having a full schedule is part of it, but it can work against you. one of the reasons we've become so busy is that we tell patients that if there's a problem, to call that day and get you in. we're not sure what we can get done, but we can diagnose the problem, and likely take you out of discomfort. some days get wildly busy due to it, but not productive. i'll work 8-5 straight without a lunch putting out fires. I'm not doing much in terms of billable procedures other than films and exams. i'll be exhausted at the end of the day, with no real production to show for it.
i break things down into hours. for example, i can place an implant in less than an hour, and we charge $1700-1800 for the body of the implant. since it usually take me less than an hour, a team member will ask me if it's ok to put a broken filling at the end of of that appointment. i'll finish up in one room, jump to the other, and make another $200 on the filling. when i was working 5-5 1/2 days a week, i would typically be too tired to sneak in that extra procedure. working less motivates me to run a tighter schedule, and be more productive per hour, (if that makes any sense).