Private Practice Fatigue

In my last post, I shared the challenges I'm facing right now following my mom's death. As part of my "respect your grief" process, I'm only doing those things that absolutely must be done (being ready when a client arrives, for example). I'm also checking in with myself about what I feel able to do at any given time.

Consequently, a lot of things I normally do are not happening. It makes me realize in part that I am often one busy hummingbird of a business owner! My (still) limited energies point out to me how much energy it takes to run a private practice. I'm in the middle of it so often I don't see it.

Many of us come to a point where we say "I'm tired of making money for other people! I'm going to open my own practice!!" It's what launches many of us into private practice.

Then we discover how much work it is and how many things have to be done by guesswork (especially things like marketing; who knows what really works for any given practice??). I find that the ratio of "hours spent running the practice" to "hours spent with clients" is 3:1 or 2:1 in any given week.

I know that in a few years when my re-built practice is fully up to speed, it might get down to 1:1. Experience, however, suggests that the "practice management" tasks will always take up at least half of my time in a week.

I'm seriously contemplating whether it isn't time to close the doors on my private practice, find a group practice I respect, and let someone else do the bulk of the practice management tasks (for which I will happily share a percentage of the income!). I've realized that the energy that would be freed up could go to my writing and my teaching, which are getting the scraps of time and energy these days.

Private practice isn't inherently better or worse than working for someone else. There are a lot of satisfactions that come with it and a lot of freedom. What is important is to get a brutally honest picture of what it takes and what it gives, be painfully honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses, and make a decision fully informed.

My pondering continues.