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Becoming a Time Manager by Jen Butler, MEd, CPC, BCC

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Time is a consumable that levels the playing field among the rich and poor, successful and seeking, experienced and neophyte. Time is the one commodity that we can choose to give away or turn it into a million-dollar moment. We make or break these moments by our perception of time, how we value it, and most importantly, how we manage it.

What separates the masters of time management from the amateur is simple: masters know, understand and leverage the power of time. Every moment is spent looking for problems and turning them into opportunities. Plans are devised with intention and strategy to capture the small, necessary steps that create major, benefiting solutions. Masters know which are the most important items to focus on in their practice while leaving room for urgent and unpredictable events.

Effective time managers experience exceptional productivity, high rewards, calm schedules, less stress, confidence and increased profits. They are happier in life because they have time to explore hobbies outside of the orthodontic world. Family moments are never missed and healthy living is a lifestyle.

Problem Solve

Problems. Every orthodontic office has them but nobody wants to admit it, share them with others or face them head on. Without aggressively and actively searching out problems within your practice you will miss the first step in time management and the opportunities that come along with problem solving. There are four basic steps to problem solving:

1. Define the problem.

This seems easy enough of a first step but most orthodontists fail at time management right here. The reason being is that they mislabel their problems. For example, when there is a rash of cancellations or no-shows and an orthodontist thinks that's the problem, then they have mislabeled their problem. No-shows and cancellations are a result of the team and doctor behaviors prior to those appointments. The goal of successful problem solving is to get to the root cause of any issue and weed out the symptoms. Start with what you think is the problem, or the end result, and work backwards, continually asking "why" questions until the root cause becomes apparent.

2. Brainstorm alternatives.

Brainstorming alternatives means to look at, identify, categorize and search out other aspects of a problem that leads to possible solutions. The sole intention of brainstorming is to push you out of your box and engage in critical and lateral thinking processes. An effective tool for brainstorming alternatives is concept fan, an exercise developed by Edward De Bono, a physician and author. Start with a circle in the middle of a piece of paper (old school is better than new technology when brainstorming) and within it, write the problem. From there, draw lines outward listing all aspects, ideas and possible solutions. Don't get caught up in the reasonableness of alternatives. Most often the right solution is so far outside your box you can't see it upon first reflection. Continue fanning out until there are a significant number of elements to explore.

3. Decide on solutions.

Just like the many hand skills you have learned in school and honed in your practice, decision making is a skill of the brain that must be nurtured and practiced correctly to become effective. To systematically decide on which solution to implement, use the starburst technique. Start with a large, six-pointed star in the middle of your paper. Write your idea, service, product or alternative in the middle of the star. Next, write "who," "what," "where," "when," "why" and "how" at the tip of each point. Now make a long list of questions starting with each pointed word, radiating out from the star. These questions will all be open-ended, critical and analytical in nature. Don't try and answer the questions as you list them as it will disrupt your flow. When you have exhausted your questions, begin answering them as thoroughly as possible. Repeat the process for each aspect of an alternative. Although this step of the problem solving process might seem tedious and trivial, deciding on the right solution to implement should not be taken lightly. Every solution deserves a comprehensive exploration of its possible outcomes. Without it, you might miss out on making that one decision that will take your practice to the next level.

4. Implement a solution.

Moving onto implementation is the logical next step, but one many orthodontists move to too quickly. When you have the solution staring you in the face, it's normal to gather the team for an emergency meeting, throw a lot of information about the problem at them and ride in on your white horse with the big solution. Giving the team the solutions and expecting them to execute on demand is where many ideas and alternatives end. For effective implementation, there needs to be planning, the next major step in becoming a time manager.

Plan

From the smallest change to the most radical, implementing a new solution within an orthodontic practice can send a team spiraling out of control with emotions, worry and uncertainty. It can derail a practice from meeting their goals for weeks if not properly managed. To avoid the negative elements associated with change, make sure you plan extensively by making a to-do list. By to-do lists, we are not talking about the strewn of Post-it notes you have all over your desk. Or the pieces of scrap paper taped to your computer or reminders you keep (and never look at again) in Outlook. This is a to-do list like you've never used before—an actual useful one.

Important characteristics of a to-do list are:
  • Specific, small steps—no generalizations
  • Result-orientated and always linked to a goal
  • Personalized
  • In order of importance
  • Time bound
  • Measurable and trackable

Some tips for successfully using to-do lists:
  • Take 15 minutes at the end of each work day to evaluate, check off and prioritize items.
  • Pick a minimum of one item to complete each day.
  • If an action will take longer than one hour, it has smaller steps you are overlooking. Smaller is better.
  • If your to-do list is long and appears overwhelming, categorize the steps under larger projects and focus on one project at a time.

Prioritize

The key for any successful time manager is their ability to ultimately prioritize their time. Whether it's focusing on problem solving, delegation, decision making, planning or goal setting, unless you know which is the most important component of time management for you in any moment, that moment is wasted. The most popular prioritization tool used is linked to former President Eisenhower and famed by Stephen Covey in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It's called the "Urgent/Important Matrix."

Most practitioners focus on the urgent—those things that demand immediate attention and insist on action. Examples would be when a patient shows up to have a broken appliance fixed, a team member calls out sick or your supply order was delivered to the wrong address. Falling into this trap leads an orthodontist down a path of chaos, idleness and stress.

What every orthodontist should focus on is the important— those activities that are results-oriented and contributes to your business goals, vision and mission. Where urgent items require us to react, important matters allow us time to plan and be innovative, calculating and prepared. Some examples might be networking with other specialists to expand your professional outreach, upgrading your office technologies, obtaining additional certifications or establishing an in-office bonus system. Each of these are important to helping you achieve business goals and yet they are not something that must be done immediately.

Putting it Together

A time manager knows how to put all three of these components together into one, seamless enterprise. To get to that master-level, do the following today:
  1. Actively and aggressively look for problems throughout your office. Where there is a problem, there is an opportunity.
  2. If you don't have a.m. and p.m. huddles with your team, start! Morning huddles are patient-focused, afternoon huddles are business-centered. This is where you start to brainstorm alternatives and solutions.
  3. Make a list of what's important and what's urgent using the definitions above. If it's important, make it a priority.
  4. Visit www.jenbutlercoaching.com and download templates and examples of the tools mentioned throughout this article.

*Detailed information about all the tools mentioned in this article can be found at www.jenbutlercoaching.com.

Jen Butler, MEd, CPC, BCC, has been working in the area of stress management and resiliency coaching for over 20 years. She is available as a coach/consultant, speaker and trainer. To learn more about her services and sign up for her monthly stressLESS newsletter to go www.jenbutlercoaching.com. Take the Dental Stress Self-Assessment at www.jenbutlercoaching.com/quiz/ to find out your stress levels. Contact Jen Butler directly at 623-776-6715 or jen@jenbutlercoaching.com for more information.

Orthotown Magazine
September 2025
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