Developing the day before vacation mentality

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Physicians must alter how they practice in this era of change and uncertainty. Since the pandemic, many urology practices have experienced healthcare workers leaving the profession. As a result, doctors must see more patients and spend less time with each patient. In addition, we receive declining reimbursements and Medicare cuts, rising overhead costs, and decreasing profits. There is also the problem of burnout, which has reached epidemic proportions, where more than 50% of physicians are experiencing one or more symptoms of burnout.

This article emphasizes the importance of efficiency plus techniques to make your professional life more effective and productive. Remember, it's not the hours you put in the day but what you put into the hours that counts.

Have you noticed how efficient and effective you are the day before you leave for vacation? Most of us function at a higher level when preparing for a trip. Why does this occur?

Doctors often experience a notable boost in efficiency and productivity right before going on vacation. Several factors contribute to this phenomenon:

The impending vacation creates a clear, non-negotiable deadline. This motivates doctors to complete tasks and address outstanding issues before they leave, prioritizing their workload effectively. Knowing that time is limited, doctors tend to concentrate more intensely on their work, minimizing distractions and interruptions.

This heightened focus helps them accomplish more in a shorter period. Doctors prioritize their most critical and time-sensitive tasks, ensuring that essential duties are completed before their absence. This prioritization leads to more efficient use of their time. With the goal of a vacation in sight, doctors often set clear, achievable objectives for what needs to be done before they leave. This clarity helps streamline their workflow and decision-making processes.

Anticipating their absence, doctors might delegate more tasks to colleagues or coordinate more effectively with their team. This increased collaboration can lead to greater overall efficiency. The looming vacation deadline can reduce tendencies to procrastinate, compelling doctors to tackle tasks that they might otherwise delay.

The prospect of an upcoming break can boost morale and motivation. The anticipation of rest and relaxation can provide an extra energy boost, helping doctors to push through their workload more effectively. These factors create an atmosphere for heightened productivity, making doctors more efficient as they prepare to leave for vacation.

Here are a few suggestions for increasing productivity before departing on a trip or vacation:

1. List what you need to accomplish the night before you depart from your practice.
2. Prioritize the list, indicating what must be done, what should be done, and what can be delegated to others.
3. Promise yourself that you would accomplish everything on the list so that you didn't leave any loose ends for your colleagues. You want to be able to enjoy the vacation without any feelings of guilt for having left behind unfinished tasks or jobs.
4. Arrive at your office early and don’t begin looking at emails and return phone calls, but be ready to see patients at their designated times.
5. Achieve some of the tasks, like phone calls and emails, between patient visits and complete everything on your list, including completing your electronic medical records before departing on your vacation.
6. Work with a higher level of energy and enthusiasm. This is most likely due to the excitement of the impending vacation. You will probably pass along the day before vacation enthusiasm to your staff.

Finally, you finished the day feeling good about your accomplishments. Since you were efficient and effective, it's a wonderful feeling to check everything off your list at the end of the day.

It would be nice to have this day-before-vacation mentality every day. Unfortunately, it is impossible to go on a vacation every day!

However, it is possible to incorporate this philosophy into our personal life. All we need to do is remember that what we do off the job determines how far we go on the job. Consider taking three to five minutes every evening to plan your next day. In that case, you can put that day before vacation philosophy into your daily professional life.

One of the easiest methods is to use your mobile phone and write it down. Every evening, write down what must be done the next day and what could be done if there is spare time. I suggest scheduling exercise, recreation, professional and non-professional reading, and, most importantly of all, family time.

Bottom line: Today, most of us are working to the maximum, trying to put more minutes and hours into our days. But don't mistake movement to make more money, and don't be faked out by being busy. Use your mobile device and incorporate the day-before-vacation mentality into your professional life. You will find that you will be more efficient and happier and most likely be home for dinner!

If you have any suggestions for enhancing your productivity before a vacation and would like to share them with our colleagues, please let me hear from you at doctorwhiz@gmail.com

Neil Baum is a physician in New Orleans and the author of The Business of Building and Managing a Healthcare Practice, Springer 2023