Tell HN: How doctors get up to speed and how to use it in your work

Doctors’ approach to productivity<p>A few weeks back I had to go see many doctors with my kid with a semi-complicated cold diagnosis.<p>Basically:<p>• She started daycare and had 1 mild infection<p>• As soon as she got rid of that she got another one<p>• After that she had a problem walking (a common complication from the infection called coxitis)<p>• After that she got another infection (a strong one this time)<p>On top of that I had to get her blood and urine works multiple times and see different doctors every time.<p>What I found fascinating is how every doctor had the same way of getting up to speed.<p>Here’s how they do it and how I use it to solve work problems.<p>This is especially important for managers, because you often get contacted about problems without context.<p>All of the doctors (even though always in a hectic environment) followed this process:<p>1. Sat down and started asking questions from the beginning<p>2. All of them wrote the key points and timeline<p>3. All of them examined the kid for themselves after getting the anamnesis<p>4. Only after that thorough analysis they would give you the next step (whether it be more tests, or exams, and also what happens after that)<p>5. They established multiple checkpoints to check if things are getting better or if you need more attention<p>6. They’ve set up a clear exit point (how you know all is ok)<p>7. They’ve consulted with their higher up since it was a complicated diagnosis<p>In my line of work as an email marketing specialist in a big team, I often get to work on different tasks from the middle of it.<p>Lately, I’ve been using this approach and it’s been working great for me.<p>I feel less stressed<p>I feel motivated to make it happen<p>I jump into action quicker<p>Some pre-requisits that help me:<p>• Each task we have from our stakeholder is documented in a Asana like kanban board<p>• Each email goes through a QA checklist and multiple checkpoints (in order)<p>• All the colleagues are trained and understand the process<p>• Most of our stakeholders understand the process and adhere to it<p>I&#x27;d love more details if you use something similar or are an actual doctor.