Practice Management Alert

Question: As a practice manager I have a lot of different tasks to juggle in a day. Some days I feel like I spend all day on one task and don’t manage to accomplish much of anything. Do you have any tips to help me multi-task better?

South Carolina Subscriber

Answer: While you might think you’re saving time by attending to several tasks at once, you’re more likely wasting both time and money. “Multitasking has its place, but you must focus on the task at hand if you hope to increase productivity,” explains entrepreneur David Bitter. 

Bitter offers these tips to help you “single task” when you need to buckle down and reach your projects’ finish lines: 

• Don’t keep your e-mail inbox open all day. Probably only a small percentage of the e-mails you receive need a prompt response. Designate two or three times during the day to check e-mail, and then close the program. Coach your employees or providers to call you if there is an emergency. 

• Take advantage of your voicemail. You don’t need to answer the telephone every time it rings. If you aren’t expecting a call, then let your voicemail do its job. You can return important calls immediately or create a to-do list for returning calls after you’ve put in a few hours of devoted work time. 

• Shut down instant messaging (IM) programs. IM can be a useful communication tool, but when you are down to the wire, constant messaging can pull your focus away from where you need it. During your key productivity hours, turn IM off and ask employees to follow your email and voicemail rules. 

• Don’t listen to music while you work on anything that requires your brain. Orchestral or classical music can stimulate your productivity, but most everything else will distract you. Turn off the music and learn to work in silence so that your mind can focus completely on the task at hand. 

• Set a timer for every task. You can estimate how much time each of your tasks should take. Keep yourself focused by setting a timer for exactly the amount of time you want to spend. When the buzzer goes off, decide whether you should keep working or switch your attention to something else. 

• Follow your own rules. You can’t expect others to follow your rules if you consistently break them. Stick to your schedule to power up your productivity.