tutor

In the Learning Activities titled, “Switching Costs” and “Concentrated Focus” you learned how to be more organized and productive. Now, using what you have learned from both of these activities, prepare a 1 page paper
that includes the 3-5 most valuable points you learned about switching costs and concentrated focus
and how you can apply those ideas to be more organized and productive in your job.


Your presentation must include tips from the Learning Activities.

“Switching cost”

Introduction

Many people take pride in being master multi-taskers. What they don’t realize is that they are actually less productive in the long run than others who are more focused on single tasks. In this Learning Activity, you’ll review the content, watch a video, and then respond to questions in your Learning Journal.

Multitasking Versus Task Switching: The Reality

Time and time again we see job postings that require strong multitasking skills. We hear our friends, coworkers, and kids boast about how many things they can juggle at the same time. It sounds appealing, almost as if they’ve stumbled upon the secret to high productivity. But, the secret is there is little or no such thing as multitasking. With the exception of doing a couple of mindless tasks at the same time (e.g., stirring soup while you’re on the phone or folding laundry while you watch TV), countless research studies show that multitasking is actually task switching. How can that be true?

You are switching or shifting your attention between two or more tasks. Like bouncing back and forth. You’re putting your attention on one and then the other, even if there are only split seconds in between. Those fractions of seconds turn into minutes and into hours. Each time, your brain takes time to reset. It’s like dozing off to sleep with a book (or Kindle) in your hands. When you jerk yourself awake, you have to figure out where you were, what had happened last, and get back into the groove. A 2012 study in Brain Wise showed that even if each task switch takes only 1/10th of a second you could be losing up to 40% of your productivity each day. Given that most switches take much longer than that, you can see how quickly that adds up. That’s why multitasking seems efficient on the surface but may actually take more time in the end and certainly increases the likelihood of errors or omissions.

Imagine the impact if you could regain some portion of that 40% that you might be losing as a result of multitasking. What would that mean to your performance, productivity levels, customer satisfaction ratings, number of patients served each day, week, or month?

Here’s another common scenario that illustrates the downside of switching costs. Imagine that you’re listening to a webinar and suddenly remember you need to send an email to your friend or coworker. At that moment, you are splitting your attention between two tasks. That means that each task is only getting a percentage of your brain power.

If you accept the premise that we only use about 10% of our brain power at any given time, now we’re splitting that pie into even smaller pieces! That’s how mistakes and accidents happen. It only takes a “split” second of undirected thoughts and actions to result in a catastrophe.

Pretend you’re working on a project or composing an email and you are interrupted by a phone call, text message, or request from your boss. How long does it take you to find your place and pick up where you left off? Have you ever been side tracked by that interruption and forgotten to go back to your original task (or decided that a bright, shiny object was more appealing and started down a new path)? It’s happened to everyone. It’s more likely with multitaskers.

At the same time, multitaskers often find themselves catching the tail end of a key point and wonder, “whoa what was that?” what did she say was the proven secret to permanent weight loss and a smoking hot love life?.” What was the phone number or website to get that discount? What did she say was the most important word to use to get a raise?

Multitaskers also find it difficult to get into a workflow or rhythm. They have so many irons in the fire at one time, that they are constantly distracted and anxious about what’s next or what have they forgotten. They have trouble concentrating on one task at a time or doing nothing. The two most likely outcomes of this endless juggling act are exhaustion or disaster.

What does a lack of attention mean in your job? If you aren’t focused on the task at hand, what are the costs and consequences? If some details slip through the cracks, what does that mean for you and your team or clinic? A medical emergency, additional costs, a defective product, a lawsuit, your chance for a promotion, an angry patient or family member, a loss of reputation in your community, a damaged relationship, or a reprimand/disciplinary action? The list goes on, but you get the point.

The more we dig into the side effects of multitasking (and switching), the clearer it becomes that it does not have a positive impact on performance or productivity. Rather than dealing with multiple starts and stops on a given task that use up valuable time and mental bandwidth, you’d be much better served by practicing concentrated focus.

Watch the video, “How Multitasking Hurts Customer Service” to experience the effects of multitasking in a short demonstration of what happens to your brain when you ask it to do too many things at the same time.

Key Takeaways

Your brain is not capable of performing multiple complex tasks at the same time. You may be switching between tasks, but they are not happening simultaneously.

Each time you switch between thoughts or actions, there is a cost. Whether that’s a fraction of a second, a minute, or 20 minutes, you are losing precious time by essentially rebooting your brain so you can get back to work.

