Work Life Balance for Speech Pathologists: Mindful Time Management Tips for Therapists, Clinicians, & Private Practice Owners

49. Three Mistakes You're Making When it Comes to Time Management

• Theresa Harp

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In this episode, I dive into the top three time management mistakes that speech-language pathologists make and how you can overcome them. I'm sharing personal insights and actionable strategies to help you shift your approach to time management and start enjoying how you spend your time. Plus, get a sneak peek into the upcoming free webinar that promises to transform your productivity.

Key Takeaways:

  • Mistake #1: "I don't have the time" or "I'm too busy"
    Learn why this mindset keeps you in a state of reactivity and how embracing time ownership can change everything.
  • Mistake #2: "This isn't the right time"
    Discover why waiting for the perfect moment might be holding you back and how to redefine what the "right time" means for you.
  • Mistake #3: "Prioritizing my time means putting others last"
    Understand how this belief can sabotage your goals and find out how to balance your needs with those of others effectively.

Episode Highlights:

  • Personal anecdotes and examples of how these mistakes have shown up in my life and in the lives of my coaching clients.
  • Insightful tips on shifting your mindset to take control of your schedule and priorities.
  • Introduction to the upcoming free webinar, offering a deeper dive into these topics and practical solutions to enhance your time management skills.

Upcoming Webinar:

Date: Thursday, May 30th
Time: 7 PM Eastern
Why Attend Live:
💥 Connect with others who are committed to shifting the way they spend their time
💥 Participate in live Q&A
💥 You'll be eligible for an exclusive bonus giveaway during the live session!

Join the Webinar:

Register Now to secure your spot and start transforming your approach to time management.

Don’t miss out on this episode filled with valuable insights and actionable advice. Press play now to start taking control of your time!

Are you sick and tired of feeling overwhelmed by all the things? I can help. Schedule a free consult today.

Come join the SLP Support Group on Facebook for more tips and tricks!

Follow me on Instagram! @theresamharp

Learn more about Theresa Harp Coaching here.

Speaker 1:

This is your speech path mindful time management for the busy SLP. My name's Teresa Harp and, as a mom and speech pathologist turned productivity coach, I know a thing or two about how hectic life can be. If you're an SLP who's overworked, burnout and feeling like you're constantly falling short as a therapist and a mom, then this is the podcast for you. I cover time management and mindset strategies so you can learn to love your work and your home life at the same time. Let's dive in. Hey, slps and PTs and OTs and anyone else who's listening, thanks for being here, for being here. Today is episode 49 and I believe this one will be released on Memorial Day or the week, I'm sorry, the day after Memorial Day, so end of May. If you're listening to this live. I hope you had a good holiday weekend and that weekend really means a lot to our family, because my husband is active duty military and I have grandparents who were in the military. We've got a bit of a military connection, so I always think about those who the holiday is really meant to honor. So anyway, as we are diving into this episode, I am I have I'm very focused and excited about the upcoming webinar. You might have heard at the start of today's episode, I'm hosting a free webinar at the time of this podcast when it comes out, it will be later this week from when this episode is airing and I've been thinking about different sort of ways to present information that is going to be incredibly valuable for you, and what I thought I would do today is just give you a little bit of a sneak peek into some of what I'm going to cover during the webinar and, who knows, when you're listening to this, whether you found me after the webinar, you know, went out or whatever, right. So I think that, no matter what these, what I'm going to talk about today's three mistakes, these three mistakes that I see so many people make, myself included are to me, like the cornerstones for how you begin to shift the way you spend your time. This is is what I'm talking about today. These are the things that if you don't address these, if you don't look at each of these, then there is no chance, in my opinion, that you'll have any real, sustainable or long-lasting change in terms of how you're spending your time, or should I say you won't have a shift in the way that you're enjoying how you spend your time without addressing each of these three things. So definitely, keep an open mind. There's some probably going to be some elements of tough love, but I really just want you to think about each one of these and ask yourself if each applies to you and, if so, how? Okay. So the three things.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to go through them, actually one by one, but the three common mistakes, most common mistakes that SLPs make with time management. The first one is this thought I don't have the time and there's lots of different versions of this, right, but I would say I don't have the time or I'm too busy. Are you know two different versions of essentially the same thing? How many times have you caught yourself saying something like that? Right, I do it, I definitely do it. I'm now more aware of when I do it, but I've definitely said things like that in the past I don't have the time, I'm too busy, right.

