Written By: Dr. Haley Harvey, DC
I’ve been told, with increasing frequency over the past year and a half, “You are the busiest person I know!” Honestly, I hear it once a week. And it’s true, my life is incredibly full. I work a minimum of 40 hours a week, treating 60-70 patients per week, and I spend the rest of my time running our clinic as CEO, head of HR, and I am the marketing department. Our team is fantastic, and I always have support, but right now in this growth phase, a lot is still on my shoulders.
I also have three kids in three different schools, and they all participate in sports. My older two are competitive soccer players and are climbing the ranks of martial arts competitions. And little bro isn’t far behind! We have practices every weekday, tournaments and games on weekends. And of course, school and homework! Life is BUSY. My husband and I are firm believers that kids learn a ton of valuable life skills through sports, so we’re staying the course (Also, how do you say no to their dreams when they put all the work in?! Asking for a friend😉)
All that to say… I know a thing or two about managing a busy schedule and pivoting between roles or “hats” multiple times a day. I am constantly learning and refining my approach to maximize efficiency. And many days, not all of the work gets finished. But, there are a few tips I’ve picked up through the years that have greatly helped me stay on track!
1- Consistency. Whenever possible, keep each day’s schedule the same. Every day can be different, but try to find consistency wherever you can. Every day of the week looks different for me. But I try to keep each day’s general layout consistent from one week to the next. On Mondays, I do CEO work in the morning, treat patients in the afternoon, and in the evening. Tuesday, it’s opposite. Keeping time blocks consistent makes it way easier to get in the flow of each day.
2-Rituals. Special, small repetitive tasks when you switch to a different ‘hat’ help train your brain to engage! Light a candle, turn on a desk lamp, tidy your desk etc. I prep for “doctor” mode by lighting a candle on my charting desk and starting diffusers in each treatment room with my favorite essential oil blend. When I’m finished with patients and notes, I blow out the candle. It’s very simple, and takes less than 2 minutes total, but it helps immensely!
3- Color Coding. Assign each type of work or ‘hat’ you wear a different color. It helps with organization and trains your brain to focus on that “job” when you see the associated color. I’m a very visual person, so I use a giant whiteboard to organize my business, and different colors of sticky notes for each type of work I do during the day.
My provider tasks that require me to be a smart doctor= purple. Leadership tasks that I have to do to keep my team on track and everyone motivated= pink. Financials, reports, number crunching – anything that requires me to engage my analytical “math” brain = turquoise. Business growth & development= yellow. It took a few months, but this has helped me get engaged in my different “jobs” faster and get into the workflow more efficiently. *A color coded calendar is also a must, but more on that later!
4- Batch. Multitasking and efficiency are not friends! Stay focused in one area at a time, group like tasks & get them all done without hopping around (stay in one “color/job” as above) at a time. This idea is the newest strategy to me, but in just a few months of discipline with it, it has drastically improved my productivity. For example, I do all “marketing” tasks in the same time block- social media posts, newsletters, articles, blog posts, etc, and prep a few months ahead whenever possible. Reports, financial projections, payroll, all done on Friday afternoons, and ignored the rest of the week.
These approaches keep me organized and focused on my priorities and doing work that actually moves the needle, instead of just being “busy”! I try to embrace the chaos, while maintaining a structured routine, and it’s made huge differences in both my career and parenting. Life may be hectic, but small changes can lead to significant improvements. And the chaos, well, that’s just part of the fun!
