I’ve written other articles about time management such as 8 Time Management Tips for Therapists and Coaches and 12 Time Management Tips for Feeling More Fulfilled. so today we are taking this concept a step further in order to provide you some efficiency hacks for managing administrative time. I’m going to guess that you probably already do a good job of managing scheduling your clients, keeping sessions to the allotted time frame but it’s all the administrative aspects of running a business that can seem overwhelming and often free-wheeling if we don’t have a plan for efficiency.
These tips and hacks are borrowed from some of the greatest business leaders of our time such as Oprah Winfrey, Arianna Huffman, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg and more. We can learn a few things from those giants! When your private practice or coaching practice is filled with clients, your administrative tasks can sometimes feel like a burden or in competition with the time you want to afford to your clients. Let’s dig into some practical things you can do to make the most of your admin time.
4 Efficiency Hacks for Managing Administrative Time
- “Plan the day the night before, plan the week on Sunday and STICK TO IT!” , says Oprah Winfrey. When it comes to the administrative tasks, they are typically items you know you’re going to need to attend to. Get those items scheduled onto your calendar with as much dedication as you schedule clients! Schedule time every day and every week for all those admin tasks. Block off uninterrupted time on your calendar just like you do for clients; whether that is case notes, treatment planning, staff meeting, blog-writing, reading and answering emails, returning phone calls – each and every item needs planned, scheduled time that you observe with as much attention as you do to your clients.
- Conduct meetings with colleagues or staff standing or walking. Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis discovered that stand up meetings are more efficient, collaborative and yield more problem solutions in less time than sit-down meetings. Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg are advocates for brief, focused meetings standing or walking in order to avoid run-away discussions and waste of valuable time.
- Turn off and put away the phone and other devices during meetings and admin tasks. It’s impossible to be truly engaged and efficient with the task at hand if your device is dinging, buzzing and flashing interrupting your train of thought and your focus. Make it a habit to turn off the sound and vibration and put it out of site except for utilizing the timer to stay on track. Use an actual clock at your desk or on the wall to tell the time so you are not looking at your phone to see what time it is.
- Treasure your time and treat it accordingly. “My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.” said Steve Jobs. Jobs knew a thing or too about the crucial nature of treating time as a precious commodity.
Need help managing all the behind the scenes of your business? Consider hiring a Virtual Assistant. Check out the new company that is out-sourcing skilled professional administrative support specifically for therapists and coaches in private practice called Adminities.