Reclaiming the Calendar: Time Management for the Clinician Educator.

Abstract

The number and variety of clinical and academic tasks can at times overwhelm busy clinician educators (CEs), and traditional time management concepts may not transfer well to their unique schedules and responsibilities. Although a calendar is a key element in time management discussions, a downloadable template may not be the best approach for CEs. For some, clinical service obligations (eg, clinic, operating room) regularly define the calendar, which limits the usefulness of templated calendars created for other fields. Adaptations of existing calendaring approaches or other strategies are needed to achieve your professional and personal goals and reduce stress.Better time management is associated with achieving career goals and supporting career satisfaction. Studies of physician burnout and work-life balance suggest that control over time and schedule is a key driver of physician career satisfaction.1,2 Lack of individual control over the work schedule is also associated with physician attrition.3,4 Yet CEs' clinical duties and academic expectations can yield unpredictable schedules, unconventional hours, and moral distress regarding task prioritization. Despite this reality, CEs must prioritize tasks and assert some control over calendar management to achieve their unique goals and priorities within each of their roles. Time is finite—each day offers only 1440 minutes that must be used judiciously. The CE's quest for the perfect time management approach is an evolving search for an individual system that promotes professional and personal goal achievements with minimal stress.