Progress Notes Issue 41: Juggling Too Many Balls?
NP Business Tip: Juggling too many balls? As a Nurse Practitioner Entrepreneur, there are always, what seems like, too many balls to juggle, too many hats to wear. It can grow weary and be a heavy weight on your shoulders. So how can you get it all done and maintain your sanity and your life? Here are a few ideas.
- Focus. In order to get a project done to completion, you need to be able to focus on the task at hand. Think for a minute about your week before going on vacation. Notice how much you actually get done. Is there a way for you to bring that "pre-vacation" focus into your everyday life?
- Eat that big frog. When you are scheduling your day and your tasks, start with what Brian Tracey calls "eating your big frog". Get the most important, most distasteful thing off your plate first. Everything else will just flow.
- Delegate. When APC (my practice) first opened, at the end of every day, I was the one cleaning the rooms. This was the very first thing I delegated. What other things are you doing in your office that can be delegated and outsourced? Think outside the box…for example, you may not need an employee in house to answer your phones - consider hiring a virtual assistant for this sort of thing.
- Prioritize. This can be huge for a lot of people. What are you spending your time on? It's so tempting to check email, Facebook and Twitter, but is that a good use of your time? Perhaps you'll want to tackle that big frog first.
- Recharge. Admittedly, this has been the hardest for me. However, I know firsthand that it is essential to get out of town, away from the day to day demands and challenges that pull on you physically, emotionally and spiritually. We need to recharge and spend time in our "power places". For me that means spending time on certain beaches where I can get grounded again. Sometimes this also means spending time with other business owners, who can clearly see, what you cannot when you are mired in the day to day running of your business - ie, your mastermind group. In other words, practice self care.
Today, we as NP entrepreneurs have more and more demands placed on us in the workplace, and in our lives. It's essential we practice the art of self care, and that begins with managing "our balls" more efficiently. NPBO™ Action Step: Look at the 5 steps above. Where can you make changes? What can you do to manage your tasks more efficiently? How can you incorporate self care into your daily life?
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