When setting goals, many dentists say, “I want to produce more.” But few want that increase to mean working longer hours or more days. The better question is: How can you grow production without sacrificing your time and energy?
A great place to start is by calculating your Production Per Day:
- Take your annual gross production.
- Divide it by the number of days you worked.
That number is your baseline. Now project forward:
- What production do you want in the year ahead?
- If your Production Per Day stayed the same, how many days would you need to work to reach it?
This is your decision point. You can either add days to hit your goal, or you can improve your Production Per Day and accomplish the same—or more—in fewer days.
We believe in the second option. Working more isn’t sustainable. Time away from the practice is essential to recharge, prevent burnout, and protect your passion for dentistry. Instead, focus on the levers that increase your daily impact, stronger systems, smoother scheduling, improved case diagnosis and acceptance, and a well-developed team.
As you plan your year, schedule your vacations and time off first. Build your work calendar around the life you want, then set production goals that align with it. You may discover that you don’t need to work more to produce more—you need to produce smarter.
