I often find that I’m spinning wheels and feel like I’m wasting too much time in my daily schedule. Any tips?

Identify time wasters and get rid of them (e.g. scanning junk mail catalogues). Ask, “what is the worst thing that could happen if I don’t do this?” Socializing at work is fun, but can be a major problem for your productivity.

As a chief resident, you should have access to a private office space, thus allowing accessibility by the faculty and residents without needless distractions and interruptions that occur in a common room. The most likely time wasters in a chief resident’s life are personal disorganization, inadequate planning, lack of self-discipline, ineffective delegation, procrastination, inadequate information, socialization, and failure to capture small chunks of time.