The older I get, the fewer things seem worth
waiting in line for. Line of cars at the gas pump?
I can probably make it to the next one. Drivethrough
lanes backed up? Meh, I wasn’t that
hungry. Put on hold with customer service? Please,
I’ll just go to their website!
I think two things are driving this behavior: First,
the older I get, the more I value the time I have,
and waiting doesn’t feel like it has much value.
Second, there’s a “spillover effect” from my online
experiences.
For example, I can order nearly anything I can
reasonably think of from Amazon.com, in the size
and color of my choosing, delivered to my front
porch tomorrow. Cool song on the radio? iTunes, 15
second download, done. No waiting, no hassles.
My unconscious thought that connects the dots…
everything worth having should be like this.
Of course it wasn’t always this way. There was
also a slower cadence to life. Need something new
to wear? Find the Sears catalog, fill out the form,
take it to the store, wait two weeks and voila – the
merchandise appears. It was a different world,
and most of us understood the meaning of “good
things come to those who wait” or “one step at a
time.” Today, it just all seems too slow.
The same phenomenon is playing out in our organization.
Paper charts? Gone. X-rays on film? That’s
so 2005. Prescription pad? Good luck tracking one
down. Drug companies used to give out free pens
– back when they were allowed to do so and we
would actually use them. Paper, film, pens – they
all just slow things down. I want things on one
screen, directly in front of me, one session, log
on, click some boxes, electronic signature, done.
No waiting, no hassles.
Or not. There are still things I do – or I request my
patients to do – that seem like a complete waste
of time. For example, if you come to my clinic
you’re going to fill out a bunch of forms that I will
go over, some of which you have probably already
filled out in another office on another day for
another provider.
Certainly there are compliance and
safety reasons why we must repeat,
reorder, remind, redocument or reestablish,
and my use of Epic’s full capability
clearly leaves a lot to be desired.
But it makes me wonder, what are some
things you do in your job that seem like a
waste of your time? At least let’s list these
things and make sure they’re necessary
before we just resign ourselves to making
sure they’re completed.
After all, the biggest waste of time is doing something
well, which doesn’t need to be done at all…
like waiting. Let me know your thoughts. Please
email me.
