11 Cards: Quick Start Guide

Work in the mental health field in New York State (and many other states), and you have probably experienced the seeming tyranny of the 30/90 day cycle of treatment plans. Completing an initial plan within 30 days of admission and reviewing treatment plans every 90 days is a constant source of therapist anxiety and stress: "When are the plans really due? Why do they end up late? How do I manage so many different dates and schedules? Why do I sometimes have 10 to complete in the same week?"

While this schedule was enacted to ensure treatment quality, its relentlessness often seems instead to interrupt the treatment of clients and lessen the effectiveness of the treatment professional. But it doesn't have to be that way.

The 11 Cards system is a simple method developed by a therapist to control the calendar and help you get your work done, manage your time and reduce your stress. I needed and wanted something simple that didn't require elaborate spreadsheets or ticklers to manage, something so simple that it could be managed with a just a few minutes of work every week. I determined that the information I needed could be handled with 11 index cards.

As a time management and productivity tool, the primary goal of the 11 Cards system is to find you more time for your clients and provide more certainty of regulatory compliance.