A long time ago, I don’t remember exactly when, we developed this mentality for our approach to business that we called “a year in a quarter.” Meaning quite literally our goal was to achieve a year’s worth of progress in 90 days.
Here’s a question for you: why does something, anything, have to take so long? Of course the answer is it doesn’t – ever. All things can be sped up, not all should perhaps, but all can (the difference is making sure it doesn’t ruin the integrity or quality of the outcome or experience).
Here’s an example for you. My formalization of the 7-steps of a complete New Patient Experience does what I consider the most important aspect of all success that is…
To condense time and accelerate progress.
All seven steps should exist already, in theory. Though most practices have holes throughout their patient experiences and the only thing that is consistent is that there are inconsistencies instead of a structured system of reliability that happens every time with every patient. However, each of the seven steps are of course customized engagement with the individual patient.
I engineer this in order build trust faster and culminate case acceptance in what often takes many visits or even a cycle or two of hygiene. Done properly, the seven steps dramatically change your ability to get results with new patients faster.
We looked at every part of our business and ask ourselves how we could shorten the time and accelerate the progress so that we could achieve “a year in a quarter” and stop dragging everything out just because it’s easier to manage things by the calendar year.
The big lessons here are that everything first begins by questioning the status quo, you must set different expectations for yourself, and tackle any obstacle that stands in the way of progress.
Oddly, our perception of time is very strange. However long you think something will take or you allow it to take – it usually does.
Do you ever ask yourself why? Why does it have to take that long? Why can’t the process be shortened? Why can’t the output be greater for the time invested?
This is exactly how we achieve dramatic results quickly – we question the accepted beliefs, we design systems to operate the way we prefer, and we never let time be the biggest barrier.
With all of that in mind, I ask you…
What is taking too long in your life right now?
What would you like to see sped up?
Where are your own limiting beliefs in the way of progress?
The first way to accomplish this is to make sure you are focused on the highest value priorities and the things that actually make a difference.
I see it all the time, someone bogged down by tasks and details and to-do lists but missing conversations with patients, missing the chance to capitalize on opportunity.
It’s not actually about just ‘doing things faster’ – that wasn’t the point. It was about shortening the time between results and creating the desired progress faster – in large part by getting other things that don’t matter (or at least matter less), out of the way.
I’m sure you have something written on your calendar that could be completed this week. What are you waiting for? The reasons we tell ourselves for delaying progress are often just excuses. With proper prioritization, time can be condensed and results can be achieved faster – allowing more time for even greater results in the near future.
How about what you schedule quarterly, you do monthly. What you plan monthly, you do weekly. If it’s important enough then there is always time for it.
And that’s the thing about all progress… you either talk about it or you take action to make it happen.
You can apply this to changes you want in your life.
You can apply this to your individual patient engagement.
You can apply this to projects you and your team are working on.
You can apply this to incorporating new procedures.
You can apply this to your own health.
What are you tolerating and just accepting, where is your focus off, and what can you do to fully align your actions with your key objectives? Challenge your own expectations, prioritize your efforts, condense the calendar, and accelerate your progress – that’s how you achieve your goals in less time.
