Orthodontists often struggle with managing their time and productivity like many other professionals. With numerous patients to attend to, treatment planning, administrative tasks, ClinChecks, and ongoing training and education requirements, staying on top of everything can be challenging. One major distraction that can hinder productivity is constant notifications from phones, computers, and other devices. How can an orthodontist gain productivity by managing seemingly endless notifications?
Turn Off Notifications
The first step in managing notifications is simple. Turn them off on your phone and computer. While it can be tempting to check your phone every time a message pops up, it can interrupt your workflow and lead to distractions. Turning off notifications allows you to focus on your tasks without being constantly interrupted. If you’re worried about missing important calls or messages, you can set up specific notifications for those contacts or apps. For example, you can set your phone to only ring when a specific person calls or when you receive a message from a particular app. Instead of letting everyone access your attention, filter the permissions and see your productivity grow.
Schedule Time for Checking Emails and Messages
Another way to manage notifications is to schedule time for checking emails and messages. Scheduling will help you focus on your tasks while ensuring you’re not missing any important updates. Instead of constantly checking your inbox throughout the day, set aside specific times to respond to emails and messages. For example, you can work on your emails first thing in the morning, after lunch, and before leaving the office. Doing this lets you prioritize your emails and respond to the most important ones first.
Use Productivity Apps to Manage Notifications
There are numerous productivity apps available that can help you manage notifications and improve your productivity. For example, RescueTime and Forest can help you stay focused by blocking distracting websites and apps. You can also use apps like MeisterTask or Asana to keep track of your tasks and deadlines. These apps allow you to set reminders and notifications for specific tasks to stay on top of your work without being constantly distracted. Filter your messages on these apps to regain focus and use a system to optimize, automate and delegate tasks.
Minimize Distractions in Your Environment
In addition to managing notifications on your devices, minimizing distractions in your workspace is essential. Controlling distractions can include noise around you, clutter on your desk, social media, and other distractions interrupting your workflow. To reduce distractions, try to create a quiet and organized workspace. You can use noise-canceling headphones, tidy up your desk, and eliminate any unnecessary items that may be distracting. We can gain traction by setting up your environment for high productivity and focusing on your important roles.
Take Breaks to Recharge
Finally, taking breaks throughout the day is essential to recharge your energy and stay productive. Recharging will help you stay focused and avoid burnout, which can lead to decreased productivity. You can take short breaks to stretch, care for clinical patients, or grab a snack. We can take short spurts of digital work during the day, staggered with other tasks. If you are working on extended computer tasks, the Pomodoro technique can be helpful to focus on twenty-five minutes sprints of productivity.
Managing notifications is essential in improving productivity as an orthodontist. By turning off notifications, scheduling time for emails and messages, using productivity apps, minimizing distractions, and taking breaks, you can gain control of your time and energy and improve your overall productivity.
