I’m about to strike panic into your hearts. One word, two syllables—moving. Which part of moving is the most stressful? There are so many choices: physically lugging furniture up and down stairs, contacting the entire known universe about your new address, loading and transporting bulky boxes. The list could go on.
If you’ve been listening to the Dental Hacks podcast recently, then you’ve heard Dr. Jason Lipscomb share stories about moving dental chairs as a badge of honor among dentists. That’s a special kind of pain. Well, I’m moving my apartment, not my practice, so I don’t think I have any items as obnoxious as dental chairs to move.
There’s one part of moving that I actually don’t mind. In fact, I find it to be spiritually cleansing. I’m talking about packing my life into boxes. I’ve thrown out and donated countless pieces of clutter in the past week and it feels so liberating. In the future, even when I’m not moving, I think I’ll periodically sort through a room and get rid of stuff I don’t truly need.
Our practices could benefit from the same attention. The next time your office is uncharacteristically slow, why not gather the team and work through a room or two? You could find important lost items such as implant drivers or study models. You could identify a bunch of stuff you don’t need and put it on eBay. You could sort through your patient charts and deactivate or reactivate them.
Moving is a pain, but the process of sifting through your life’s clutter can be liberating.
Cheers,
Chris
MORE OP ED PIECES BY DR. CHRIS SALIERNO:
Will this video of a drunk resident ruin her career?
What China taught me about American oral health
DE editor shares thoughts on corporate dentistry
