As physicians, we’re no strangers to placing our time in. Whether or not it’s charting, name shifts, maintaining with CME, or simply attempting to be current with our households, it usually looks like we’re drowning in obligations. Truthfully, at occasions, it might probably really feel overwhelming.
However right here’s a reality I needed to be taught: I didn’t have a time downside. I had a prioritization downside.
It wasn’t till I began utilizing a easy decision-making framework — the Eisenhower Matrix — and mixed it with digital assistants and AI that I started to create time in my day by day life.
When you continuously really feel behind or overwhelmed, this put up will stroll you thru how you can:
- Determine what really deserves your consideration
- Systematically eradicate or delegate the whole lot else
- Use know-how successfully to unlock hours every week
Let’s dive in.
Disclaimer: This text is for informational and academic functions solely and doesn’t represent monetary, authorized, or funding recommendation. Any funding entails danger, and it is best to seek the advice of your monetary advisor, lawyer, or CPA earlier than making any funding selections. Previous efficiency just isn’t indicative of future outcomes. The writer and related entities disclaim any legal responsibility for loss incurred on account of the usage of this materials or its content material.
Why Most Physicians Really feel Stretched Skinny
We’re educated to “do it and do it effectively.” That always means we tackle an excessive amount of, attempt to do the whole lot ourselves, and assume being “busy” is simply a part of being a high-performing physician.
However zoom out for a second. When you’re doing:
- Affected person care
- Documentation
- Admin work
- Analysis
- Working your observe
- Educating or mentoring
- Household duties
- Making an attempt to train, sleep, and perhaps take into consideration passive revenue
You’re most likely operating on fumes. Nobody can maintain that with out methods in place.
Step 1: The Eisenhower Matrix – The best way to Prioritize Like a Professional
The Eisenhower Matrix helps you resolve what really deserves your time.
Right here’s the way it breaks down:
Quadrant 1: Pressing and Essential — Do It Now
These are fast, high-stakes duties that require your experience.
Examples:
- Responding to a medical emergency
- Ending time-sensitive documentation
- Dealing with a billing subject that impacts money circulate
Quadrant 2: Not Pressing however Essential — Schedule It
These are the high-leverage actions that form your future, however they usually get pushed apart.
Examples:
- Studying about actual property investing
- Establishing property plans
- Creating methods in what you are promoting
- Spending time with household
- Prioritizing well being
That is the place actual freedom is constructed. However we hardly ever make area for it as a result of it doesn’t scream for our consideration.
Quadrant 3: Pressing however Not Essential — Delegate It
These duties really feel essential, however they don’t require your experience. They need to be offloaded to another person.
Examples:
- Scheduling conferences
- Answering routine emails
- Reserving journey
- Formatting displays
Quadrant 4: Not Pressing and Not Essential — Delete It
These are distractions. They waste time and supply little return.
Examples:
- Refreshing your electronic mail
- Arguing in Fb feedback
- Continuously reorganizing your to-do listing
Once I first began utilizing this, I made an inventory of the whole lot on my plate – one-time duties and recurring ones – after which assigned every to a quadrant. You are able to do this manually, or higher but, use AI to assist categorize them for you (extra on that beneath).
Step 2: How I Use a Digital Assistant (VA) as a Doctor and Entrepreneur
As soon as I began making use of the Eisenhower Matrix, I spotted what number of of my weekly duties landed in Quadrant 3 — pressing however not essential. These had been very best to delegate.
As a substitute of doing the whole lot myself, I realized to rent a digital assistant (VA) for an extremely affordable value. It’s a win-win: you offload repetitive duties, they achieve significant work, and infrequently, they’ll do it higher and quicker than you may.
Right here’s how I began utilizing a VA and how one can too.
What I Delegated First
- Electronic mail triage
- Calendar coordination
- Journey logistics
- Analysis (instruments, distributors, items, service comparisons)
- Social media formatting and scheduling
I recorded Loom movies for duties, created processes, and used activity boards in Notion to assign and observe progress. The distinction was fast. I went from managing the whole lot to focusing solely on the issues that required my distinctive enter.