When you are splitting your attention between multiple tasks and thoughts, you are only devoting a small percentage of your brainpower to each of them. The more ideas or tasks you are juggling, the less chance they each have of being successful.

Concentrated Focus

Introduction

As we covered in the “Switching Costs” Learning Activity, there is no such thing as multitasking when there is any brain power required. Despite that evidence, some people still contend that having lots of different projects or tasks going at the same time provides variety they crave and keeps them sharper. This too is a myth. Research shows that by focusing on one thing at a time, you save time and accomplish more. In this Learning Activity, you will read the content and then answer the questions in your Learning Journal.

As we discussed earlier, productivity is significantly reduced by bouncing from one task to another. The same principles apply to projects. While your daily work as a Medical Practice Assistant may not allow for eliminating switching costs, there may be some opportunities to batch your work so you can decrease distractions for a limited amount of time and reduce the chance of errors. If that’s not a feasible option in your current position, you can use the principle of concentrated focus at home, at school, or in future jobs. Concentrated focus is deciding which task is most important and finish it first, and then move onto the next most important task.

Let’s walk through a scenario together so you can see the power of concentrated focus.

Setting the Stage: Skylar and Tucker both have 25 hours each week that they are able to devote to three projects that must be completed by the end of the month. The graphics below show two different approaches.  

Split Focus: Skylar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concentrated Focus: Tucker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the number of hours on each project and for each week are exactly the same. By using a concentrated focus approach, Tucker worked on the projects fewer hours each day, which gave him time for other calls, meetings, and emergencies. Tucker was able to finish Task A in 7 days,Task B in 6 days, and Task C in 7 days.  If Task A generated income, that money would have been received in a week. Using Skylar’s approach, the money wouldn’t arrive until the end of the month.

Not only are there fewer switching costs associated with Tucker’s approach, there can be financial implications (money received, temporary services contracts shortened, cost savings realized). Equally important is the sense of achievement and satisfaction when the project is complete. Even the appearance of the concentrated focus chart is more calming than chaotic.

Key Takeaways

· The more you are able to concentrate your focus, eliminate distractions and switching costs, the faster and easier it will be to reach your goals.

· Setting priorities and time blocking are keys to maximizing your results. If you don’t control your schedule, someone else will. In many cases, you will be most successful if you co-create your priorities with your boss to ensure you’re both on the same page.

· This matrix methodology can be used to shorten completion times and build momentum and excitement for projects because the team members can more easily see the end in sight. Consider this scenario: You’re hired to do a job for $1000. You can choose to work 8 hours a day for 2 days and collect your pay or work 2 hours a day for more than 2 weeks.  Which would you choose? Hint: Option A allows you to go find more full-time jobs starting on day 3.

Job Title

Clinical Practice Support:

· Manages high-volume phone lines professionally and courteously.

· Schedules patient office appointments, using the Cadence scheduling system via Epic.

· Orders/coordinates/obtains outside medical results and any additional clinical information needed to ensure efficiency and accuracy of evaluations.

· Sends out confirmation/reminder letters in advance of appointments and surgeries.

· Answers patient/family questions regarding appointments

· Directs all procedural and pre-operative calls to clinical staff as appropriate.

· Reviews patient insurance and referrals in Epic when scheduling visits.

· Tracks referrals and ensures insurance information is obtained and verified before the appointment.

· Provides reassurance to patients and families regarding visit course and follow-up communication contact.

· Photocopies and files patient-related paperwork within clinically defined medical records in an accurate and timely manner.

· Ensures patient confidentiality; works within HIPAA-compliant procedures.

· Cross-covers for other staff members for breaks, lunches, vacations, etc., and during variations in the workflow as needed.

· Provides coverage and support to physicians and administrative staff during new outreach clinic start-ups.

· Diplomatically handles sensitive and confidential issues among staff; involves department management as necessary.

· Communicates both internally and externally to efficiently provide follow-up appointments and referrals to multidisciplinary practices.

· Trains and orients new staff to ensure best practices and compliance with internal and MGH policies and procedures.

· Works with departmental manager on special projects as directed

· Participates in meetings and process improvement projects.

Computer Application Requirements:

· Epic Media Manager Document Imaging (Scanning) system: Electronically scans outside laboratory reports into the patient chart. Electronically files scanned reports into correct patient records.

· Epic Work queue (Referral management and requests): Process and schedule patient appointments and/or assign requests to another hospital service for appointments promptly.

· Patient Gateway system: Use Patient Gateway to communicate with patients and ascertain their need for appointments and prescriptions. Follow through with appropriate scheduling and communication with the patient.

· Microsoft Office applications: as necessary use Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to support clinical practice and academic presentations or work.