Orthotown June 2023 - 42

Learn more about ergonomics
and earn CE credit
5 Steps to Practing Dentistry Pain Free, an Orthotown
CE course from physical therapist Dr. Bethany Valachi,
explains five key areas that are essential to resolving workrelated
pain in dentistry. To learn more and take the quiz for
a chance to earn 1.5 credits, scan the QR code at left.
motivating; if not, you are deep into
the burnout trap.
Be honest with yourself. If any of
those signs of burnout are present,
or just beginning to enter into your
thoughts, begin applying these simple
tools and concepts to divert yourself
away from the burnout zone or get out
of the burnout trap if it seems you're
already caught in it.
Feed your mind healthier food.
Th e content you allow into your ears,
eyes and brain is as important as the
food you allow into your mouth. Th e
relentless feed of distressing information
and negativity bombarding us
24/7 can trap an already burned-out
practice owner, send one close to
burnout plummeting over the edge
or drive the most enthusiastic young
practice owner toward burnout before
they ever get started.
Stop consuming a steady diet of
no-can-do attitudes and feeds that
would have you believe you can't
do any better. Replace those feeds
with ones that talk about how other
independent practice owners have
solved their challenges and are as
successful as ever. Join communities
of growth-minded doctors willing to
share their knowledge and best practices
for the good of their colleagues
and profession overall. Avail yourself of
information and tools, such as workshops
and coaching, that create only
positive feeds.
Reenergize through physical
health and fi tness.
Practicing orthodontics is tough on the
body. Ignore that and you'll inevitably
suff er from physical burnout. Th e
longer you stay in shape, the longer
you can continue to make a profi table
living doing what you love. Moreover,
research is well documented that
physical activity and a healthy diet
not only boost energy and stamina but
also improve mental well-being-how
clearly you think, how you feel about
yourself, how you engage with others
and your overall level of enthusiasm for
all aspects of life.
Sustaining physical health and fi tness
requires structure, constant commitment
and accountability. Don't just
join a gym; hire a trainer. Don't just do
a workout; commit to a regimented
fi tness plan. Join a local sports club that
requires practices and games. Don't
go on a diet; work with a dietitian on
a total dietary plan. Doing something
is better than doing nothing, so start
small, if necessary. Th e initial sacrifi ces
will be worth it and eventually become
part of a healthier routine.
JUNE 2023 | 42 | ORTHOTOWN.COM
Stick to a time management
system.
Th e stress caused by never having
enough time to feel on top of your
business, or life in general, is a huge
driver of burnout. Be intentional about
how you structure your time, what
you spend your time on, and how you
control and protect your time so you're
always focused on what's most important.
After all, you own the practice, so
you should own your time as well.
We teach our coaching clients a
highly regimented time management
system. It does take time to set up
and learn to use well, but the results
are worth the eff ort. Whatever system
you choose to use, start with a radical
self-analysis of how you spend your
time now. You'll quickly realize that
without a system in place and the
discipline to stick to it, nothing will
change-least of all, your results.
You'll discover how much of your time
is spent on tasks that don't grow the
business, develop your team, benefi t
your patients or improve your own
personal well-being.
An important outcome of this
analysis is that you should uncover
opportunities for adjusting your time
in benefi cial ways you may not have
thought of before. For example, you
may come to the healthy conclusion
that if you adjust your schedule
to start 30 minutes later two days
a week, you can fi t in a morning
workout and arrive at work as a more
energized, positive business owner
and practice leader. Unless you can
make up for that time at the end of
the day, though, you would adversely
aff ect patient care and revenue. Th e
solution? Add an associate.
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Orthotown June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown June 2023
