"Kicking the can down the road" is a common behavior that manifests in various ways, from delaying difficult patient decisions to avoiding complex tasks. We explore the reasons behind on-shift procrastination and strategies for overcoming it. Our discussion includes practical steps to recognize and address decision deferral, techniques for managing aversion to some decisions, and pre-loading accountability. We also highlight the importance of building decision-making resilience and creating systematic pathways to streamline the decisional process.
💡 Check out our Free Resources specifically designed to address pain points in medical practice💡
We Discuss:
- What does it mean to kick the can down the road?
- How procrastination shows up on a clinical shift
- Why does procrastination happen?
- It doesn't take much dread for can-kicking to occur
- Avoidance Awareness
- Decisional Interrogation
- Kicking the can because deciding will set off a cascade of more work
- Avoiding the infinite test of time
- Identify how, when, and where you’ll make high-level decisions
- Long term guests | How is it that decisions can finally be made when the shift is over?
- Chunking
- Zero in on your critical decision points
- Kicking the can at work: pick one thing and identify YOUR decision points
- Preloading accountability
- Perfectionists get caught in a tree when they're actually in a tunnel
Mentioned in this episode:
The Out-On-Time Course
Built for emergency clinicians who are tired of chart debt and getting derailed by interruptions and overwhelm. Learn practical, real-time documentation and shift-efficiency strategies to finish your shift and actually leave on time.
Learn More About The Out-On-Time Course
5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier
Scripts for your least favorite conversations.
The quick and dirty guide to calling consults.
A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work.
My favorite documentation templates.
Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death.
Free Resources Link
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