PHYSICIAN TIME MANAGEMENT: How do I use the Eisenhower Matrix to organize my time
FAQ from the PCSI
Time management remains one of the greatest challenges that all physicians face in their day-to-day activities. This is particularly true of academic physicians, who must constantly balance their clinical responsibilities, teaching duties, and research goals. This balancing act becomes particularly difficult when everyone thinks their priorities should be yours and that their needs demand an urgent response
Moreover, who you answer to in the clinical realm differs from who you answer to in either the teaching or research realms. And as bosses tend to do, they think their realm is the most important. Today. Now.
At the PCSI, we coach you to think of this level at two different levels. The first level is the strategic 30,000 level, where you discover your goals for the month, year, and career. That’s a topic for a different day, and frankly, it’s nearly impossible to cover in a 1000-word FAQ. Helping you discover your strategy usually requires live coaching.
The second level is the tactical level, where you already know where you want to go, but need to figure out how to get there in a manner that supports a Plan-Do-Study-Act (then rinse and repeat) approach. This FAQ will focus on this tactical level.
We often coach people to consider the Eisenhower Matrix (i.e., Urgent-Important Matrix) as a framework for balancing the push-me-pull-you of clinical vs. teaching vs. research. It is a highly effective approach for many, particularly those of you who are visually orientated. Of course, to use it effectively, you must have that 30,000 level established - your ‘North Star’ values, so to speak (e.g., patient safety, promotion/tenure, mentoring). Establishing your North Star allows you to distinguish between what is truly important and what is merely urgent.
The Eisenhower Matrix uses four quadrants.
Quadrant of Necessity (Urgent and Important) - these are tasks with immediate deadlines that carry significant consequences if ignored. In other words, do it now. In the clinical realm, examples include critical patient results or emergent surgeries. In the teaching realm, an example may be preparing your Grand Rounds lecture, scheduled for tomorrow morning. In the teaching realm, an example may be a hard NIH grant deadline. Actually, the latter is more likely the hard deadline from your sponsored projects office, but potato - potata.
Quadrant of Strategic Growth (Not Urgent, but Important) - for most of us, this is where professional fulfillment and career advancement live. In other words, schedule it. Formally. Outlook and everything. Sadly, for those of us in academic medicine, we tend to neglect this quadrant. In the clinical realm, examples may include process improvement projects. In the research realm, examples may include writing the first draft of a manuscript. In the teaching realm, this may include designing a new curriculum for the residency programs.
Quadrant of Deception (Urgent, but NOT Important) - these tasks feel like they must be done now, but they don’t necessarily require your specific expertise. In other words, delegate these puppies. In the clinical realm, examples include non-critical administrative paperwork that a medical assistant could handle. In the teaching realm, examples include coordinating the food for a journal club meeting. In the research realm, examples include basic data entry that can be best handled by a research assistant.
Quadrant of Waste (Not Urgent and Not Important) - these are tasks that distract you and drain your energy. In other words, just stop - at least to the best you can. Worth a laugh. Examples may include attending ‘optional’ committee meetings that serve no purpose other than an administrator spewing propaganda, or excessive inbox grazing (checking email every 10 minutes).
We typically start by recommending that you spend at least 20% of your time in Quadrant 2. We have found that it reduces the risk of burnout by ensuring you are doing the work that actually matters to you.
We also recognize that clinical work naturally bleeds into Quandrant 1, so we typically suggest that you build in 15-minute buffer blocks into your schedule to handle ‘urgent’ clinical issues. This will minimize the risk that these issues don’t eat into your meaningful research or teaching time.
Finally, we suggest that you use your digital calendar to color-code your tasks. That way, at a glance, if your week is 90% clinical read, you know you are neglecting your research blue and teaching green goals, for example.
There are other approaches, but many of our clients have found this useful, at least as a starting point. If it doesn’t feel right or work for you, we find another approach.
So there you are.
These FAQ are questions we often receive during consultations or coaching sessions. They will eventually be part of a subscription package. However, for the next month or two, I’ll send them to everyone.
If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please leave them in the comments section. I’ll post a couple of these FAQs each week. Until then, please remember that compassion is made possible by you. Please don’t give up hope for either yourself or the world.