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sure to experience in their lives. Some items from your bucket list may require more time and plan- ning than others. If you have or want to have your own bucket list, a personal assistant can help with the scheduling and logistics to facili- tate your ability to make your list happen. Travel fixer Travel is wonderful. But travel planning—including contingency routing—is time consuming. If you don't have a family member or trust- ed travel agent who handles your personal travel details, this is anoth- er area where a personal assistant could make a difference. In this task, the assistant would double check the details, vet the potential accommo- dations, and perhaps research some activities that everyone will enjoy. Construction manager Keeping up with communications and decision-making with any con- tractors for home renovations and fixes is time consuming and has the potential to interfere with your pa- tient schedule. A personal assistant can mitigate such conflicts by being a point of contact with home con- tractors, allowing the home project to move forward without needing to adjust your office schedule. Financial advisor Fewer than 25% of ophthalmolo- gists have a professionally adequate personal financial planner in place to ensure that a portion of their income is properly invested and monitored. This is another area in which your personal assistant can be a disciplinarian, keeping both you and your planner on track. Sounding board The most fortunate surgeons we know have the kind of trusting relationship with their adminis- trator that allows both parties to speak freely. Likewise, an excellent personal assistant will be one who can be confided in and relied on to speak plainly. A personal assistant does not need to take on all of these respon- sibilities to make a positive impact on your schedule. The duties and responsibilities you decide to give to the personal assistant—especially since they veer into the personal— should be selected and communicat- ed clearly. EW Borrowing continued from page 32 Mr. Pinto is president of J. Pinto & Associates Inc., an ophthalmic practice man- agement consulting firm located in San Diego. His latest ASCRS•ASOA book, Simple: The Inner Game of Ophthalmic Practice Success, is available at www.asoa.org. He can be contacted at pintoinc@ aol.com or 619-223-2233. Ms. Wohl is president of C. Wohl & Associates Inc., a practice management consulting firm. She earned her Masters of Health Services Administration degree at George Wash- ington University and has 30 years of hospital and physician practice management expertise. She can be contacted at czwohl@gmail.com or 609-410-2932. About the authors As we celebrate 40 years of service to the ophthalmic community, we recognize those doctors who have grown along with us. Just like our instruments, our reputation for value, service and reliability has been crafted to last a lifetime. JOHN E. DOWNING, MD Bowling Green, Kentucky © 2018 Stephens Instruments. All rights reserved. "I have used Stephens ophthalmic instruments since I went into practice— forty years ago. When I need new microsurgical instruments, I look to Stephens first." 800.354.7848 | +1.859.259.4924 | stephensinst.com TOLL FREE IN THE USA WORLD WIDE For more information visit us at ASCRS booth #2410 Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/EyeWorldMagazine Follow EyeWorld on Twitter: twitter.com/EWNews Find us on social media

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