Are You Prioritizing the Wrong Things? A Must-Read for Physician Entrepreneurs

Which Distractions in Your Life Have Become Disguised as Priorities?

As a physician entrepreneur, you wear multiple hats—clinician, business owner, innovator, leader. Every day, you're juggling more than most people realize. And in that daily hustle, certain distractions creep in, cleverly disguised as priorities. These imposters consume your time and energy, all while keeping you from the very things that will actually move your business forward.

If you've ever ended your week thinking, "I was so busy, but what did I really accomplish?" — you're not alone. I see it every week in coaching calls. And I’ve lived it myself.

Today, let’s talk about how to spot these distractions, redirect your focus, and reclaim your growth.

The Illusion of Priorities: How Distractions Take Over

Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix is a tool I often recommend. It categorizes tasks into four quadrants:

• Urgent & Important: True priorities (e.g., critical business decisions, patient emergencies).

• Not Urgent but Important: Strategic work (e.g., business planning, skill-building).

• Urgent but Not Important: Distractions (e.g., unscheduled calls, vendor emails).

• Not Urgent & Not Important: Time-wasters (e.g., social scrolling, admin busywork).

Most physician entrepreneurs get trapped in Quadrants 1 and 3—constantly reacting, putting out fires, attending to things that scream for attention but don’t actually move the needle.

True entrepreneurial growth lives in Quadrant 2.

Case Study: Dr. Psi’s Entrepreneurial Breakthrough

Dr. Psi, an experienced internist, had long dreamed of running his own micro-corporation. He finally took the leap, but within months, he was stuck. His days were crammed, yet income had plateaued. He was:

• Answering every vendor email personally

• Going to networking events with no ROI

• Manually managing payroll

• Wasting hours dealing with insurance appeals

He came to me with this question: "Why am I so busy, yet still stuck?"

Through coaching, we uncovered the real issue: disguised distractions.

With support, Dr. Psi took three key steps:

1. Eliminated Low-Value Tasks: He hired a virtual assistant

2. Focused on Revenue-Generating Activities: He prioritized marketing his new cash-based membership model

3. Invested in His Own Growth: He took PEA’s "Creating a Practice Without Walls" course and redesigned his clinic operations.

Within six months, his revenue doubled. More importantly? His peace of mind returned.

How to Identify Your Disguised Distractions

1. Audit Your Daily Tasks

Track your activities in 30-minute blocks for one week. Then categorize them using Covey's matrix. Where's your time going? You might be shocked.

2. Assess ROI on Activities

Ask: "What’s the return on this task?" Examples of disguised distractions:

• Customizing your logo for the 10th time

• DIY tax prep

• Responding to every email in real time

• Attending conferences out of obligation

• Attending mind numbing hospital governance meetings

3. Set Clear Priorities

Every Monday, choose 3 tasks that directly:

• Grow revenue

• Reduce costs or time

• Build your network

4. Learn to Say No

Time is your most valuable asset. Decline anything that doesn’t serve your strategic goals. Say no kindly, but firmly.

🧰 Resources to Help You Refocus

• Course: Creating a Practice Without Walls ($499) — Learn how to launch your own virtual micro-corporation.

• 📘 Free eBook: Weekly Time Design For Busy Doctors— Practical tactics for time blocking and prioritizing.

• 🧾 Service: PEA Micro-Business Formation Service — Our team will help you get the right legal, tax, and payroll structure in place.

• 🧭 Membership: Join the PEA Academy starting at just $99/year.

Throwback Wisdom

Blog: Managing Distributions in Your Micro-Corporation If your monthly "priority" is cutting yourself a salary check, read this first. You'll learn how to think like a business owner, not an employee.

Identity Shift Step

Still thinking like an employee? It’s time to own your time, your work, and your income.

“You’ll never get rich working for someone else.”

-Warren Buffett

👉 Start Your Transition with a PEA Explorer Membership