Stress relief
What have you done recently to make your job more pleasant and less stressful?
I was booking a holiday recently. The travel agent was very good and came up with lots of alternatives.
One was that if I spent 8 hours travelling across Europe in a train, then a night in a hotel in a city I did not want to visit, I could save $1,600 on the airfare because it made the flight shorter.
I was considering it then I thought to myself:
“What the heck am I doing?”
Wasting a day of my life and making my valuable vacation time less enjoyable and more stressful just to save a few dollars! No thanks.
But, what about the dental office?
I’ve been fortunate over the past dozen years or so to have visited lots of dental offices. One mistake I see a big majority dentists make is scrimping on materials, equipment and staff to save a few dollars.
By doing this they are causing their work life to be less enjoyable and more stressful. For example:
Having blunt, worn out instruments.
Having 7 different types of composite in the drawer because they always buy what’s on special.
Having insufficient handpieces so they have to wait for one to come out of the steriliser.
Reusing burs so often there are almost no diamonds left on them.
Having insufficient staff so the dentist has to do heaps of paperwork.
Not having a bookkeeper so the dentist has to do bookwork at home on the weekend.
The list could go on and on but I’m sure you get the idea.
I would argue two things:
You should make your work life as fun and stress-feee as possible. You spend 40 hours a week at work. Why torture yourself?
By doing point 1. above your productivity will increase to more than pay for any additional costs. By removing stress from your life you gain focus, energy and drive.
It is a true win-win. You get an easier and more enjoyable work life and you make more money through increased productivity.
So my question is…
What changes have you made recently to make your work life better and less stressful?
