Post by Spencer Willette, OMS-III
Time is one of the most precious commodities in life. So what if I told you that you could get back at least an hour of your day? We all wish we had more hours in the day to accomplish the tasks we set out to complete and often find ourselves wishing we could do more. In this episode, optimizing work productivity and maintaining healthy habits are discussed.
Taking a step back and reprioritizing values is what Marco Propersi did as he found himself in a whirlwind of balancing money, family, friends, fitness, and personal time. We should not feel so pressed for time on a daily basis that we feel guilty to run a quick errand for a spouse. It was time to reprioritize values. Immediately he started reading and learning about productivity and efficiency. He discovered that through simple changes in everyday habits, we could spend our time much more wisely.
As of recent many of us have been receiving the dreaded “weekly screen time report” and unfortunately have seen significant rises in screen time. Social media and related apps can be beneficial until it inhibits us from interacting with the world around us. Is the time you spend on apps meaningful and positively impactful to your life? Checking Instagram or the latest sports highlights on your phone can be disruptive to productivity and time efficiency. Below are action items and resources to help enhance quality work production.
Concrete Changes:
- Reduce Exposure:
- Remove apps that take away from meaningful life experiences.
- Consider completely deleting an account on the application.
- Remove cues:
- Adjust notification settings
- Set time limitations for application use
- Make it difficult:
- Increase the friction for accessibility to the internet or apps. Change passwords, adjust, or web browser access.
- Set access timers – can only access certain applications during a given time period.
- Accountability:
- Try a 30-day hiatus from social media with a friend.
- Reassess how your time is spent and work efficiency.
- Be honest with yourself when analyzing your time.
- Deep work:
- Make it time specific and energy focused.
- Make it intentional and create a dedicated time for deep work.
- Wake up 30minutes to an hour earlier than normal and use that time for you to organize the day and accomplish your goals. Quiet time in the morning is a peaceful way to start each day.
- Goals vs. Deadlines
- Set goals, not deadlines. It can be admirable to set various deadlines when working on a big project, but this can create unnecessary anxiety. To get quality work accomplished, create time blocks to work on a project, rather than say I need to finish by a certain date in advance. The work will take care of itself if quality and intentional time is spent during each working session.
Take Homes:
- Take-Home 1: Taking ownership allows for a search for solutions and progress instead of blame.
- Take-Home 2: Enhance quality work by increasing friction for accessibility to various phone and computer applications.
- Take-Home 3: Carve out a period of time to indulge in deep work by making it time specific and energy focused
`
About Our Guest:
Marco Propersi, DO is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Department of Emergency Medicine St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center and is on the Board of Directors for NJ-ACEP.
Resources:
Productive apps:
- Habit tracker – helps track whether you are accomplishing your habit goals.
- Freedom – Blocks access to various applications and websites to enhance work productivity.
Books:
- Deep Work – by Cal Newport
- Digital Minimalism – by Cal Newport
- Atomic Habits – by James Clear
- Eat That Frog! – by Brian Tracy
- Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win – by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – by Carol S. Dweck
Podcast: Jocko Podcast – Leadership and Discipline
ALiEM Blog Post: How I Work Smarter: Drew Kalnow, DO
Looking For More?
More from Andy, Tanner, and Drew: Be sure to subscribe to our new newsletter for more information about what the team is reading, listening to and so much more!
More of your favorite EM Over Easy content: As always, you can find more of your favorite EM Over Easy content by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Also, please rate us on your favorite podcasting app or by visitingMedForums.
As the OFFICIAL podcast of the ACOEP, be sure to check out the ACOEP by visiting aceop.org to learn more and to sign up for one of their many CME offerings.