daily life. Don’t try to make sweeping changes. Instead, think of small actions or choices that might more completely align your values with your life.

If there is a big disconnect between your values and your life, it might be time to reconsider your path. It is often challenging to get a handle on these ideas and put them into practice. If so, a physician coach can be a great ally. Through coaching, you will generate greater self-awareness and discover options and opportunities that more completely align with your unique set of values.

If you’re not ready for coaching, but want some clarity, consider downloading my free Values Workbook. It’s free when you sign up for my newsletter.

An earlier version of this article appeared on this website in January , 2023.

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

Coaching for Physicians: A Guided Journey to Goal Setting, Overcoming Obstacles, and Finding Fulfillment

If you’re curious about physician coaching, and want to know more, this article is for you. As someone who loves getting outdoors, I like to use the metaphor of a hike or journey when describing my coaching process. In this coaching journey, I serve as your experienced companion, providing support, insight, and encouragement, helping you navigate both familiar and new terrain, and celebrating with you as you discover your destination.

1. The Trailhead: Preparation and Goal Setting

 Just like preparing for a hike, the first step in coaching is to understand where you are right now and where you want to go. This involves an in-depth assessment of your current professional and personal landscape, identifying both the peaks (successes) and valleys (challenges) you face. Whether you’re dealing with burnout, challenges with time, professional transitions, or finding the right work-life balance, together we’ll set specific and achievable goals. You can think of this as choosing the right trail that aligns with your current fitness level and hiking experience. Don’t worry if this is all new to you. You may be surprised at the ways your strength and endurance will naturally grow along the way.

 2. Gathering Gear: Equipping for the Journey

After setting the goals, the next step is to equip you with the necessary tools and skills. This includes exploring techniques for time management, stress reduction, and effective communication. Similar to choosing the right gear for a hike, these tools are personalized to fit your unique needs and circumstances, ensuring you are well-prepared for the journey ahead.

3. The Hike Begins: Embarking on the Journey

With goals set and tools in hand, we begin the coaching journey. This phase is about action and moving forward. Regular coaching sessions serve as checkpoints, where we assess progress, celebrate achievements, and address any new challenges. The journey may involve steep climbs and unexpected obstacles, but with guidance and support, you keep moving towards your goals. 

4. Difficult Terrain: Navigating Challenges:

Just as a hiker encounters rough patches along the trail, you may face challenges in your professional journey. Burnout, difficult workplace dynamics, and balancing personal life are common terrains we navigate. Together, we develop strategies to overcome or get around these obstacles, building strength, creativity, and adaptability, much like a seasoned hiker learns to navigate through challenging paths.

 5. Scenic Views and Rest Stops: Reaching Milestones

Along the way, it’s important to recognize and celebrate milestones. These are like the scenic views or rest stops on a hike, offering a pause to appreciate how far you’ve come, recharge, and reflect on the journey. Although it’s tempting to keep pushing forward, these waypoints are crucial for maintaining motivation and perspective.

 6. The Evolving Trail: Continued Growth and Adaptation

The journey doesn’t end at the first summit. Like a trail that changes with the seasons, your professional life will continue to evolve. Ongoing coaching can help you adapt to these changes, develop new goals, and continue growing. The journey is continuous, and as your coach, I am there to guide, support, and celebrate with you every step of the way.

 7. The Lookout Point: Reflection and Forward-Thinking  

As you reach significant milestones, we’ll take time to reflect on the journey. From this vantage point, much like a lookout on a hike, we’ll assess the path taken, lessons learned, and obstacles overcome. From there, we’ll plan for the next phase of your journey. Together we’ll chart out the travels ahead, including strategies for keeping burnout and inertia at bay. As you move into the future, you’ll be empowered and well equipped to stay engaged, inspired, and energized.

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If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary introductory meeting with me, click the link below.

Taking Action Creates Clarity

Do you ever feel like you’re standing on the edge of a cliff, knowing that you can’t turn back, but wondering how you’re ever going to make it down?

Or maybe you envision yourself at the top of a steep ski slope. You want to glide down the mountain and into the cozy hotel restaurant, but it just feels daunting and undoable.

As my hot-shot skier friend Erica once yelled to me “Just point your skis down the mountain and go!” That’s easier said than done, and in truth it didn’t exactly work out the way I had hoped.

But in taking the first action, making the first move, I began to devise a way to get to my goal. I began to understand the pitch of the slope and the feel of the snow, and I was able to strategically navigate my way down.

Let’s forget the possibility of bodily harm, and just make this about making your way. The same process can happen when you’re contemplating a career move or a life change. How are you going to do it? Or more to the point, how do you get started?

When you’re on the ski slope and it’s 10 degrees Fahrenheit and other skiers are whipping past you, you really have no choice but to take action.

But if you’re unsatisfied or unfulfilled where you are, and contemplating your professional or personal options, making any kind of move can feel daunting.

