Staying Productive in a Hectic Work Environment

For virtually all professionals, even those who've returned to a physical location (or weren't ever able to telecommute), work as a whole is far different than it was just a year ago. This is certainly true of those working in LTC pharmacies, not unlike other areas of health care. But one thing that isn't much different is the urgency — it's always been an incredibly hectic environment: facilities' prescription orders need to be processed and fulfilled. Paperwork must be completed with pinpoint accuracy to ensure proper reimbursement and keep the pharmacy compliant. The supply chain from drug vendors has to be monitored to mitigate the risk of shortages or delays.

In a setting like this, it's natural and beneficial to seek out solutions for increasing productivity, either your own or that of people you supervise. But at the same time, you want to maintain focus on the most critical tasks and not let things become overwhelming and stressful.

Manage time and tasks with a physical planner

More likely than not, this isn't the first place you've seen the recommendation to use a planner or journal. But there's a simple reason why it's a common and evergreen suggestion — it can work very well.

In a guest post for Forbes, career coach Ashley Stahl explained that using a physical planner, journal or notebook is more effective than using virtual tools like iCal, Outlook, and Google, or Microsoft Calendar. For one, doing so reduces screen time by taking your attention away from your computer, smartphone, or tablet, which is never a bad thing. But more than that, the visual familiarity of handwriting makes written words — describing your daily tasks, in this case — seem more tangible and important. Crossing items off when they're done feels more satisfying as a result.

Stahl also suggested writing down daily intentions or affirmations in the planner. Those things may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely valuable to write down details of the workday, especially if you had a significant success or failure with one task or another. Journaling of any kind also has health benefits: Research published by Cambridge University Press found that consistent writing of this kind, even for just 15 to 20 minutes daily, helped alleviate the physical effects of stress.

Address your biggest difficulties head-on each day

According to Fitnancials, it's best to start every workday by tackling the most difficult or daunting responsibilities on your agenda. This is sometimes known as "eating the frog," due in part to self-help writer Brian Tracy's book Eat That Frog. (Tracy told Fast Company he got the idea from a Mark Twain saying about how starting your day by eating a live frog would all but ensure that nothing else the day brought you would be any worse.)

Many people don't do this, opting instead to ease themselves into the day with simpler tasks to start. It's an understandable approach, but it can be harmful. As Fitnancials explained, procrastinating only makes the difficult task feel even more impossible than it would on its own, which saps motivation and may even reduce your effectiveness. Instead, you should do the job right at the top of the workday, but break it down into smaller components. Also, if it's not due at the end of the day, there's no reason you can't tackle some or most of those partitioned tasks one day and handle the rest in the morning.

Establish an anchor task

In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear describes the concept of the "anchor task:" one item on your to-do list that you commit to completing that day, no matter what else you have on your plate. This can be extremely effective in those times when you have too many tasks on your agenda and are beginning to lose focus.

In the LTC pharmacy world, completing the most urgent facility orders would be a good example of this. The "anchor" will help bring you out of this would-be quagmire and guarantee that you accomplish one crucial goal, so you don't end the day feeling bad about what you've managed to get done.

Test your work habits

Every professional has habits that, to some extent, define the work they do. For some people, this means eating lunch at their desks while working. Others might have a tendency to type a certain way or rely heavily on instant messaging to reach co-workers when they could easily get up and talk to them.

These habits may or may not be good, but it's not always easy to know for certain one way or the other. According to Fast Company, using the scientific method to test them will help you find out. Pick one of your habits, research background information, and "experiment" by practicing the habit and tracking its effects on your workday. You'll need a control for the data to be valid, so be sure to also keep track of what happens when you avoid these habits (or use different ones).

Avoid priority overload

Gallup pointed out that while it makes sense for businesses or professionals to have a number of different long-term priorities, it's unwise to commit to too many goals, as it can easily lead to burnout.

Team leaders or pharmacy administrators should be especially mindful of this. Focus first on the essentials — e.g., revenue targets that must be met — and then add some priorities that are ambitious but also realistic. You can also use this model on a day-to-day basis, but it's particularly important in a macro sense.