The streetlights glare outside the laboratory window as you squint at the stack of slides that need differentials. Once those are complete, you just have a few phone calls to make, and you'll be finished for the day. Rubbing your eyes, you adjust the microscope and peer into the lens.

"Hello, Daddy?" a small voice asks.

"It's Timmy ... your son. I'm eight now, and we're having a party."

Darn. One more thing to remember.

Have you ever missed a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or other life milestone because you were just so behind at work you couldn't tear yourself away from the practice? (Or because you forgot completely?) You can avoid such tragedies, and the solution is painless. You just need to learn to delegate.

The Chip Game

The doctor's time and knowledge drive the clinic's income. That means you'd ideally spend time only on responsibilities that are unique to being a doctor and leave the remaining tasks to other skilled people. If you achieve this goal, you'll have plenty of time to complete your work, make a decent income, and spend time with family and friends.

Simply put, when you do fewer things in a day, you can get everything done in less time. Everyone can have a lunch hour and go home on time, and all your work will get done. Plus you'll have more time to devote to essential tasks, so your work quality will improve.

Of course, there are other important reasons to delegate. Assigning challenging tasks gives your team members a greater sense of self-worth and makes coming to work more interesting and rewarding. Playing a more important part in clinic operations is a fabulous incentive for employees to continue working for you. This should be no surprise—staff members thrive on difficult achievements and understand the intrinsic rewards of a task well done, just as doctors do.

Another bonus: Much as you'll hate to admit it, the work you pass on may get handled better. After all, the people closest to the problem can often offer the best solutions; they see the needs and can implement necessary changes much more effectively. After all, if you're not standing at the front desk all day, how can you know what clients need? Let your team members tell you where the clinic needs improvement, then (and this part's important) let them do it.

Delegating more helps patients, too. It's impossible for you to be everywhere at once—you can't see outpatients, do surgery, and be responsible for primary patient care. If your technicians take responsibility for patients, they can watch them closely while you're between exam rooms.