Speaker 1:

And the problem with this outlook is that it implies that you don't have any control over the situation. It implies that you're sort of in the passenger seat in terms of what you're spending your time on, and you might hear this concept referred to, as I'll sometimes use each of these interchangeably time ownership or time authority. So, essentially, time ownership, time authority, mean that you are taking responsibility, you acknowledge responsibility and you take responsibility for the way that you spend your time. So many of us think that you know we're in this like reactive state, we think that these things just are scheduled for us, they are put on our calendar and there's nothing that we can do about it, right? So this could apply to clients, and you know cases that you have clients on your caseload or whatever your schedule is. This might apply to family events or you know community events that are going on. This might refer to administrative tasks in your private practice, if you own your private practice. So it can show up in many different sort of contexts, if you will.

Speaker 1:

But again, it's really this perspective of I can't control what I spend my time on and it also, might I add, has this sort of scarcity mindset about time, because if the thought is I don't have the time, that's coming from a place of scarcity. It's your brain telling you that there's not enough, right, there's lack. Okay, now, when this comes up, if this is a mindset that is familiar for you, I want you to think about the different reasons why you might say something like I don't have time or I'm too busy. I know why I've said it, and there's a number of different reasons why I've said something like that in the past, but, or even now, when sometimes that's the thought that runs through my mind before my brain catches it and addresses it. So there's the few reasons or what I should say is the most common reasons that I have experienced, or that I've seen clients and observed clients.

Speaker 1:

Experience is using this thought as an excuse. It's an excuse to avoid something that you don't want to be doing. To avoid something that you don't want to be doing. So this might show up in terms of exercise, right, that's a common one. So you know, I don't have time to work out, I don't have time to meal prep, or I don't have time to blah, blah, blah right Now.

Speaker 1:

What I want to point out, like a disclaimer, if you will, is that I am not judging you If you say this, if you believe this. I'm not faulting you. It is absolutely fine. This is just coming from a place of observation, right? And I also want to say that it doesn't mean that if you're not making time for these examples, that there's something wrong with you. Okay, so even if you don't have any interest in exercising or meal planning and you don't say I don't have the time, you're just flat out nope, not interested, that's fine, that's absolutely fine. What I'm talking about is people who want to do something, or they think that they should do something and they're not because of one of these three mistakes. Okay, I should have led with that, but hopefully you're with me and we're on the same page, okay?

Speaker 1:

So a lot of times, people will use this thought as an excuse to avoid something that they don't want to do. I do this a lot. It comes up in my business and I'm not the most comfortable with posting on social media, and that is something that I've been working on for quite a while now and I've made definite, definite progress. But this thought I don't have time will absolutely pop up for when it's quote unquote time to post something in my business or, you know, post something in the Facebook group, right? So the SLP support group on Facebook. And it's not that I don't have the time, I do have the time. It's really about me avoiding it, it's me wanting to avoid, or my like, just natural instinct to avoid doing creating, writing, social media content, social media posts, and then we could go into a whole other episode on that avoidance and why that is, and breaking that down. And that's what you do with a coach, right? So I'll do that with my own coach for myself and then I do that for my clients, but for the purposes of this podcast episode we don't have to go there. I just want you to know that this is completely normal.

Speaker 1:

Okay, it's also often used as a way to what we'll call buffer or keep you distracted. So this might look like you saying something like I wish I could take a day off, but I've got too many clients who would need to be rescheduled. Or you might say something like I wish I could take a vacation, but who has time for that? I'm just too busy, I don't have time. If you are thinking from that perspective or through that lens, then of course you're not going to take the time to schedule the you know, book the trip, take the day off, whatever, right. But a lot of times it's because we are just trying to avoid something and we might not even realize it. So this might look like you know, this might sort of show up as maybe you are you want to take the trip.

