Too Much of a Good Thing: What to Do When You Have More Patients Than Time
What do you do when you achieve the success you want and have more patients than time?
Struggling with too much of a good thing inevitably occurs in the course of a professional life. For much of our early careers as dentists, the biggest question looming in our minds is: “How can I attract more patients?”
At some point, as the strength of your technical skills, marketing, and practice features align, you will find yourself having a full schedule of patients. This moment can be more challenging than anticipated. You have to make the tough decision between turning people away or putting more on your plate than you can handle.
Here’s how to slow down and become more selective when you’ve reached an ideal level of business success:
Prioritize Your Time With Fulfilling Work
The ability to choose which cases you want to work on can be more difficult to embrace than you might assume. Once the time you have in a work day is completely full, you should begin to filter for the patients and cases you enjoy most.
Take Challenging CE
Continuing education is about more than honing marketable skills, meeting other dentists, and getting required credits. It can also be useful in helping you avoid complacency.
If you feel you’ve reached the apex of your success, consider trying CE you might not have given a chance before. Regardless of whether you implement a lesson into your practice, it can give you a new outlook and sharpen your sense of purpose.
Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor
You’re success driven. You’ve likely been toiling non-stop even before dental school to get to your ultimate vision of ‘making it.’ Give yourself the freedom to really savor your achievements. Having plenty of patients and a fulfilling work life means you’re clearly doing something right. Pause and take stock of the moment. Reward yourself before you seek a fresh ambition.
How do you embrace success when you reach a goal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
