Do you remember the day when a doctor simply took care of patients, much like the town doctor in the movie “Doc Hollywood?” A service was provided and then paid for. A nurse and a receptionist may have been involved, however, that was the extent of the organization.

During my ocular disease/contact lens residency, (thank you to my fearless leaders), I was taught how to be a better clinician and how to help with the flow of the clinic. My directors knew that my challenge after leaving would not only be patient care, but also being an effective executive.

Doctors today are often executives. In addition to patient care, they run an organization of people and abide by the laws and rules of the government, the insurance companies, the CDC and others. Doctors must “get the right things done” if they expect to serve patients, make a profit and have any sanity in life.

KNOW THY TIME

A few years after my residency, I bought a practice. One resource that assisted me in becoming a better executive then was Peter F. Drucker’s “The Effective Executive.” I was encouraged that Mr. Drucker said effectiveness is not something one is born with, but something that is learned. Of the five things all effective executives have in common, the first is “to know thy time,” according to Mr. Drucker.

The one resource we cannot buy, recover, add to, store or replace is time. Effective executives do not start with their tasks, but their time. Here is how Mr. Drucker says to “know thy time”:

1. Record your time.
2. Manage your time.
3. Consolidate your time.

Once you record your time and know where it goes, you can then determine whether you want to manage it differently. I have used several resources to do this, including “The High-Performance Planner” by Brendon Burchard. Whatever resource you use, remember to follow through, and you will see results. If your results still fall outside your plan, look to see whether you are cheating on your time. Effective executives watch their time closely throughout life.

Some may think this is too much effort to place on work. For me, this is more about life. If I do not plan fun times, vacation, exercise and me time, I will often work more than I should.

Once I had control of my time, surprisingly, I had more time than ever before. Have you ever heard the quote by Benjamin Franklin, “If you want something done, ask a busy person”?

CAREER SATISFACTION

By allocating time to being an executive, in addition to being a doctor, I found much more satisfaction in my career than I ever thought possible. In addition, I found time to help others do the same.

I quickly learned that if I wanted a happy and effective team at my office, I needed to encourage the team to manage their time, including scheduling their fun time. I need my team to go home on time, to take lunch every day using a real break and take their vacation.

To be an effective O.D. executive, optometrists must “know thy time.” As you have heard me say before, “Write your story by starting with the end you have in mind” (see bit.ly/OMJasper1020 ). What do you want your life to look like? Now, go be effective at making it happen. OM

Email: april.jasper@pentavisionmedia.com

Twitter: @DrAprilJasper

Facebook: @OptometricManagement