84. Three Ways to Streamline Report Writing

Today's podcast episode is from a Facebook Live training about how to prioritize documentation and report writing as a busy SLP. 

You'll learn:

• how to decide which reports to tackle first
• simple tips for working ahead
• time-saving productivity tools such as using voice-to-text
• why self-care is critical to report writing

And if you want to meet the newest addition to my family, then be sure to pop in to the SLP Support Group so you can see his little cameo!!

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO USE CHATGPT TO SAVE YOU TIME? Register for my free webinar on 1/30/2025 at 7 PM ET.

To find out how I can help you create work-life balance, click here.

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.

Transcript

Welcome to Work-Life Balance for Speech Pathologists. I'm Theresa Harp, an SLP and productivity coach, and this podcast is all about how to build a successful career as an SLP and still have time for yourself and the people and things you love. So if you're ready to ditch stress and burnout for a more balanced and fulfilling life, then you are in the right place. Let's dive in. 

Hey, SLPs. Today's episode is a recording from a Facebook live that I did in the SLP Support Group. I decided to take this audio and share it with all of you here on the podcast because it holds incredible value. And if you want access to more content like this, then be sure to join the SLP Support Group on Facebook so that you never miss a thing. The link is always in the show notes. Can't wait for you to join us. 

Hi everyone in the SLP Support Group. Today's Facebook Live topic is about [00:01:00] prioritization as a busy SLP. So I'm going to dig into that information soon, but before I do, I've got to show you. Let's see. I've got to show you what's happening.

Do you see this little furry friend? This is my new little friend. Can you say hi, Tanner? Oh my goodness. Say hello. Say hello. This is my new buddy. We've got a little friend for our old man, Tug, who was just in here a second ago, and he'll probably pop back in in a minute. But this is our new puppy, and he's keeping me super busy, keeping all the kids busy, and he's like my little love bug.

So, he's here with me today. We'll see how he does during this. Facebook [00:02:00] live. He, um, has been on my lap for like the last hour and a half as I've been crushing some coursework for my undergrad students. So he's probably going to get antsy soon. So we'll see how he cooperates. Okay. If you are here live, say hello.

Let me know how the audio is and the video because I did not do any sort of like tech check before I started. And then if you're, oh, you smell, you have to go out. If you are watching the replay, comment replay and let me know that you're that you're watching and I would love for you to chime in on your thoughts and reactions to what we're going to talk about today.

Okay. All right. So today's topic, as I mentioned, is about how to prioritize Our roles, our responsibilities as an SLP. Now, this is a topic that I've talked about before. Um, most [00:03:00] recently on the podcast, Work Life Balance for Speech Pathologists. Um, this most recent episode, I think it was episode 83. I'll link to it in the comments afterwards.

Because it goes right along with today's Facebook Live. So you, but why don't you. We'll want to check that out, um, as well. But today I want to kind of hone in a little bit on specifically with regards to documentation and report writing. Gotta move this forward before he chews through it. Um, so this is something, documentation is something that I coach SLPs on.

Probably. More often than anything else, reports, session notes. It's a bear of a topic and What I want [00:04:00] to share with you today are some strategies and suggestions and considerations to help you hone in on how to write your documentation more efficiently, with less effort, um, with less stress, and hopefully to keep you up to, on top of your deadlines.

Okay? So that's That's what we're going to talk about today and here comes Tug. He's coming in to say hello. Oh my gosh, it's like a zoo here. Hi Tuggy Buggy. Um, so I'm going to give you, there's lots of different ways that we could, that we could do this, but I'm going to give you a few pointers. Um, that I have found helpful and that clients have found helpful as well.

So let me just pull up my notes. Like these kids, these furry kids are. [00:05:00] Getting me all distracted. All right. There we go. Okay. So I have a few tips for you. Hopefully these are things that you have not really heard or thought about before in this same way. That's really what I was trying to come up with you for.

All right. So, When it comes to reports, I'm curious. Tell me in the chat if you're watching, how do you decide which reports to write first? Because let's face it, most of us have multiple reports in our queue, right? Sort of open cases, open evaluations or open progress reports that have to be It's rare that we have just one report that we have to do, and if we do, that's great and fantastic.

