| 4 December 2024
Time management is the process of planning, organising, and prioritising how you allocate your time to specific tasks and activities. For healthcare professionals, this might include ranking priorities at the start of a shift, scheduling patient appointments, completing medical documentation, or responding to emergency cases. Regardless of your role within healthcare, mastering this skill is essential.
This is because good time management allows you to use your time efficiently and effectively, leading to increased productivity, reduced stress, and a lower risk of burnout, while helping you achieve your goals.
However, in the fast-paced world of healthcare – characterised by busy days, tight schedules, and reductions in staff and resources – time management can often feel like a challenge. With the right strategies, though, it’s possible to stay organised and focussed on what matters most, enabling you to provide high-quality patient care while maintaining your personal well-being.
To help you get started, we’ve outlined six practical tips to improve your time management.
Use technology to your advantage
The NHS and many healthcare providers are increasingly relying on digital tools and systems, with AI playing a key role in enhancing efficiency and streamlining operations. By leveraging AI technologies alongside other digital tools, healthcare professionals can manage their tasks more effectively, reduce administrative time, and ultimately focus more on patient care.
Task management apps:
- Trello, Todoist, and Microsoft To-Do help you stay organized by breaking down daily tasks, setting reminders, and prioritising responsibilities.
NHS Digital Services:
- NHS staff apps and systems allow quick access to patient information, medical guidelines, and seamless communication with colleagues, enhancing workflow and collaboration.
AI-Powered tools:
- Apps like TimeHero and Qventus help prioritise tasks and optimise workflows, while tools such as Zoom.ai and Aiva streamline scheduling, and hands-free task management.
Batch similar tasks together
If you find yourself constantly switching between different types of tasks, this can drain your time and energy. Instead, batch similar tasks together to reduce time spent switching between different activities. For instance:
- Set aside a block of time each day for completing non-urgent tasks. By doing this, you create a routine that helps you manage your workload effectively, preventing tasks from piling up or being forgotten.
- Dedicate a few minutes at the beginning or end of your shift to organise your workspace such as checking your emails and reviewing your to-do-lists and calendar. This will help you stay on top of what needs to be done next, reducing stress and allowing you to prepare and transition smoothly.
Set realistic goals and break them down
In a busy healthcare environment, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of tasks that need to be completed. To avoid this, it’s crucial to set realistic goals and break them down into smaller, more manageable steps.
One effective way to do this is by using the Eisenhower framework. This approach helps clarify your goals, making them more achievable. When setting tasks, consider these key steps:
- Urgent and important (do first): focus on tasks that are both urgent and important that require immediate attention.
- Important, not urgent (schedule): plan and schedule tasks that are important but not time-sensitive.
- Urgent, not important (delegate): delegate tasks that are urgent but not essential to your role.
- Not urgent, not important (eliminate): eliminate or postpone tasks that don’t contribute significantly to patient care or organisational goals.
By breaking down tasks using the Eisenhower framework, you can transform overwhelming workloads into a more manageable and structured process. This method provides a clear roadmap for task completion, helping you maintain focus and efficiency in a demanding healthcare setting.
Practice self-care and avoid burnout
Time management isn’t just about efficiency – it’s also about ensuring you’re physically and mentally healthy enough to perform at your best. Even the best time management strategies won’t help if you’re not well. Long hours, emotional strain, and lack of resource can all contribute to burnout. That’s why it’s essential to make self-care a priority in your routine:
- Try to take regular breaks: even on busy days, step away for short breaks to recharge.
- Stay hydrated and eat well: proper nutrition and hydration are key to maintaining energy and focus throughout your role.
Equally important is recognising when to seek support. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness – it’s a strength. Whether it’s delegating tasks or speaking to a manager or colleague about feeling overwhelmed, reaching out can prevent stress from becoming unmanageable.
Communicate effectively with your team
Clear communication can significantly improve time management and prevent errors. This is because it fosters clarity in instructions and feedback, reducing wasted time spent on misunderstandings and correcting misaligned efforts at individual or managerial level. Whether you’re working in a hospital, GP surgery, or out in the community, clear communication reduces duplication of work and ensures everyone is on the same page. Strategies for improving communication include:
- Holding brief daily or weekly huddles can allow staff to review and discuss important cases, allocate resources, and set priorities.
- Use handover systems effectively. Whether it’s at shift changeovers in a hospital or during handovers between GPs, communicating important information ensures a smooth transition of patient care and reduces the risk of errors.
- Be clear and direct in your interactions with patients, colleagues, and support staff, which can reduce misunderstandings and save time.
Reflect and adjust your approach
In such a dynamic field, it’s important to reflect on your time management strategies regularly. The healthcare sector is constantly evolving, and so should your approach to managing your time.
At the end of each week or month, reflect on what worked and what didn’t. Note your observations and identify areas for improvement. Could you have delegated more effectively? Was there a particular task that took more time than expected? By noting down observations and refining your methods, you can stay adaptable and improve your time management efficiency.
Conclusion
Time management in a healthcare setting is about working smarter, not harder. By prioritising tasks, using digital tools, breaking down goals, and practising self-care, you can maintain a healthier work-life balance, reduce stress, and improve patient care. With these time management tips, healthcare professionals can deliver excellent care in a way that prioritises their mental and physical wellbeing.