Reclaiming time: Systems‐based solutions for the digitally overloaded clinician

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Our days are spent trying to "get through" tasks, in order to get them "out of the way," with the result that we live mentally in the future, waiting for when we'll finally get around to what really matters-and worrying, in the meantime, that we don't measure up, that we might lack the drive or stamina to keep pace with the speed at which life now seems to move."-Oliver Burkeman For busy clinicians and leaders, as our inboxes, calendars, and hospitals alike overflow, we wonder: do time management tactics truly help us weather the storm?Our days are bombarded by relentless streams of incoming emails, secure messages, pages, electronic health record (EHR) alerts, and urgent notifications.Time management is not about working faster or longer; it requires building systems to withstand the chaos of modern clinical and academic life.Here, we propose a deliberate, systems-based approach for managing digital overload. Control starts with TriageAs interns, we are taught to pre-round the same way dailysystematically reviewing overnight events, vitals, labs, imaging, medications, consultant/nursing notes, and a focused hypothesisdriven history and exam.Standardized approaches approach offload the mechanics of data gathering to create mental space for clinical reasoning and decision-making.Approaching our digital workload systematically reduces attention-switching and frees up cognitive load and time for "deep work." 1 Two practical approaches to email management include the "bolus" versus "drip" methods."Bolus" dedicates one or two focused blocks per day (e.g., after rounds and before heading home) for processing email rapidly-shielding the rest of the day for clinical work and focus."Drip" allows for brief, intermittent checks, handling only emails that can be answered in under 2 min, and deferring complex messages until scheduled email blocks.Choose a strategy based on your workflow; without it, email will expand to fill every available gap.Minimize repetitive decision-making by processing emails into discrete, outcome-based folders ("To Sign," "To Respond," "Block time"); archive/delete those needing no reply.Email "rules" or "filters" automatically sort low-priority messages, like newsletters, reducing noise.Repeatedly deciding what to do with each message-"email friction"adds up and drains cognitive resources.Simple standardized approaches trim wasted time, reserving your attention for high-impact work. Automate, template, and digitize regularlyJust as EHR "dotphrases" save time, structured email templates reduce repetitive work and improve consistency-all while maintaining your authentic voice.For example, building a personalized template once for monthly orientation emails to new rotating learners can have a warm, welcoming tone, yet still be automated.Artificial intelligence (AI) tools provide practical ways to support, rather than replace, deeper thinking.Revising drafts, organizing ideas, summarizing documents, creating checklists, drafting responses to All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial intelligence technologies or similar technologies.

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