I have written extensively about how having documented workflows, policies, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) can help you and your team become more efficient, productive, and less stressed. When systems are clearly documented, everyone knows what to do, how to do it, and where to find the answers.
About halfway through my career, I experienced tremendous burnout. I felt like I was stuck in the hamster wheel of dentistry. However, with the help of therapy and life coaching, I overcame this and returned to enjoying being a dentist.
The beginnings of my implant journey I have been surgically placing and restoring dental implants for over twenty years. During this time, the industry has exploded with new inventions and materials, and I have adapted to these drastic changes with improved workflows and techniques.
Midway through my career, I was totally burnt out from dentistry. I was always nervous and afraid of getting sued all the time. I was swept up in the false belief that dentistry was just a stressful high-performance job and there was nothing I could do to change this. It was just the profession that I chose, and I would have to deal with my anxieties and regret by waiting until my kids were out of college. Maybe by then I would have paid off my loans and have enough money saved so I could retire and then do something else.