The past few posts (here and here) have looked at various charting-related topics, and they’ve been long reads. For a change of pace, I will keep this one short.
Today’s post will examine what I consider the most significant underpinning to charting success: mindset.
Strategies and tools are only useful if you’re able to do the thought work necessary to implement them.
This is akin to purchasing a gym membership, free weights, nice gym clothing, and a sweet headband (No? People don’t use those anymore? What’s Amazon’s return policy?) to help you exercise and lose weight.
Simply buying and equipping yourself with these things does not a successful loser of weight make.
Anyway, let’s examine your charting mindset!
Scourge of Urge
A few weeks back, I ran a post on charting as you go and made the case that it’s not only in your but also your patients’ best interest to do so.
I referenced a few of the many thoughts with which most physicians would respond including “but I’m already behind” and “the next patient is roomed and waiting.”
These thoughts create negative feelings called urges.
Urges are uncomfortable and our brains want us to alleviate them immediately and replace them with something pleasurable.
It is the double whammy of a quick dopamine fix coupled with the elimination of discomfort that makes urges so powerful. We give in to them easily often without even recognizing them as anything problematic.
Like a double rainbow!
Don't Scratch That Itch
In the example thoughts given above, the negative feelings created could easily be anxiety, uncertainty, or exasperation, among myriad others.
These feelings drive actions to relieve the discomfort—actions like going to see the next patient to lessen the anxiety instead of finishing your charting before moving on.
This seems like the correct course of action because your brain is immediately saying “phew!”
But the overall effect on you is net negative because you remain stuck in a perpetual urge-desire-reward cycle.
Like this kid.
What's Possible?
Tackling urges head-on allows us to move past instant indulgence to achieve whatever we want!
But maybe you don’t know what you want in regards to charting. At least not yet.
Sure, you know vaguely you don’t want to be charting at all hours of the day filling all of your free time trying to knock out messages and results, but have you looked deeper?
Dig Deeper
What’s the actual result you want?
To finish your work at work? Perfect! But why?
Your why is the real result you want—we’re talking what you want your life to look like.
If your why is not compelling enough for you, then it won’t spur you to the action required to achieve your desired outcome.
You’ll just fall back into your comfortable urge orbit, never achieving escape velocity.
So, don’t pick a why that seems familiar only because you’ve heard others espouse it.
Similarly, don’t select a why based on what you think others expect of you.
Your why can be selfish. Hell, it should be. It’s your life.
I Said Deeper!
While you’re at it, keep up with the introspection:
What does it mean to you to be a doctor?
What is charting to you?
What do make charting mean about you as a physician?
By answering these questions, you’ll uncover the narratives you tell yourself about doctoring and charting.
Recognize these for what they are: stories. That’s all. They are neither your truths nor universal truths.
And that’s good news! Why? Because the great thing about stories is that you get to choose the stories to which you subscribe!
I cannot tell you what your North Star should be. Nor can I tell you what your stories should be.
However, I can challenge your stories and throw out suggestions or templates for you to make your own, just to show you what’s possible.
By illuminating for you your thinking about doctoring and charting, you’re able to intentionally craft your (new, if you want) narratives and choose how you show up.
The Choice Is Yours
In closing, I’ll pose one last question to you: how is your thinking around charting serving you?
Is it enabling you to achieve the results you want? Or does it have you feeling trapped or stuck like there’s no hope?
If the former, then congratulations! You possess a healthy mindset about charting.
If the latter, then something needs to change. You owe it to yourself.
I can help.
Click here to sign up for a free training that can help you get started on taking back control of your life from charting!
Mindset is everything; this holds true for charting too. What are your thoughts on charting and what results are they creating for you? Let me know in the comments section below.
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