"Kicking the can down the road" is a common behavior that manifests in various ways, from delaying difficult patient decisions to avoiding complex tasks. We explore the reasons behind on-shift procrastination and strategies for overcoming it. Our discussion includes practical steps to recognize and address decision deferral, techniques for managing aversion to some decisions, and pre-loading accountability. We also highlight the importance of building decision-making resilience and creating systematic pathways to streamline the decisional process.

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We Discuss:

What does it mean to kick the can down the road?
How procrastination shows up on a clinical shift
Why does procrastination happen?
It doesn't take much dread for can-kicking to occur
Avoidance Awareness
Decisional Interrogation
Kicking the can because deciding will set off a cascade of more work
Avoiding the infinite test of time
Identify how, when, and where you’ll make high-level decisions
Long term guests | How is it that decisions can finally be made when the shift is over?
Chunking
Zero in on your critical decision points
Kicking the can at work: pick one thing and identify YOUR decision points
Preloading accountability
Perfectionists get caught in a tree when they're actually in a tunnel

Mentioned in this episode:

The Out-On-Time Course

Built for emergency clinicians who are tired of chart debt and getting derailed by interruptions and overwhelm. Learn practical, real-time documentation and shift-efficiency strategies to finish your shift and actually leave on time.

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5 Free Tools To Make Medical Practice Easier

Scripts for your least favorite conversations. The quick and dirty guide to calling consults. A 10-minute "Driveway Debrief" to switch off from work. My favorite documentation templates. Step-by-step guide for delivering the news of death.

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Kicking The Can Down The Road | How to break up with deciding not to decide

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