5 Ways Therapists Can Find More Time in Their Schedules This Week

Have you ever felt like there isn’t enough time for everything you want to do? You are not alone. In my conversations with therapists over the past few months, a clear pattern of therapists describing feeling overwhelmed has emerged. As they try to juggle all the responsibilities that accompany being a therapist (calls, emails, documentation, marketing, networking, continuing education, etc….) and their personal responsibilities, therapists notice that they can’t keep up and are finding themselves exhausted. I can totally relate and have certainly been there, too.

I know therapists can find more time in their schedules in order to feel less overwhelmed and reclaim their time and energy, but often times our overwhelm gets in the way of figuring out how to do so. A lot of this sense of overwhelm boils down to the belief that one doesn’t have enough time and when we start believing we don’t have enough time it is easy to put taking the time we need to slow down, reflect and process our experiences as a therapist on the back burner.

As therapists, we are doing such important yet challenging work listening to the stories and pain of our clients and it is essential that we NOT put the reflecting and processing piece at the end of our to-do list. I’d like to challenge you to free up at least one hour in your schedule this week to allow yourself more more time for reflection and processing about your work with clients and how you are being impacted. If you are feeling really overwhelmed, this may seem like a daunting task, but I have shared 5 tips below to help you get started in finding the time you need.

1. Prioritize and schedule time for your weekly tasks.

You are much more likely to accomplish tasks that you have dedicated time to working on. At the start of each week, it can be helpful to take a look at what you want to accomplish and block of your schedule for these tasks. Make sure to block off time for your routine administrative tasks, too! I also suggest having a list of tasks you will work on if you find yourself with an unexpected client cancellation. Having tasks scheduled and a list to work from will help you avoid wasting time trying to figure out what to do with your time.

2. Identify what distracts you (and sucks your time!) and then figure out how to limit or avoid these activities.

For me personally, I know I get really lost in social media and can waste lots of time on Facebook if I am not careful. So, I have been very purposeful in taking all social media off my phone and when I find myself distracted by social media on the computer, I shut down those screens so I can focus. Your source of distraction may be something different, but the important piece is identifying your distractions and figuring out how to structure your work so that those distractions don’t interfere with you accomplishing your tasks in an efficient manner. And of course, if creating structure around your distractions doesn’t work it may be helpful to take a look at whether or not there are underlying factors contributing to your tendency to turn to distractions.

3. Set boundaries and say no.

Often times, when I talk to therapists who are feeling overwhelmed it stems from over committing in their personal lives and/or professional lives . It is important to take a close look at our expectations of ourselves, how we are filling our time and why we are filling the time in the way we are. It is ok to take a step back and re-adjust if we find that activities we have agreed to or goals we have set no longer serve us, our families or the type of work we want to do

4. Ask for support from others.

Examine your personal and professional responsibilities this week and find at least one task that you could ask someone else to help you with. Consider starting to outsource tasks at home or your office in order to free up time on a regular basis.

5. Schedule time for yourself.

I know that when we feel really overwhelmed the idea of scheduling time for ourselves can seem daunting and like an unproductive waste of time. But, remind yourself of what you would tell a client that is feeling the same way. You will come back to your work with more energy and clarity when you allow yourself to take needed breaks. Make sure that you are using the time scheduled for yourself in the ways that help you recharge the most.

Looking for more?

If you are struggling with implementing the tips that I’ve described above and want to get some extra, individualized support in reclaiming your time and energy, I’d like to invite you to schedule a Vibrant Therapist Clarity Call. This call is a complimentary 20 minute strategy session during which we will work together to identify at least one strategy that you can implement this week in order to feel less overwhelmed. Therapists can find more time in their schedules and I’d be honored to help you do so.

I look forward to hearing about the ways in which you have freed up time for yourself and how you have used that time to reduce your sense of overwhelm. Please feel free to leave me a comment below with your thoughts and experiences.

Take Care,

Sarah

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