3 Steps for Finding Time in Your Day

Is there ever enough time?

There are many things vying for the attention of a business owner, and even more so for a chiropractor that owns a practice. It is so important to educate the public, grow your practice, optimize your processes, keep your financials current, understand your cash flow…are you overwhelmed all over again?

The biggest question of all can be, “Where do I start?” For a lot of chiropractors that question can seem impossible to answer and so they go back to the necessary day-to-day tasks until things spiral out of control. 

I have good news! After reading this, you will know exactly where to start on that never-ending list of “should-dos.”

Step 1: Write a comprehensive list.

Jot down everything—literally everything—that you can think of needing to be done. This list should include things you want to do, need to do, will do, already do on a regular basis, and should do (but won’t have the time). This list is almost like a brain-dump in which you sweep out all those pesky should-dos that have been on the metaphorical back burner for quite some time now, as well as those new things you learned about at the last conference but haven’t had the time to implement yet. This is your Before List.

Step 2: Observe how you spend your time. 

Use our free Task Audit for Chiropractors to help you easily track the time spent on each task. First, you will transfer your Before List into the Task Audit (a video with detailed instructions are included when you download it). After all the tasks you do, want to do, or should be doing are represented, you will track how much time you spend on any one of those tasks throughout your day. Do this consistently over the course of five business days. Basically, this will show you how much time is actually spent on each of those tasks from your Before List. If you spend time on things that weren’t originally on your comprehensive list, make sure to add it to your Task Audit.

Step 3: Analyze the completed Task Audit.

Essentially, the task audit is now your After List. This list is even more comprehensive than the one from Step 1 because it includes Ever.Y.Thing! Now that you have every hour in your business week accounted for, you can see exactly which tasks are taking the most time. 

Here are some questions you may want to ask when analyzing the Task Audit.

The thing that I spend the most time on…is that what I want to be spending the most time on?

Are there any tasks on this list that I can stop doing entirely?

Are there any tasks on this list that I can automate?

Are there any tasks on this list that I can outsource?

How much money am I losing by not deleting, automating, and outsourcing?

What other items on this list could I be doing with that extra time?

How would I feel if I did those things instead of these?

Are the tasks I’m spending time on now propelling me toward my goals or holding me back?

Okay, I’ve discovered where I’m spending my time now and how I can essentially find more time in my day, but how does that help me with my never ending should-dos? 

After you finish deleting, automating, and outsourcing, you can come back to the Task Audit and easily identify on which items to spend your new-found time. A great filter question when determining which task to do first is “Is this breakthrough work?” Is that task moving you toward achieving your goals or is it just something that is good to do?

If you have questions on how to align your findings with your vision, or if you’re wondering where to go from here, we would love to help you draft a plan to success that empowers you to realize your vision and go on that hiking trip with your family!

Schedule a free consultation here.

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