When was the last time you really switched off?
Not after work, when your mobile’s still buzzing. Not on holiday, when you’re secretly thinking about next week’s rota. But really switching off. If you can’t think of anything to do right now, you’re not alone.
Physiotherapy practice owners do double duty every day: they provide treatment whilst also running the practice. Staffing issues, billing, quality assurance, marketing. Their energy is almost always channelled outwards.
According to the 2022 Swiss Health Survey conducted by the Federal Statistical Office, over 53 per cent of stressed employees feel emotionally exhausted at work. In healthcare professions, international studies indicate that the prevalence of burnout averages 8 per cent (physiopraxis, 2024). What these figures do not show is how many practitioners are on the brink of burnout without realising it.
Why sticking it out is not a strategy
There are two reasons why many practice owners keep putting their holidays off.
Firstly: You’re confusing exhaustion with weakness. That’s an outdated way of thinking. Anyone running a practice these days no longer needs stamina, but rather a smart approach to managing their own energy.
Secondly: You’re looking for big solutions – that long holiday, the perfect weekend. Yet research clearly shows that short, regular breaks are more effective than infrequent, extended ones.
What this means for you: You don’t need to completely overhaul the way your practice is run. But you do need to start taking rest just as seriously as a patient appointment.
5 methods that really work for practice owners
- Make a conscious effort to schedule micro-breaks. Five minutes between two patients – time for a coffee, a few deep breaths, a quick step outside. That may not sound like much. But it makes a measurable difference.
- Block out time for administrative tasks. If you leave it to chance that you might have to deal with bookkeeping and emails at any time, you’ll end up having to do them all the time. Set aside specific time slots for them, and stick to them.
- Physical exercise outside of therapy. What applies to patients applies to you just as much. It has been proven that thirty minutes of exercise a day reduces cortisol levels.
- Delegate consistently. Any task that someone else can do just as well costs you energy that you don’t have. Delegate, even if it takes a bit more effort at first.
- A strong network outside the practice. Sharing experiences with colleagues who face the same challenges acts as a better buffer than any technology. The network is not just a ‘nice-to-have’, but a genuine protective factor.
What this means for your practice
Business owners who are exhausted make poorer decisions, lose touch with their team and only realise later when something goes wrong. Energy is not a luxury. It is your most important business resource.
Many of our Network partners The reports say exactly that: with the network taking some of the burden off their shoulders, less administrative work and a sparring partner to fall back on, they didn’t just gain time. They also rediscovered themselves.
The conclusion is clear: taking time to recharge is not a sign of weakness. It is essential for ensuring that you can run your practice successfully in the long term. Would you like to see what structural relief looks like? Then take a look at what the SPP network means for practice owners like you.
Let's talk about your future
Partnership
Personal, trusting and on an equal footing with Julian Weber.
