Show Notes
The “slow crawl” quite a few of us are feeling End-of-year fatigue looks different depending on your role. For some clinicians, cancellations start rolling in and caseloads thin out. For others, it’s the opposite – back-to-back sessions, “just one more appointment”, families trying to squeeze everything in before Christmas, and calendars that don’t breathe until January.
Both experiences can feel unsettling. If your workload drops, it can trigger anxiety about income, targets or whether you should be doing more. If your workload spikes, it can feel like you’re running on fumes and resentment. Either way, your nervous system is picking up on the same theme – there’s not much margin left.
Rest isn’t indulgent, it’s part of ethical practice There’s a line that keeps coming up in OT spaces because it’s true: you can’t support clients well if you don’t support yourself well. At the end of a year like this, “rest” isn’t just self-care language – it’s a clinical and ethical need. If you’re heading into a break, let it actually be a break. If you’re still working right up to the line, give yourself permission to lower the bar on everything that isn’t essential. The system will still be there in January, and you’ll need your capacity more than you’ll need your inbox to be perfect.
Time blocking isn’t magic, but it does create guardrails When things feel fragile, structure can be a kindness. Time blocking doesn’t solve systemic issues, but it can stop your week from becoming one long open tab in your brain. It gives you a visual boundary: this is work time, this is admin time, this is life time.
If you’re trialling it, keep it realistic. Build in buffer blocks for the inevitable curveballs, especially at this time of year. Even one protected block that you treat as non-negotiable can reduce the “teetering on the edge” feeling.
Your admin team has carried more than people realise If you run a practice, this is your nudge to look at your admin team with fresh eyes. Funding periods, plan dates, pricing rules, cancellations, reschedules, changing evidence expectations – admin teams have been absorbing a lot of pressure, often without the same built-in professional development days clinicians receive.
End-of-year appreciation doesn’t need to be extravagant, but it does need to be intentional. A thoughtful gesture, an early finish, a proper thank you, a team day that isn’t just more output in disguise – these things matter. They’re also part of retention, culture, and sustainability, even if they don’t show up neatly in a spreadsheet.
Next steps for your January list If you’re mapping out a gentle return after the holidays, consider adding a short, focused “sector scan” week. One block for the NDIA pricing workplan, one block for the pricing review consultation if you plan to contribute and one block for paediatric clinicians to explore the early childhood intervention framework.
If you’d like practical support translating these updates into business decisions, service design and team training, explore the learning and resources inside Verve OT Learning, and share this article with someone who’s crawling to the finish line too.
What the NDIA’s three-year pricing workplan means for OTs The NDIA has released a three-year pricing workplan covering its approach through 2025–2028. The key message is staged change rather than sudden shifts, with an emphasis on data gathering first, then design and targeted implementation, then refinement.
While there’s nothing you need to action immediately today, it’s worth putting on your January list. The workplan signals future directions the sector has been hearing rumours about for a while, including the possibility of outcomes-based payments and tiered pricing models. The details will matter, especially for therapy providers trying to plan staffing, pricing assumptions and service models with any confidence.
If you want to influence the conversation, the NDIA’s 2025–26 Annual Pricing Review
More from OT Unplugged: Community of Practice Insights
A billable target only tells part of the story. The time needed to complete a report, the travel involved in a caseload and the support available to an early career OT all affect whether expectations are realistic.
Requests for essential equipment are becoming more complicated when a plan variation is redirected towards a full NDIS reassessment. For some participants, accessing the support they need now may also expose their existing funding to further changes.
The NDIS funding reset is here, and for OTs the implications go well beyond understanding the percentage reductions. There are questions about who will be affected, what happens when funding is reduced and what evidence may now need to be captured.
From 1 October, new NDIS funding changes will affect how some participants can access funding for social, community and civic participation. The detail OTs have been waiting for around the safeguard for participants with high support needs has now been released.
Some moments in your OT career stay with you. A decision, a client or even a comment from someone else can change the direction of your career or the way you think about your role.