Designing Your Ideal Week as a Clinic Owner: Start Today for a Better Tomorrow

Today, I want to chat with you about something every clinic owner struggles with — crafting your ideal week.

Why Talk About Your Ideal Week?

Recently, I worked with a clinic owner who was absolutely at the end of his rope. He was so stressed and overwhelmed that he seriously considered selling his clinic — even though it was in a downturn. Usually, when owners want to sell, it’s because business is tough. They want out at the bottom of the cycle. But here’s the catch: selling at the bottom isn’t ideal. The best time to sell a clinic is when it’s thriving at the peak. Sounds strange, right?

At the peak, you might not even want to sell because things are great. But ironically, that’s the best time to get the most value for your business. At the trough, you’re stressed, frustrated, and see no way out — but it’s the worst time financially to sell.

What Was Happening with This Clinic Owner?

He was juggling too much:

• Lost a couple of team members

• Back on the tools seeing clients himself

• Seeing 60-70 clients per week just to stay barely profitable

• Feeling the entire weight of the business on his shoulders

Clearly, he was overwhelmed.

Mapping the Current Week vs. Ideal Week

The first step was mapping out his current week. What was he actually doing day-to-day? We found a few key tasks he could outsource, especially admin and bookkeeping work. Why? Because as a physiotherapist, he earned about $220-$260 per hour seeing patients — far more than paying someone $30-$45 per hour to handle paperwork. Plus, he wasn’t great at those tasks and didn’t enjoy them. So outsourcing made perfect sense.

Next, we mapped his ideal week — where he wanted to be in 12 months. This included:

• Picking up his kids from school regularly

• Having more time off during the week to spend with family

• Carving out energy to recharge and avoid burnout

Here’s the Important Part: Attach Meaning to Each Time Block

When you map your ideal week, don’t just list what you want to do — write down why each block matters.

• Why is seeing clients important to you?

• Why is picking up your kids from school meaningful?

• Why do you want to be home for dinner?

• Why is that Friday morning golf game something you want to keep?

Knowing the why behind your schedule helps you stay committed.

Pull One Thing from Your Ideal Week into Your Current Week

Here’s my challenge: look at your current week and your ideal week. Pick one or two things from your ideal week and bring them forward into your life now — even if it’s just one thing.

Maybe it’s:

• Playing golf on Friday morning for a couple of hours

• Picking your kids up from school a few days a week

• Blocking off Saturday morning for family time

Find what’s realistic and valuable to you and make it a priority today.

Why? Because if you don’t plan it and start doing it now, it might never happen. When you intentionally add these things to your week, you force yourself to make it work — and that’s where change begins.

What’s Next for This Clinic Owner?

He needed to hire two more physiotherapists in the next six months to free up his time and get closer to his ideal week. Over 12 months, hiring and retaining the right team was his main focus, and we set clear milestones so every time he hit a goal, he could lock in more of his ideal week.

Your Turn

I hope you’ve had a moment to reflect on this. If not, take some time today to write down:

• Your current weekly schedule

• Your ideal weekly schedule

• One or two things from your ideal week that you can start doing right now

This simple exercise can make a massive difference in your wellbeing and the success of your clinic.