One Way To Get More Energy As a Therapist

Do you ever feel like you have 5,403 tabs open in your brain?  As a therapist it’s not only coming to each session present and with the appropriate skill set and materials but also all the things that happen outside of the session that need to get done in a day. 

I’m talking about returning emails, processing paperwork, ordering supplies (fingers crossed the Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce K Cups will last through the week) AND not to mention you can’t forget to order those pipe cleaners for that one project yet again! 

Along with the sessions and the notes there can feel like there is little time to get all of the rest of the tasks done.  But when you figure out that sweet spot of how to manage stress and avoid burnout - it’s a beautiful thing. 

For me these are the sweet-spot days when the weekend doesn’t feel like it is eons away, I still have energy when I leave the office, and I don’t feel the need to melt into a puddle of mush after work with doom-scrolling filling out the evening agenda.  

And these days? They are a definite WIN! 

I wanted to share one of my top tips for how I get more energy as a therapist.  It’s something that doesn’t cost money, and on a daily basis takes up less than 5 minutes of my time but the gains I get back in energy, time loss, and efficiency are massive.  

And this one simple thing? Well, it’s making a list! 

I get it, this seems the most basic of the basic, but hear me out.  My brain responds differently to different ways I make lists.  My practice is a bit complicated as I have both my therapy clients, consultation sessions, and all the things that come along with running the Playful Therapist Blog and training center. 

If I just start to brain dump all the things I need to do and they run together I am likely going to get overwhelmed and spend tons of time trying to make sense of what should be my next tasks. Definite decision fatigue. 

And to be completely honest - it’s not always predictable.  Sometimes when I have 15 minutes at the back end of a session I do have time to make a phone call or two.  With three minutes I am able to slide in a completely different type of tasks. 

So headings? Yup, they make all the difference. Here are the four I use for my practice: 

• Coordination - anyone I need to call back, consult with, or initiate an email to 
• Paperwork -  any diagnostic assessments, treatment plans, 504 or IEP paperwork, FMLA paperwork, or records to send or request 
• Professional - tasks related to taking or organizing CEs, updating my license, updating credentials for EMDRIA or APT, making sure my malpractice insurance is up to date  
• Business - any tasks related to my business including but not limited to paying rent, ordering supplies for my beverage bar, general therapy supplies, updating business documents, HIPAA tasks, website updates, etc.  

Each heading has space underneath to write the tasks within that category. By sorting out these tasks and then flagging (mostly with a sweet highlighter) the must-do-now tasks my brain doesn’t operate with 5,000 tabs open where everything feels like an emergency giving me back energy and peace of mind. 

And because I love lists I typically look at my list of lists once per day and make a smaller post-it that lives on my computer of the top-of-the-top tasks that need to be prioritized.  That way I am not anxious that I am forgetting something (hello big list!) but I’m also not drowning in all the tasks that I need to complete. 

This might be something you want to implement in your practice to take back your time and your mental energy! The great news is the investment is for the low cost of a sheet of computer paper! 

If you need a little more support with tasks outside of your therapy sessions, take The 5 Minute Note Course - where 10 days transforms your notes from novels to efficient and effortless!

---

BLOG | DOWNLOADS + FREE RESOURCES | COURSES ​

---

Loading...