This will still help you. So stay with me. But most of us have many different reports, many different documents that we have to complete. And I'm wondering, how do you decide which one [00:06:00] you're going to start first? So here are some of the ways that I've attacked this. And these are some of the ways that clients have shared.

Um, they will often tell me, I've heard, okay, I've heard this. Tell me if you, if this resonates with you, give me a one in the chat. Um, they have said that they will start by writing the report that is, the most recent evaluation. So the client that the evaluation that was done most recently, the client that is freshest in their mind, because the thought is that, Oh, okay, well, this one is going to be the easiest to write because I remember it the most.

Like it's, it is just the information is pretty top of mind. I did it, it will, uh, very recently, it will come back to me more easily than say, an evaluation or an assessment that was completed Weeks or maybe months ago. Okay, [00:07:00] if that is something that you have considered, if that's one way that you've decided which report to start with, tell me in the chat, share in the chat, drop a one in the chat so that we know that there are people that do it this way.

And there's nothing wrong with that. That's a great strategy. It shows some thought in terms of how to be most efficient and how to reduce the mental load for yourself. Okay, that is one way to do it. Another way that clients have, some of the clients I've coached have approached this is they will tackle this in order of deadline.

So they'll look at the deadlines for the reports and whatever deadline is most imminent is the report that they will start with. Also a very useful approach, right? And I'm sure if that's something that resonates with you, if you've done that written reports in order of deadline, [00:08:00] drop a two in the chat, tell me that.

And there's nothing wrong with these, right? These are two great. Two great ways, but what I want to offer is, how can we sort of combine this in a way that might give you even more of an advantage in figuring out where to start? So, because sometimes, let's face it, sometimes the reports that are, um, most recent and most fresh in your mind are not the ones that are due the soonest.

Okay, and so that what happens is then you sometimes get stuck in this cycle of catch up and what I want to suggest is considering two or both of those factors and one more kind of all together and then choosing where to start so making a list of When your what reports are due and when they are due.

So you've got [00:09:00] one central location with your deadlines. Okay, don't keep that in your head. Don't keep that in file specific or case specific locations. Have it have those deadlines be in one central location so you can see all of the deadlines together. You're not going to 20 different places to figure out when.

Okay, so once you've got that central location that will reduce the searching, that will reduce the mental load of keeping it in your head, that will also help you see dates concrete in writing so that you're not sort of doing mental gymnastics of figuring out how much time you have left because it's all written there for you, okay?

So once you've identified the. order of deadlines, then prioritize them further [00:10:00] based on potentially how fresh it is in your mind. That's an option. But another option is how simple or how complex the case is. So if it is a really straightforward, simple case, hey, No, thank you. He's like a newborn baby or an infant that like grabs necklaces.

Stop it. Um, so if certain cases are easier or harder for you, now this could be, you know, because of the amount of needs that the child has. This could be because of the relationship that you have with the family. Maybe it's, Uh, a little bit of a contentious or challenging relationship where the family has really high expectations.

Maybe it's a case where there's lots of different services involved versus a case where, you know, you're the only provider and [00:11:00] it's pretty straightforward. So you get to decide what is in your opinion complex and what is simple and straightforward and think about, okay, How do I want to approach this?

So I want to go for the ones that are going to be the most complex and start there. Do I want to go for the ones that are kind of straightforward, simple and snowball it so that then I have, excuse me, so that then I have like that snowball building. You get one done. It's quickly. You gain momentum and then you get some more done and that might Okay.

vary depending upon your mood and your energy. Maybe at one, maybe, you know, in one season of life you're doing the snowball, maybe another season you're doing the complexity, you know, tackle the biggest challenge first. So these are just all factors to consider, okay? These are all considerations that you can make.

Um, and then the last thing I'll say about this piece in terms of [00:12:00] prioritization, uh, before I give you a couple of other tips, is Um, it went out of my head. He's nipping my hand and it's completely, the last, um, recommendation I had for you completely went out of my brain. I'll let you know if it comes back to me.

You are very distracting. I don't want to put him down because he's going to go fight with His brother. You're going to go fight with your brother, aren't you? Okay, so those are a couple different ways that you can prio Oh, I know what it was. What I was going to say about prioritizing by complexity. Just keep in mind that your energy and your mood and your attention, all of those things, are going to Very.