Speaker 1:

But you're afraid that if you take the trip, it's going to mean that now you've got all this downtime to really address or think about X, y, z, whatever sort of thing might be making you unhappy or situation that you're unhappy in in your life. So it might be, you know your weight and your health. It might be unhappiness in your job or unhappiness in your marriage or in relationships or, you know, with finances, whatever it might be. But there's something, a lot of times there's something that you just you'd rather not deal with, you'd rather not address, and the busier you are and the busier you tell yourself you are, then the less you have to avoid, or the less you have to confront those things right, the more you can avoid them.

Speaker 1:

So I'll also just point out that I believe and this is just my perspective that people have time for the things that they value, just like, to some extent, some extent, you could say that people have money for the things that they value, just like, to some extent, some extent you could say that people have money for the things that they value and completely acknowledging that that in and of itself is, you know, coming from a place of privilege, relatively speaking, but you've heard that. Hopefully you're understanding the point that I'm making, right? It's that you've heard people say that you know if it's really important, then they will take the time for it, or they'll make the time for it, right, if it's really important, then we find a way to pay for it. If it's something that we really need, we really value and side note, not even side note I just want to point out those two words needs and values that's exactly what we're going to get into in the upcoming webinar on Thursday, may 30th. So, just planting that seed, because if you're going to be joining me live during the webinar, these, these pieces are going to sort of come together, weaved, and the thread that you know, the threads, will sort of be woven together so that things will start to make more sense. Okay, all right. So that's the first mistake is I don't have the time or I'm too busy, okay.

Speaker 1:

The second common mistake that SLPs are making when it comes to time management is this isn't the right time. So now, it's not necessarily about scarcity, not having enough time, but it is. This time is not the right time, this is not the right point, this is not the right season, right. So sometimes this will sound like well, once I have, you know, so many years at this placement, then I will, you know, at this setting, then I'll have built up, you know, my resume and that will be the right time for me to go out on my own and open my private practice. Or, you know, once my kids are in elementary school, or once my kids are in middle school, once my kids are out of the house, then I will X, y, z, right Now I'm again. I'm not saying that. You are wrong to think that. But if you are using that as an excuse, right, that's what I'm talking about, that's what I'm addressing Now.

Speaker 1:

This mistake, very similar to the first one, implies that you don't have authority over your time. But the bigger issue here is that it implies that there ever is a right time. It implies that there is a right time, and I don't believe that's true. And when my clients will bring this up in coaching sessions you know it doesn't always come packaged like this, but it's it inadvertently will come up in sessions and you know we'll ask. I'll ask well, what is the right time? What makes a time right or a time wrong? And are you clear on that, because sometimes you can't even answer that, sometimes you're not sure. It's not like you have this checklist in your head of what it is. You know what has to be in place in order for you to take the next action, although in some cases, for some people there is a checklist right and that's okay. But making sure that you know in your brain and in your mind, in your body, what makes that time right, what makes that time wrong, you need to be clear on that and not only clear on it, but you have to be sold on it. You have to be on board with that perspective.

Speaker 1:

Okay, this might also look like I want to stop. I'm trying to think of other versions of this I've seen in with coaching clients. This one, here's one this is an example that comes up, has come up quite a bit Some version of I want to stop treating and just be you know this admin, the CEO, but this isn't the right time to do that. I just want to get you know clients, the rest of my clients, off my caseload, so then I can focus just on the practice and so we dive into okay. Well, what would that look like? Like what exactly do you need in order for you to stop treating what has to happen.

Speaker 1:

What resources might you need in order for you to stop treating what has to happen? What resources might you need? What decisions might you need to make? Right, because sometimes it is, you know something that's logistical, but most of the time it's just I'm just not quite ready. And if you're not ready, that's okay. But wouldn't it be better, wouldn't it be easier, to just make that decision then and say this this is not what I want right now. I'm not ready, okay, although I would offer that ready is also just a decision, a perspective, and would ask you the same questions Well, what would make you ready? What does being ready look like right, but I digress, okay.

