Boredom… frustration… worry… the feeling of wasted time…. These are often the first things that come to mind when there’s a blank space on our schedules (at least in private practice). It’s unfortunate, but sometimes unavoidable. I was reflecting recently on the various ways we can turn this negative into a positive, so I thought I would share it with you all. Depending on your employment situation, here are five ways to take advantage of vacant spots on your schedule:
Administrative tasks
Got emails, phone calls, or notes you’ve been putting off? Have business tasks that need attending to? Now’s the time to do the stuff you’ve been avoiding! Think of the tasks you find yourself saying you “don’t have time” to do - and use this time for that.
Space to reschedule clients/fit clients in last minute
I never liked having a super packed schedule, for many reasons. But besides feeling overwhelmed, one of those reasons was that I could never reschedule people. Especially biweekly or monthly clients - if they had to miss one, or if I got sick, I had nowhere else to put them, so they’d end up waiting 3-6 weeks between sessions. Having a few open spots allows for life to happen without disrupting clients’ treatment. It also helps if something happens and someone needs an appointment on short notice.
A break for self-care
Honestly, you can use this time to do nothing if you want. Take a walk, listen to a podcast, doodle, get a snack, scroll mindlessly on your phone, watch something random on YouTube, put on some music and meditate… you do you. Rest is productive. Your brain requires it. If that’s what you feel like you need, feel free to take these opportunities to do so.
Time to do your own appointments, errands, own personal tasks
I’ve used lulls in my schedule to do things like: meet with my accountant, go to the doctor, buy Christmas gifts, get gas, take my spouse to work, get my car repaired, call insurance companies, do my bookkeeping, and more. Again - if you catch yourself saying you don’t have time for these things, take a second look at your schedule to see if you could get creative with it.
Continuing education
I’ll be honest, I’m not going to complete online trainings on weekends or after work. Even my lunch break is pretty sacred, except on the days when I have a longer lunch or built in admin time. So I’ve ended up using cancellations/vacant spots to get online trainings done for my continuing education requirements. I have to be in the right mindset/mood, but if I am, this feels like a productive use of my time!
-
Staring at that spot on your schedule and feeling guilty or anxious will not make a client magically appear. So if that spot is going to be there, you may as well take advantage of it. There is more than one way to make those spots useful. It may not make you money, but if used wisely, being strategic with these spots could help you catch up on things personally or professionally, which helps to reduce your stress. So the next time you lose a couple clients or have lots of cancellations, it’s ok to be disappointed - but after that feeling passes, think about how you might make the most of that time nonetheless.