Are You Spending Your Professional Time on the Right Things?
How would you describe your perfect work day?
Whatever your answer, it probably is not “A bunch of random emergencies take all my time and I don’t accomplish anything I set out to.”
Now think about what percentage of your time at work is spent on things you hadn’t planned to do (emergencies) or on things you’re doing only because there isn’t anyone else to do them (chores). Even if your job description includes “chores and emergencies,” chances are your employer does not applaud reactive or low-value work. So why are you doing these things?
If less than 10% of your time is spent on chores and emergencies, then congratulations! (Maybe that’s why you have time to read this article.) If it’s more than 40%, then you need a plan to take charge of your time. What are your chores, how long do they take, and can you get someone else to do them for you? What is causing the emergencies in your work life?
Here’s the key: make sure you have really identified the root cause of the emergency, not merely what’s called the “proximate cause.” For example, if you find your day hijacked by a doctor who asked a pointed question in a meeting, then the proximate cause of this emergency may be “unanticipated data request.” A possible root cause, however, is “key data not available.” Why isn’t it available? Is it because you can’t get it out of your information system at a reasonable cost? Have you been too busy fighting fires to communicate key data to your doctors? After a few of these log entries, you may start to see patterns. A course of action may become evident.
Your course of action will probably carry a price tag with it, which suggests why it hasn’t been done already. In order to sell your plan to the business owners, you will need to put a value on the time that will be created for you (and other staff). How will you cover these new costs? Can you persuade your bosses that with this extra time you can actually make them more money? If you approach your work with this attitude of creativity and initiative, you will certainly create opportunities for yourself. Good luck!