Would you rather have a headache?

Most dentists would rather have a headache than to have to think about their goals. The pain would be less.

But, if you don’t know what you’re aiming for, then how can you know if you’re on the right path and making progress?

As the year winds down, and you start to (hopefully) chill out, it’s a great time to think of what you are trying to achieve in your practice.

• How much do you want to work in the coming year?

• How much do you want to earn?

• Who are your ideal patients?

• Which patients don’t you want to see?

• How do you want the staff to treat you and the patients?

• What type of work would you like to do more of? Less of?

• How efficiently do you want to work?

• Etc., etc.

The answers to these questions will be different for every dentist.

If you work for someone else, there will be a limit to how far you can go with customising your practice. But, if you work for yourself, then the sky is the limit. You can customise your practice to suit you exactly — and why wouldn’t you?

What would be the benefits in continuing to practice in a way that you don’t fully enjoy?

So, my suggestion is to use the break to unwind and think deeply about your practice. Whether that involves chilling out with a glass of chardonnay or going for a bush walk.

It will be time well spent.