Do you often feel you have too many tasks and too little time?
If "yes" you're certainly not alone!
We live in an increasingly complex world. There is a constant battle for your attention. Patients, staff, rules, regulations, insurance, dental specialists, competition, family, social media, TV, leisure activities, personal training, etc, etc.
How do I get more time?
If you want more time, you have to take it.
I know it sounds simple.
You're just the only one who knows what's important to you.
You're the only one who can actually decide what you should- and shouldn't do.
I would recommend you to take a whole day off from everything.
Take some time to reflect on what is important to you.
Make sure you have a notepad handy.
Write your dreams on paper
Write down what is important to you, what you dream of achieving and how you would like your everyday life to be. Not just now, but in 1 year and possibly 5 years.
Start with your private life.
Your relationships, family situation, etc.
Where do you want to live? How and why?
Once you have describet what you dream of achieving in your private life. You start describing your dream practice.
Be as specific as you can.
Reverse engineering
Once you have a rough outline of what you want, you have the opportunity to make a plan. A popular describtion for this proces is "reverse engineering". Once you know what you want to achieve you can go backwards and uncover what you need to do to achieve your goal.
Be specific
Make sure you are ultra specific in your description.
An example could be: "I only check my Facebook account between 4.30-5.00pm" (Remember to stick to your own plan!)
A piece of advice.
Dreams that aren't written down will always remain dreams!
Dreams that are written down are goals!
Goals can be shaped into plans.
Written plans can be delegated.
This is an important part of leadership.
Time management
Make sure you write down your plans. Make sure you prioritise and stay realistic. It's fine to want to achieve a lot. If you have too many plans, you'll drown in too many tasks and too little time.
You are the leader of your own life.
If you're married, it gets a little more complex.
If you have children you also have a leadership role at home (children are great for educating us as leaders)
If you are a practice owner you have further increased complexity.
Structure in a dental practice
The more leadership roles you have, the greater the need for structure. You may be thinking: "That is easy for you to say. I don't work well with structures. Especially when i practice dentistry". Let me reveal to you that it has not been easy for me to implement structure in my life.
Sometimes practicing dentistry seems as if it is rather chaotic. We have to be able to adapt to unplanned situations.
When a cusp breaks during treatment.
When a bleeding won't stop.
When it is almost impossible to anesthetize a patient.
We have to be able to adapt to these situations.
As you and I know, these situations happen all the time.
Years ago it made me feel, that planning a day without delays with a smooth and structured workflows is impossible. However I realized I was wrong. With the right systems in place, it is very doable.
It is not easy
I have some personality traits that don't easily come to terms with fixed boundaries. But as a leader I have had to recognize the need for structure and fixed frameworks. I have discovered how I will feel more free and more creative when I have fixed structures around me. The reality is that structure and frameworks free up time and increase the likelihood of achieving our goals.
If you need help to free up time, reduce stress and achieve your goals. Feel free to send me an email at: mail@hattconsulting.com
Many kind regards
Jesper Hatt DDS
T: +41 78 268 00 78
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