It’s so easy to figuratively freeze and simply not move forward.

That’s why plotting out your steps in tiny, low-risk increments can often be the best way to get a little momentum going.

And this small step may also ease the stress and anxiety that often accompanies unfulfilled goals.

So how do you get yourself unstuck? I’ve got five steps that can help you jump start the process.

Step One: Get it out of your head and onto a page.

Although there are a lot of great apps for note taking, mind-mapping, and the like, research shows that putting something on paper is often more meaningful and memorable.  Simply pick up a notebook and write out what it is you hope to accomplish: that is, your goal.

Step Two: Next, take a realistic look at this goal and run it through the SMART acronym.

Be sure to write your responses to these questions in your notebook. Is it:

• Specific?

• Meaningful?

• Achievable?

• Realistic?

• Time-bound?

Step Three: Now it’s time to write out your action steps.

What is the smallest possible increment you can take to get you closer to your goal? Each step allows you to move on to the next. There may be 5 steps, or there may be 50. It doesn’t matter. Just write it all out.

Step Four:  Schedule your steps in your calendar.

This is where it may help to use an app like Todoist that will remind you to complete your task. You’ll be rewarded with a satisfying little “pop” every time you click the “complete” box. But this only works if you commit to it. Keep a running list in your notebook as well, so you don’t lose track.

Step Five: Celebrate your wins.

After you’ve completed an important step, or perhaps a series of 5 steps, reward yourself with something meaningful. A fun activity, a cookie, an hour with a good book or anything else that makes you happy. And if you want to enlist an accountability partner, planning to celebrate together may give you both a little extra incentive.

In taking action, you may find that your goals change over time. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it can be an exciting part of the process.

It’s also important to understand that while you have control over your actions, the outcome may not always be under your direct control. That’s also normal.

Ultimately, each purposeful step you take will get you closer to a life that is personally authentic, sustainable, and meaningful. 

If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to stay in the loop for more insights on creating a sustainable, fulfilling, and happy life as a physician, sign up for my newsletter or reach out on my website. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you’d like to schedule a complimentary coaching discovery session, click the button below.

References:

Masicampo, E. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2011). Consider it done! Plan making can eliminate the cognitive effects of unfulfilled goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(4), 667–683.

Umejima, K. et al. (2021). Paper notebooks vs mobile devices: Brain activation differences during memory retrieval. Front. Behav. Neurosci., 15. 1-11.

Physician Coaching or Mentoring: What’s the Difference?

As a physician coach, I am often asked to explain the difference between coaching and mentoring. It’s an important question, because both options are designed to get you from one place in your professional life to another. And sometimes a combination of both coaching and mentoring can be helpful. But the differences are substantial.

The main difference is this: A mentor generally acts as an advisor. Since they usually have seniority and deeper experience in your area of interest, it is assumed that they know the right path to take. A coach does not give you the answers, but will collaborate with you to help you find and follow your own path. While a coach will not tell you what to do next, a coach will help you uncover your own answers.

In coaching, we work on setting goals that are meaningful and actionable for you. Coaching takes into account your personal values and ideals, as well as your current life situation. As a coach, I will guide you to create a series of steps that will get you to the goal, but with the understanding that the desired outcome may change over time. I will also hold you accountable through the stages of planning, commitment, and execution.

Although I have experienced many of the same challenges as other physicians, one important lesson I have learned as a coach is that the right answer for any given person is not always the answer that I would have expected. What is right for one person may not be so for another. The process requires openness and equanimity from the coach, and is one of the aspects of coaching that I find especially meaningful.

Mentorship is different. If you seek a mentor, your end result is defined and specific. Your mentor can probably outline the steps you need to attain a specific skill or position, and will help you avoid common pitfalls. Mentorship tends to be a long-term process that may evolve over several years.

Having a mentor can be especially beneficial for someone in the earlier stages of their professional life. Mentors are often people in the same specialty, and the relationship is typically hierarchical and career-focused. For instance, a cardiologist may choose a mentor with years of experience and professional innovation in a specific procedure of interest. A surgeon may look to someone with extensive expertise in a niche specialty. Or a primary care physician may seek a more seasoned mentor to help build a practice.

As a coach, my specialty is less important than my ability to guide you to find your own plan of action.

That’s not to say that as a coach I can’t offer my perspective.  I graduated from medical school in 1988 and practiced cardiology full time until 2022. Over those years, I accumulated a wide range of experience with the same issues that many physicians encounter in medical practice. I really want to focus on you, and what is most important for you. But if you have specific questions for me, I’m happy to share my experience. And if there is something that concerns me about a choice you are making, I will definitely let you know.

While coaching and mentoring are distinct modalities, it's important to note that they are not mutually exclusive. Some physicians may benefit from both coaching and mentoring, depending on their specific needs and the phase of their professional life.

If you have further questions about coaching and how it might work for you, please contact me through the website, or schedule your complimentary 30 minute discovery session.