Keeping your priority list on track

Sometimes you may think that you've successfully outlined your priorities for the day, but when you show up for work, your e-mail inbox is full, you have 12 voice mails, and several staff members are lined up with questions only you can answer. This is the point of the day that separates good managers from effective managers. Effective managers know when and when not to reshuffle priorities after they walk into a situation that may take precedence.

Consider the following tips for keeping your priority list on track:

• Ask those waiting for you if they have an emergency that requires your immediate attention. If not, explain that you would be happy to make time for them later in the day, if needed. Explain there is already an urgent matter that requires your attention first thing in the morning.
• Don't let others determine where you focus your attention. There are great actors out there who will dramatize scenarios in hopes of getting you to focus your attention on what they believe to be your most important priority. Remember that you are the manager and priority setting should be done with the best interest of the medical staff office in mind.
• Write out your functions or tasks, deadline dates, and whom they effect on a spreadsheet. As you schedule your priorities, these types of tools help managers focus on where their time is best spent.
• When you feel overwhelmed with priorities, take your spreadsheet to your manager and ask his or her opinion. What does he or she think are the top three tasks that deserve your time today?