Programs That Work Properly With a VA
- Use undertaking administration instruments like Notion, Trello, or ClickUp
- File SOPs (normal working procedures) as soon as utilizing Loom and reuse them
- Use shared cloud folders with clear file naming conventions
- Give restricted entry by means of instruments like LastPass for safety
Begin by shopping for again 5 hours per week. Over time, this compounds into extra margin, much less stress, and better give attention to high-impact work.
Step 3: How I Use AI to Multiply My Time
AI instruments like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity have turn into my go-to digital assistants after I want one thing quick, correct, and scalable.
One of many first methods I used AI was by taking my activity listing and asking ChatGPT to assist me categorize it utilizing the Eisenhower Matrix. To start with, I needed to train it what I thought-about essential, however over time, it realized my preferences and sorted duties extra precisely — and far quicker than I may manually.
Listed here are a couple of different methods I and different physicians use AI in medication, enterprise, and life:
Scientific + Administrative Duties
- Summarizing journal articles into plain English
- Drafting enchantment letters for insurance coverage
- Creating affected person schooling content material
- Writing convention slide outlines
- Researching scientific instruments or databases
Enterprise and Private Duties
- Drafting LinkedIn posts and newsletters
- Evaluating software program instruments or subscriptions
- Producing title choices for webinars or weblog posts
- Planning a 5-day household trip itinerary with finances
The important thing to getting good output is giving good enter. Inform the AI what function it is taking part in, who the viewers is, and what format you need the reply in.
Right here’s a pattern immediate I’ve used:
“You’re a grasp journey agent who is aware of my preferences (beforehand shared). Assist me create an itinerary for a four-day household journey to Paris, together with transportation choices.”
When you be taught to immediate AI effectively, it turns into an extension of your pondering and execution — not only a novelty.
Step 4: Know What Your Time Is Price
When you earn $350,000 a 12 months and work 50 hours per week, your time is value about $135 an hour. Nonetheless, I believe physicians ought to worth their time nearer to $1000 an hour.
Each time you spend three hours doing one thing a VA or software program may do for $15 to $25 an hour, you are dropping $300 in alternative value — and sacrificing time with your loved ones, your well being, or your progress.
Ask your self:
Would you pay somebody your hourly price to do that activity?
If not, it most likely doesn’t belong in your plate.
Step 5: Construct a Weekly System
It’s one factor to have the suitable instruments. It’s one other to construct habits that leverage them persistently.
Right here’s the easy system I exploit every week:
Sunday Planning (15 to twenty minutes):
- Overview my calendar and Eisenhower Matrix
- Assign duties to my VA
- File any wanted Loom walkthroughs
- Draft AI prompts for the week
Mid-week Overview:
- Approve VA deliverables
- Refine AI output
- Reassess what I can eradicate
This routine saves me eight to 10 hours per week — and infrequently extra.
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Closing Ideas: What Would You Do With an Additional Hour a Day?
Would you:
- Spend it with your loved ones
- Work in your facet hustle
- Sleep extra
- Construct out your funding technique
- Or just take a break
You don’t must overhaul your life to start out shopping for again your time. You simply must take step one.
Begin by deleting one activity.
Delegate yet another.
Automate yet another.
Quickly, your calendar will begin to mirror the life you really need.
Need Assist Getting Began?
When you’re able to go deeper, listed here are a couple of assets that may assist:
The way forward for time freedom isn’t about working more durable. It’s about letting go of the issues that don’t want you — so you may double down on those that do.
Have been these useful in any manner? Be sure to join the publication and be a part of the Passive Earnings Docs Fb Group for extra physician-tailored content material.
Peter Kim, MD is the founding father of Passive Earnings MD, the creator of Passive Actual Property Academy, and presents weekly schooling by means of his Monday podcast, the Passive Earnings MD Podcast. Be a part of our group on the Passive Earnings Doc Fb Group.
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