07 Nov 2018

3 ways to improve your work-life balance as a healthcare professional

Ironically, it’s easy to neglect your own health and wellbeing when you’re working in healthcare. Running your own practice can consume huge amounts of time and energy, whether you’re a doctor, medical specialist, dentist, psychologist, occupational therapist, podiatrist or other health professional. It’s common to spend hours working on your business as well as in your business, leaving little time for yourself.

Your life can feel like an operational whirlwind because, besides treating patients, you may also be:

  • managing your practice and premises
  • looking after the practice’s finances and cash flow
  • marketing your practice through social media and other channels
  • dealing with staff issues
  • keeping things going at home (cleaning, shopping, cooking…)
  • raising a family and rushing between school, sporting and social events
  • juggling other aspects of your personal life, including exercising, socialising and supporting your family and friends.

So, how do you free up more time so that you can get your work-life balance right? Here are three quick wins for getting control of your schedule so you can reclaim some time to spend on things outside of work.

1. Remember what your time is worth

We all know that time is money, so make sure you’re using your time wisely. It’s likely that the most lucrative use of your time is for you to be seeing patients, meaning you can afford to pay someone else to do other tasks in your practice. Earning money doing what you do best can give you the financial ability to pay someone else to do what they do best, such as your bookkeeping.

2. Invest in advice you can trust

Engaging trusted advisors who are experts in their field gives you the support you need and allows you to stay focused on helping your patients.

You don’t have to do it all yourself. You and your business can benefit from the services of a range of professionals, including:

  • practice managers
  • administrative staff
  • human resources consultants
  • marketing consultants
  • I.T. consultants
  • bookkeepers
  • accountants

Empower your employees or consultants to take on responsibilities that support you and free up your time. The right advisors will ultimately save you money too. For example, it pays to be meticulous about keeping records up-to-date and accurate, because incorrect data can lead to increased accounting fees.

3. Set boundaries with your time

Anyone who has successfully run their own practice while balancing their health and personal life will tell you this: it’s essential to find strategies to manage your time.

So, set boundaries. Setting boundaries when running a business allows you to take control of what you do and when. Try organising your day into chunks, allocating times for things like:

  • reading and clearing emails
  • returning phone calls
  • holding staff meetings
  • dealing with practice management.

Dividing your day for separate tasks gives you permission to be doing exactly what you need to be doing and reduces the risk of you getting bogged down in one activity at the expense of another.

When you’re structuring your time, it’s important to remember the first two tips as well: do what you do best and engage others to support you. Embrace Accountants can help you to use your time better in your business. Contact us to get the balance right.