3 Signs You’re Doing Too Much in Your Practice

July 10, 2019

As you’ve already discovered, starting your own practice can be a liberating experience, but it can also be immensely stressful. Despite your best planning and intentions, it’s quite common for some things to go… well, not as planned. Sometimes it simply feels like you’ve taken on too much. Rest assured, you’re not alone; this feeling is very common amongst even the most seasoned entrepreneurs.

The first step to help you remove the overwhelm is to work hard to honestly locate the pain points in your business. If you’re not exactly sure what it is you’re doing wrong, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to help pinpoint the issues:

  • What are the things causing you the most stress?
  • What do you hate doing and (equally as important) what do you love doing?
  • What is one thing that eats up the most time in your practice?

In this blog post, we’ll look at three common signs you’re doing too much and discuss some of the ways to make your business more efficient.

Sign #1: You want the ability to see more clients but you’re already overloaded

We are big on increasing efficiency. If you feel like you’re working non-stop and never getting ahead, then you need to figure out how to be more efficient.

Telehealth services and video sessions, done through the Practice Better platform, can make it easier to work with more clients no matter where they are, or how busy their schedule. In case you haven’t heard the term before, telehealth refers to remote health-related services such as virtual or video appointments and the use of technology to share information with your clients. Video sessions can be securely conducted via Practice Better or other services such as Zoom or Doxy.me and also via Skype or Google Meet where HIPAA-compliance isn’t required.

Giving your clients the option to consult with you remotely can decrease your wait times and increase your productivity by allowing you to see more clients in a shorter span of time. The best part is none of this comes at the expense of your client’s experience. In fact, it puts their needs ahead of everything else!

Some clients might be wary of using virtual services at first, but there is a lot you can do to assure them. We’ve put together a comprehensive list of video appointment benefits that you can share with your clients.

Benefits of Virtual or Video Sessions to Share with Your Clients

  • Time-Saving — no extra travel time added to clients’ already busy schedules
  • Secure — Practice Better is HIPAA and PIPEDA compliant and fully encrypted
  • Convenient — clients can meet with you when it works with their schedule; while on their lunch break, at work, or from the comfort of their home
  • Money Saving — no more need to take time off work or hire a babysitter for appointments
  • Decreased wait times — the added flexibility to work around clients’ schedules means they can see you sooner
  • Easy to Use — the Practice Better application is designed to be easy for clients to access. If they are still hesitant, perhaps offer to walk them through it at their next in-person appointment
  • Happier Practitioner — sometimes mentioning to your clients that you’ve found a tool or solution that has made you a better practitioner gets them onboard to try something new

 

 

Sign #2: You’re always available

As business owners and healthcare practitioners, most of us are guilty of burning the candle at both ends and putting the business before ourselves. Boundaries are important, both personally and professionally. Spending all of your time working can cause burnout, which can impact your mental health, physical health, stamina, energy, resilience — the list goes on and on! But this burnout could also lead to the neglect of your clients and hurt your business in the long run. So what can you do to set better boundaries?

Having clear and consistent hours of operation is a great place to start. This goes for your practice’s business hours as well as your online hours. Setting up your availability in your Practice Better scheduling feature allows clients to book within those time frames; making it clear when you’re available and when you’re not.

You also need to make sure you are managing your clients’ expectations. You want to ensure they feel seen, heard, and cared for — within reasonable parameters. Set practice-wide guidelines for responding to client inquiries, scheduling appointments, or following up on topics discussed in your sessions. For example, additional resources discussed in an appointment can be provided within 24 hours. An efficient way to do this would be to outline these guidelines in your terms of service, ensuring that your clients have to read and agree to the terms before working with you. That way, they’ll know from the outset how you work and what to expect.

Make sure to schedule downtime in your calendar. Your diet, your time to relax and unwind, and time spent with people who uplift you can give you the clarity of mind to be the best business owner you can be. While discipline and consistency are two keys to success, working yourself to the point of exhaustion in order to thrive is counterproductive. Pace yourself and set clear boundaries. You’ll be thankful later.

Sign #3: You’re using too many different applications or pieces of software

Between a multitude of different programs and applications and the potential for human error, the more tools you use, the more difficult your life can become.

The best approach? Streamline, streamline, streamline! Only use the tools that are absolutely necessary and look to consolidate wherever possible. Some nutrition and wellness practices can afford a budget for administrative staff members who can double and triple check the practitioners’ work. But most can’t. In those situations, having the right software instead of all the software is key. That’s why we created Practice Better — we wanted to provide you with one solution to keep everything in order.

If you are already a Practice Better user (hi, we see you!), make sure you’re getting the most out of all our great features. Our Help Center has resources that can make sure you’re using us to your full advantage, including managing your scheduling and availability, setting up a successful charting system, and sending client invoices. We created Practice Better to be an all-in-one tool to help your business run smoothly and efficiently. And if you ever have questions, don’t hesitate to contact our support team.

If you are new to Practice Better, welcome! Adopting a program like Practice Better can allow you to consolidate the different moving pieces of your health or wellness practice into one easy-to-use portal. From scheduling and hosting in-person or virtual appointments to creating charts, invoices, forms, and waivers, now your business can run all in one place. We would love the opportunity to show you how we can help take your health or wellness practice to the next level.

When you run your own health and wellness practice there can be a lot of pressure to be all things to all people (and to appear healthy and well while doing it!). Functioning more holistically, and taking advantage of the strategies we outlined above, (telehealth services, setting boundaries, and consolidating your software) can allow you to work smarter not harder. Set yourself up for success with the most capable tool available and increase your efficiency without compromising the integrity of yourself or your business.

Still having a hard time uncovering your businesses’ pain points? Reach out to other entrepreneurs to ask them about the challenges they’ve had in the past and the solutions they’ve found. You may find an answer that hits home.


Practice Better is the complete practice management platform for nutritionists, dietitians, and wellness professionals. Streamline your practice and begin your 14-day free trial today.

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