Owning and running a practice is no small task – you have many responsibilities on your mind as well as your patient load, team’s welfare, financial responsibilities, strategic decision making… and this is all on top of all your own personal issues like family, health, home etc.
When we get burnt out, we feel less fulfilled with our choices and end up working twice as hard for less satisfaction and financial reward. Needless to say, that is NOT ideal…
So, here are some tried and tested ways of preventing burnout so that you can maximise effectiveness and enjoyment in your practice.
Protect your time by setting boundaries
Sometimes we can be very loose or vague with our boundaries, especially when we don’t want to hurt people’s feelings or cause others stress.
But the reality is, if you don’t set firm boundaries, people will continue to encroach on them – this applies to your time, energy, commitments, and workload. Politely but firmly set boundaries in the best interest of your practice and then continue to uphold them.
You’re going to be a much better practice owner, dentist, leader, parent, partner, friend etc. when you can give each person your undivided attention and have the energy to recuperate between responsibilities.
Don’t sacrifice sleep
It can sometimes feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day – but that’s no reason to start chipping into your sleep bank.
I know it’s tempting to burn the midnight oil and just stay up until the early hours of the morning or pull an all-nighter when things get hectic, but this is really unsustainable and a major sign that things need to change.
In the short term, it’ll affect your focus, decision making skills, memory, and mood which will only become more serious in the long term. You don’t want to burn yourself out building a practice, then realise you’re too miserable and stressed to enjoy any of the time, freedom, or profits you started the practice to experience.
If you’re starting to feel like the burnout outweighs the benefits, it’s time to delegate, knock back a few projects, or hire someone to take on a few more responsibilities.
Find your meaning
I’m sure you will have heard the saying, “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” This isn’t entirely correct – things that you love can often feel very much like hard work – but it’s still important.
I constantly stress the three big currencies that practice ownership generates; time, money, and meaning. Whether it’s building multigenerational wealth that provides for your family, a practice that serves its community for decades to come, or creating a brand and legacy that stands the test of time.
If your hard work doesn’t provide you with a deeper sense of meaning, you’re more likely to burn out. It might not reduce the amount of work required, but you’d rather work towards something that’s important to you, right?
I had the opportunity to record a podcast with Dr John Demartini from The Secret, exploring what it means to live an inspired and fulfilling life. If you’re looking for ways to reduce burnout whilst still accomplishing massive things, you’ll definitely want to check it out.
P.S Want to scale your dental practice and take your profits to 7 figure success?
Me and my team can work with you directly to get you there! Simply book in your FREE 1:1
strategy session, and we can get started on a game plan for you and your practice.
