Using Time Pressure To Your Advantage

Back when I was still finishing my charts two to three hours after seeing my last patient, I noticed that there were days I would spend the same amount of time taking care of twenty-five patients as taking care of seventeen patients. If you think of it as simple math, that does not add up. So what happened? When I had less patients on my schedule, I noticed that I would spend more time with each patient. There was less of a sense of urgency, of pressure from a time limit. Then there were days when I had more than twenty-five patients – I noticed that, at some point, I “gave up” trying to stay on schedule. I abandoned writing the patient notes because I believed that “there was not enough time”.

Our concept of time is more important than the actual time we have to do something. The perceived time and the pressure it generates affects how efficient you are. Remember your college years? When a deadline to hand in a paper was coming close, instead of writing two paragraphs in two hours, you somehow wrote the whole paper in two hours. Or when a deadline was approaching to submit an application, after not filling it out for two months, you somehow managed to complete the forms almost in no time.

Time pressure can help you or hinder you. When there is a clear time limit, there is a sense of urgency. You can use that time frame to keep yourself accountable with your progress. You will find ways to be more efficient. You will discover ways to be more focused and minimize distractions. This happens when you perceive the time limit as a goal, as a guidance, and that you can achieve it.

On the other hand, if you believe that the time limit is too harsh, or that you believe there is not enough time to do it, then the time pressure becomes over-dominating. This means that the time pressure is actually hindering your performance and efficiency. You feel stressed. You are trying to rush through things, because there is “no time”. The quality of your work is likely negatively affected because of it. It is easy for you to make mistakes, mistakes you normally would not have done. You may end up having to redo certain things. Rushing through a patient visit is not helpful to be efficient. The patient can sense the urgency, in a negative way. Oftentimes, they feel rushed, not heard, and that negatively impacts the doctor-patient relationship.

What is the best way to perceive time pressure?

First, use a time frame as your goal. For example, your goal is to leave work by 6 pm with everything completed.

Second, believe that you can achieve your goal – it may not be today or tomorrow, but you will in the near future. If you are working an extra three hours at night to finish your messages and charts, your short-term time pressure goal may be to finish your work within 2.5 hours after you see your last patient. Besides believing you can achieve that time goal, it is also important to believe you have the time to do it. Instead of believing “there is not enough time”, believe that “I will have the time I need to do the work”. Believing that there is “not enough time” is not helpful. It makes you rush, take short cuts and compromise the quality of work. On the other hand, if you believe you have enough time, you will discover ways to do your work, while keeping the quality.

As there is a time limit that creates the time pressure, be mindful of the actual time. If your clinic day is structured such that you are seeing a patient every fifteen minutes, the goal is to see one patient, finish that patient’s orders and chart within that time frame. Look at the clock before you enter the exam room. Pay attention to the time while you are in the room. Redirect the conversation as needed. It is possible to be mindful of the time and not feel rushed. You pick and choose what to discuss, what important issues to take care of.

Do one thing at a time. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is not to attempt to multi-task. Doing one thing at a time, focusing on one thing at a time is the best way to be efficient.

Lastly, at the end of the day, reflect on it. Be kind to yourself, even if you did not meet your time goal. What went well? Celebrate what little change or win you had during the day. What can be improved? Did you lose track of the time at some point? The more you reflect, learn and grow from your experience, the more you know what to do and not to do next time. Of course, as always, do not hesitate to ask for help. It is possible to use time pressure to your advantage and be efficient while providing high quality work.