So if you are going to tackle a complex report, a complex case, you have to pay attention to and consider, do I have the energy for this? Do I have the bandwidth for this? Am I [00:13:00] going to chunk this because I know that I can't take all of this on at once? You have to really think about like, what are you able to take on in that moment?

And sometimes You don't really have a choice. You just got to do it, whether you have the energy or not, but at least being mindful of your capacity can be just a little bit way to, a little bit of a, um, a way to stay mindful, to stay present, and to help you sort of manage your own expectations as you're working through your documentation.

All right, so that's one one sort of approach in terms of prioritizing by deadlines and complexity energy needed. All right, the second. Suggestion I have for you is working ahead or pre planning. So if this is a new evaluation or a new case, you're probably already doing this to [00:14:00] some degree. You're probably planning some to some extent what you're going to be doing in your assessment and you're an evaluation.

Ask yourself, though. What could I do better or differently? Um, without really putting A ton of pressure on yourself, um, to work ahead. Can you write maybe the background information ahead of time? The case history information. Could you, um, fill in the identifying information ahead of time just so you have a head start?

Um, that's not even where I Want to focus. I really want to suggest what about the cases that are familiar to you, the ongoing cases that you're maybe writing progress reports for, or maybe it's a reassessment and it's someone that you're treating someone that you're seeing regularly. What can you do during your treatment to work ahead and help you plan out what you're going to write [00:15:00] in your documentation in your progress reports in your assessment reports?

Let me give you some examples so that this makes more sense. Um, could you give yourself a place in your lesson plan if you do lesson plans? Um, could you give yourself a place in your lesson plan to jot down things that are relevant to the upcoming progress report? Or the upcoming assessment reassessment report.

So this could be a word or a phrase that you want to comment on. This could be as detailed as like high level or low level as you want. As granular or broad as you want. You get to decide. But what can you, what can you do in the time that you're already spending to work ahead and plan? And then that way, when it is time to actually write that report, you've got some starting points, you've got some, some threads [00:16:00] that you can incorporate a lot more easily.

You're not starting from seemingly starting from scratch. Okay. Think about also. your session notes, your soap notes. Is there anything that you can do in your notes that will cue your brain for when it is time to write the report and give you that information so that you're not sort of working double?

You're basically taking what you're already having to do, like a session note, and just sort of catering it to what you might want to include or comment on in your report. Okay, so it might be, you know, how can you make it look very simple and straightforward for documentation for, um, data collection, if you're kind of tracking data, um, Maybe it is, I don't know, maybe it's some, [00:17:00] uh, observations about, um, potential, uh, challenges that the child is having in the classroom or in your sessions, you know, different things that you might want to circle back to.

And this isn't necessarily a cue for anybody else. This is just has to make sense for you. So you're writing it in a way that's going to just sort of signal to your brain. Oh yeah. Okay. This is something I might need to comment on in the progress report. So that was another idea that I wanted to throw out there.

I think that that one might be a little bit more difficult, quite frankly. Um, at least for me, it would be more difficult than doing this in a, uh, a lesson plan or a session note, but I'm sorry, in a lesson plan or just sort of like, notes that I keep on my own, everyone's brain works differently. So you have to really figure out what works best for you.

Okay, so that's, that's a little, um, those are a few tips [00:18:00] about pre planning or working ahead or taking work that you're already doing and just optimizing it and streamlining it to support. Other work that you have to do. Right. So taking session notes or lesson plans and streamlining them so that they're going to support you with your documentation, your report writing.

Okay, another thing that I want to offer. I've got two more for you. One is probably something that you've heard of before. And one is probably something that you may have never have not really thought of. Okay, so, but we'll see. They could both be new. Who knows? Um, so the third tip that I want to offer in terms of helping you to prioritize your time and to get reports done quicker, more efficiently is to use tools and resources that will support you.

So for example, if you are a verbal [00:19:00] processor, I am a verbal processor. I. Learn through talking out loud. I remember things by talking out loud. I rehearse things out loud, right? So, if that is you, how can you use that to your advantage? For example, maybe you use voice to text when you're writing a progress report or an evaluation report.

