Time is the most precious and irreplaceable commodity. But if you’re like most therapists, your days often feel cramped and full. You might be managing back-to-back sessions with little to no downtime. In more acute settings, when it feels like there's always a fire to extinguish, ongoing crises can make it challenging to discern the most important tasks.
Good time management strategies are essential for protecting your well-being and mitigating burnout. If you don't look after yourself, you risk becoming emotionally exhausted. This can have serious consequences for both your clients and your loved ones.
Here are some ways to stay focused without sacrificing your own mental health.
Top Time Management Tips for Therapists
Just like you want your clients to find a sense of balance in their lives, it's important that you prioritize how you manage your time. This priority transcends beyond how you maintain a daily schedule. Therapists need the mental energy to give to their clients, and that comes down to integrating these important mental shifts.
Make Your To-Do List Everyday
Use one master calendar for everything, and use that calendar to track what you need to do each day. Ideally, you should include any professional, personal, or familial commitments.
Scheduling is everything- and not just when it comes to managing your clients. You also need to appropriately schedule time for notes, meetings, networking, and outreach. You should also consider scheduling lunches with friends, visits with family, and various appointments. If it's not written down, it might not get done.
Focus on One Task at a Time
Research shows that only about 2.5% of the population can actually multitask effectively. And yet, so many of us try to juggle multiple items at the same time.
As a therapist, you know the importance of staying present and engaged with your clients. This same mindset should apply to your administrative tasks as well. Even if they feel tedious, you'll get things done so much faster if you aren't distracting yourself every few moments.
If a certain task feels overwhelming, set a time limit. For example, consider allocating half an hour to tackle paperwork. Once those thirty minutes are up, decide whether you want to continue working on that task or move on to something else.
Don't forget to schedule breaks. People with strong time management skills know they don't have infinite energy. They honor the need for time limits, breaks, and restoration throughout the day.
Optimize Your Time Management Tools
Technology has redefined how we measure and track time. Use these tools to your advantage- they will help you with everything from project management to working through demanding tasks to taking regular breaks.
Here are some tracking tools to consider:
Asana: This is a project management tool that allows you to focus on various tasks, projects, and productivity goals.
Toggl: Toggl is a time-tracking tool for small businesses and individual professionals that specifically allows you to manage how much time an individual project takes. This can be especially important for managing paperwork or other work-related meetings. You can also use tracking data to give yourself a time audit.
Evernote: Evernote helps you organize notes and memos in one place. You can also collaborate with your coworkers to build teams. In addition, it can read your handwriting- perfect for if you're jotting down quick notes with a client.
RescueTime: RescueTime is specific time management software that offers analytics for your web activity. This may help cut down on procrastination/distraction and encourage you to be more productive at work.
Eliminate the Idea of a Perfect Work-Life Balance
There's really no such thing as perfection when it comes to time management. You can (and should) strive for a better work-life balance, but it's important to have realistic expectations for yourself.
This is why having a working to-do list can be so important. When you know what's essential each day, you can focus your energy on what matters most. This helps you avoid wasting time, and it can make your overall workday feel more productive.
Getting clear on your values can help. When you know what's most valuable to you, it becomes easier to recognize when you must outsource, delegate, or simply eliminate. The reality is that you will never have time to manage it all.
Eliminate Visual Clutter
Research suggests that clutter exacerbates stress levels and can reduce the ability to focus. It also contributes to cognitive overload, and this applies whether you're seeing clients in person or via telehealth.
If the space feels cluttered, you might also feel cluttered. Make it a point to clean your desk each day. Place aesthetically-pleasing items in your office. And if you're working from home, make sure your workspace is separately defined from the rest of your living quarters.
Accept Some Days Will Be Better Than Others
While it doesn't feel good to miss deadlines or run late or get caught up in long, distracting phone calls, the reality is that you're only human. You'll be more productive at various times.
Mastering time management often feels like a process of trial and error. And unexpected tasks will still land on your desk. That's just what it means to be a therapist. Your time management strategy, therefore, needs to be flexible enough that it allows for wiggle room.
Finally, don't underestimate your own energy levels. When is it easiest for you to concentrate? Try to tackle your most important, high-priority tasks when you have the greatest mental bandwidth to handle them. Save the low-priority tasks for when your energy naturally dips.
Final Thoughts
Small steps can make a big difference in how you maximize productivity and maintain a sense of balance in your daily life.
The more you can eliminate distractions, prioritize tasks, and break bad habits impacting your well-being, the better you will feel at effectively managing your time.
