There’s an old saying that goes:
“The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things and expecting different results.”
It’s good to take time to reflect on what’s running well and what’s not running well in your practice. If you keep doing the same things that you did last year you’ll keep getting the same results that you got last year.
Maybe you’re OK with that? But, if you want to change things here’s a suggestion to make next year better than last year:
Stop doing things you don’t enjoy.
Doing things you don’t enjoy saps motivation and energy. It also keeps you away from things that make you happy and productive. Let me give you five examples of things I eliminated from my practice.
First, bookwork. My bookkeeper loves it. I don’t. I pay him $40 an hour and get back to dentistry where I earn multiples of that.
Second, managing staff and rostering. I have several strengths but HR is not one of them. I handed it over to a trusted person. I was happier and so was the staff
Third, dentures. Adjusting a denture for a picky client gives me a knot in my stomach. So much nicer to let a technician do it.
Fourth, children. Kids are great but when you get a bad one in the dental chair it can make you regret ever becoming a dentist.
Fifth, surgical wisdom teeth. I could always get them out in the end but they made me sweat.
Make up your own list. Maybe we share some items in common or maybe you have completely different ones.
What I found was that each time I stopped doing something that I didn’t enjoy my productivity increased. The space I created got filled with things I did enjoy. By cutting things I didn’t like out of my day I was happier and my practice became more profitable. Every time I eliminated a task that I disliked it was like a weight was lifted off me.
Hopefully it will be the same for you. It’s certainly worth giving a try.
