Opinions

From Chartaholic to Efficient Clinician: How I Reclaimed My Time

Photo Credit: Getty Images

By Sima Mozdbar, OD, MPH, FAAO

Jan. 3, 2026

I’ll admit it: I was a chartaholic.

As a student, I was the epitome of an over-charter. I was thorough, detail-driven and determined to document every pertinent negative, every nuance of an exam and every clinical rationale. When I began my career in academic medicine, I carried those habits forward. In a teaching institution, it felt not only natural but necessary. Reviewing detailed findings with patients and walking students through my thought process meant my charts became lengthy narratives. I didn’t realize it at the time, but these habits were making me slow and inefficient.

In those early years, I remember listening to a faculty development podcast, and the speaker said something that stuck with me: “You should never have to type the same thing twice.” It was a simple concept: build treatment plans directly into your EHR so you can streamline documentation. But it changed the way I approached charting. I built templates and customized plans. It helped but only to a point. I still wasn’t fully using the technique, and I continued to spend far too much time finishing charts after clinic hours.

SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE

Fast-forward to private practice. Suddenly, efficiency wasn’t just a professional preference. It was tied to the financial health of my business. As a new practice owner, my evenings quickly filled with work: administrative tasks, insurance posting, payroll, process improvements… and charts. Always charts. I would get through patients efficiently during the day, leave brief placeholders in their records and then spend two to three hours each night detailing the charts.

Several months into practice ownership, a mentor, Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO, visited my practice and casually asked how things were going. I mentioned the weight of after-hours work that practice ownership requires, and she asked what I work on in the evenings. While I had a whole list of tasks to state, the first words out of my mouth were “finishing charts.” She interrupted me and insisted that it must stop. “You could be doing anything else,” she said, “working on your practice, spending time with your family, literally anything else.”

She was right. And I knew it.

CHART AS YOU GO

After Dr. Sorrenson’s visit, I made “chart as I go” a nonnegotiable rule. I called my EHR vendor to integrate a full suite of treatment-plan templates—now one click fills in my go-to language. All I had to do was tailor a few details. Most importantly, I forced myself to start charting in real time, recording details while I was with the patient.

To my surprise, my charting didn’t break the flow of the visit. I could maintain the conversation, continue the exam and type a few lines at a time without disrupting rapport. Sometimes I’ll tell the patient, “Let me jot that down so we have it in your chart,” while I type. Patients appreciate the transparency, and I appreciate the freedom that comes with finishing my notes before leaving the exam room.

The result has been revolutionary.

My evenings are no longer consumed by unfinished charts. I’ve won back my personal time. I’m more present with my family because I’m no longer dwelling on the charts I have to finish after putting my kids to bed. Now I spend those reclaimed hours on personal goals and growing my practice—anything but charting.

The transition wasn’t instantaneous, but it was transformative. Today, I’m still a detail-oriented clinician, but I no longer consider myself a chartaholic. I document thoroughly, efficiently and in real time. And I’ve learned that reclaiming time isn’t just about productivity but sustainability, longevity and prioritizing what matters most.