At FormDr, we are fixated on saving time for our customers, our customers’ patients and even for ourselves. After all, our digital intake forms and form builder were created to make offices run smoothly and more efficiently. Beyond patient appointment reminders and automatically completing HIPAA compliant forms, we’ve compiled our favorite simple time management tips + how to’s to share each month.

Raise your hand if you need help being productive at work right now! Just me? Really? Just in case, let’s check out the Ivy Lee Method.

Does your calendar look like a color-coded nightmare? Do you have multiple systems for keeping track of personal, business, and family items – none of which appear to be working? You are NOT alone. These days, we try to juggle a lot of competing priorities, and our time at work is often interrupted. Work life has definitely changed over the last 100 years, but this 100-year-old technique is surprisingly still effective.

Who was Ivy Lee? Lee was a productivity consultant hired by Charles M. Schwab; you might have heard of him. Lee offered this method to Schwab for free in 1918, and after 3 months Schwab issued Lee a check for $24,000 – an amount equivalent to over $400,000 these days. I think he was happy with the results – right? This method is still heavily used today and is touted by many as a modern productivity hack.

James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Wy to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” summed it up in his blog:

“I do think there is something magical about imposing limits upon yourself. Basically, if you commit to nothing, you’ll be distracted by everything.”

Keep it Simple

Attacking just one area of your life – work time – can enhance your productivity and allow you to spend more time where you really want to be. Whether that place is on the golf course or at home surrounded by family, optimizing the time you have is key.

Conversely – when you don’t use productivity techniques at work, you may come home more stressed out than before, sapped of energy, and unable to enjoy your off time. You may leave work dreading the next day because you didn’t get much done or meet your goals.

Here’s how to use the Ivy Lee Method – are you ready for this?

At the end of the work day, write down the most important five or six things you want to accomplish. Do NOT list more than six. Place them in order by priority, starting with the most important task first thing in the morning.

That’s it! Simple right? There are a few rules to follow with this though. The next day, focus on only ONE task at a time. Don’t fall prey to the multi-tasking demon that we all are slave to. Move from one to another, checking them off (soooo satisfying) and moving to the next. If you don’t get them all done, move the end of the list to tomorrow’s list.

Beware this pitfall: You know that one thing you hate doing? Don’t keep moving it from day to day. After moving it two or three times, put it at the top of the list and don’t move on until it’s done. Procrastination is still a nasty habit.

How Does this Method Help?

1. The act of writing down your to-dos for the next day let’s you leave with a sense of control. You know what you are going to accomplish tomorrow, and you can leave it at work. Don’t spend time worrying about it during the evening. The decisions are already made!
2. You don’t have to waste time in the morning organizing and figuring out what you  are going to work on first. You  already know your priorities and can get right down to it. Imagine how good you could feel if you knock out that list early!
3. You eliminate the inability to prioritize. Some days everything feels urgent. By clearly deciding your priorities the night before, you have already made this decision – now stick to it!

FormDr’s mission is to provide efficient and secure digital forms to maximize productivity and organization in medical practices. We love giving our clients back the gift of time. Now go hit the golf course!