Maybe you're recording a voice memo and then transcribing it or, you know, listening to it and then typing it. Maybe you are Um, using the microphone feature in your laptop or your computer, where you talk and your device will type. So voice to text, voice to type. There's lots of different technology that's out there and it's not even necessarily all that complex.

Some of these are really simple tools that can support you in not only working in a way that. is in alignment with [00:20:00] your learning style, but also can help you sort of sneak in some work in the little cracks, right? In those little, little pockets of time that pop up every now and again. Okay? So think about that.

The last one that I'm going to offer And this is sort of the the coaching perspective on this is think about and recognize the toll and the tax that it takes for you to complete this documentation as we know there are ebbs and flows right in terms of when we have reports do there are kind of You know, there's going to be points in your career, points in the calendar year where you will have a lot of reports that you'll be writing.

Oh, uh, excuse me. Where you will have a lot of reports that you will be writing. [00:21:00] There will be pockets of time where you might not have very many to write. But I want you to really think about and ask yourself this question. What toll does it take on me? When I am writing reports, because when we have more reports to write, that means more workload, those take time, as you know, and we don't necessarily adjust other things on our calendar to create that time.

We just say, well, there's nothing else I can take away because I have to do all these other things. So I'm just going to have to. Take work home with me. I'm going to have to just work longer hours or get up earlier or whatever, right? And I want to offer that there are likely some things that you could adjust on your calendar.

Uh, you could make some adjustments to build in that time. But also, you can just [00:22:00] do, you can do things more simply when you are in those spurts or those bursts of reports, report deadlines. So for example, if you have a bunch of reports that you're working on, that would not be the week to have the really elaborate therapy sessions that involve lots of materials or lots of planning.

That's the week where you're just going like, B level or C level, maybe D level intervention. What can you lighten on yourself? Because you're going to need more time. You're also going to need more energy, more patience, more effort, more focus to be able to write those reports. So what can you simplify to allow for that?

Okay? You might be more tired than normal because you've got a heavier cognitive load. So. How can you make sure that you [00:23:00] are taking care of yourself? You are honoring your needs and prioritizing your own needs, even when we've got all those things on our plate. Um, It is actually the time. It is more important than ever to prioritize your own self care when we're in those seasons of increased workload, even though we usually do the opposite.

We usually skimp on self care because we say we don't have time. But imagine how taking some time for yourself or just being in the moment. Mindful of nutrition, sleep, being, you know, gentle with yourself and having self compassion, imagine what that could do for your ability to write reports that are more efficient, better written, right?

Just imagine, is that possible? And what might that look like? Okay. All right. Those were [00:24:00] some tips for helping you to prioritize things when it comes to report writing. I'm sorry that I think that this one was quite scattered and I know why this guy is very distracting. So probably not. The most polished information, but still really helpful information nonetheless.

And I would love to hear from you if you're watching this replay, what resonated with you? What are you going to try differently? Let me know what your thoughts are. And as always, if you have tips on this topic, share them in the comments because. We all can learn from each other. I really want this group to be a space where we can share our knowledge and support just to benefit ourselves and one another in the process.

All right. Um, I will link to that podcast episode that I mentioned about how to prioritize your time as an [00:25:00] SLP. You definitely want to go check it out. That episode was the most recent episode, and it is not specific. only to report writing. There's lots of other stuff in there that I think will be really, really useful for you.

So make sure you go check that out. I'll link to it in the comments. And I will see you all back here next Wednesday at noon Eastern for another topic. I believe next week's Facebook Live is about boundaries, setting boundaries. And then we've got some other fun stuff coming up to we've got free group coaching happening tomorrow, Thursday, the 23rd, I believe, uh, at.

8 p. m. Eastern, that's on Zoom, the link is in the group. And then next Thursday the 30th at 7 p. m. Eastern, I'm hosting a free workshop on the use of AI, specifically ChatGPT. How you can use ChatGPT to save [00:26:00] yourself time as a busy SLP. So, check all of that out, really a lot of good stuff that's coming up.

And I'm really excited to see you all. Here in the group and in zoom. I will talk with y'all soon