Speaker 1:

So, first mistake I don't have the time or I'm too busy. Second mistake this isn't the right time Now. The third one, the last one that we're going to go over today, is one that might really sting. So bear with me, but I'm warning you. Might really sting. So bear with me, but I'm warning you, it's some version of this. Prioritizing my time means putting others last. Or you know, my family comes first, my kids come first, my job comes first. Okay, now again, if your family does come first because you want them to come first and you're not ever using that against yourself. That's one thing. Okay, that's fine. I'm not here to tell you that you're wrong.

Speaker 1:

But if you want to grow your business or you want to, you know, build your private practice or advance in your career, whatever you know, whatever that looks like for you, if you're wanting to do that but not doing it because you're saying my kids come first, that's a different story, right? Yes, your kids do come first, but do they? Does that mean that they have to come first every hour of every day? No, of course they. Does that mean that they have to come first every hour of every day? No, of course not. Right? So you have to really question what? What is the validity of that thought? Okay, this is huge and I want you to stop and think about why.

Speaker 1:

Okay, this mindset if this is your perspective, right, that prioritizing others has to happen before I prioritize me, then no amount of time management strategies, right? Apps and resources and books none of it. None of it will enable you to make changes to your life, because it will always come down to others need me more? Right? I could give you all the strategies in the world, but you have to execute those strategies. And if you go to execute the strategy and you stop yourself because you're thinking, oh no, this means I have to take time away from my kids or have to take time away from my spouse, or take time away from the clients that I still treat right, then you're not going to implement the strategy. And that's where the coaching comes in, where we're looking at okay, well, why, why do you think that? Right? And then we sort of dig into that.

Speaker 1:

But you have to first be aware that that's what's getting in the way. You have to be aware of the thoughts that are coming up to the way that you're spending your time, right, and any time, no pun intended, these thoughts come up, and the more aware you are, then you can really pause and ask yourself okay, wait a second, is this true, right? If it's true, is that a problem? Is it okay, right? What would happen if so? You have to really look at each of those things. It doesn't mean that you've, you know, made a mistake or you have thoughts that you know there's no way that you can change it. There's no way that you can fix it. Of course you can change it. That's exactly what coaching is right, but most people, if I'm being honest, are pretty unaware of what they would even want to spend their time on, because they haven't even considered that it's an option for them.

Speaker 1:

Now I know other people, you know, could say, oh my gosh, no, are you kidding me? I could list 20 things I'd love to do. If I quote unquote had the time right, I would oh, I would redecorate this room in our house. I would book that trip with my friends that I've always been wanting to go on. I would try that new restaurant that I've been driving by every week. Or, you know, I would take a day trip or go have a date night with my spouse, right?

Speaker 1:

So those might be things that are circling through your brain, too, and you're ready to take the time to do it, but you have to take the time, and in order to take the time, you have to address these three mistakes. So I want you to think about each of them, take notice of what thoughts are coming up for you. Again, the three mistakes are I don't have the time, it's not the right time, and prioritizing my time means putting others last. Okay, so which, if any of these maybe more than one of these really resonated with you. What was coming up for you, what are you noticing, right? What was maybe hitting a nerve? Or if you were nodding your head in agreement okay, cue into that right.

Speaker 1:

Or maybe you've got a whole other perspective. Maybe you've got bigger mistakes that you think people are making, or maybe you disagree that. Maybe you think that these things actually aren't mistakes. Maybe you don't see how they're holding you back with your time. I don't know. But either way, make sure to register for this Thursday's webinar, because what I'm going to be doing is walking you through this and so much more. We're going to look at not only what these mistakes are but, more importantly, what you can do about them, what has to change, what you need to do in order to overcome them, and that's exactly what we're going to be diving into. Thursday, may 30th, 7pm Eastern. Yes, there will be a recording, but definitely try and be there live if you can, because there is going to be a bonus that I'm giving away to somebody who is in attendance during the live webinar. So definitely try and be there if you can. You won't regret it and I will talk to you all next week.