Time Management Tips for Nurses | Time Management Systems
Time Management Tips for Nurses | Time Management Systems
The importance of time management in nursing
One of the most demanding and stressful occupations is nursing because it requires you to be extremely organized yet flexible enough to roll with all the punches so to speak. Managing your time effectively entails certain activities such as knowing when to delegate responsibilities and making correct, critical decisions in seconds. Additionally, you want to keep Murphy’s Law in the back of your mind at all times. In other words, expect the unexpected to happen at the worst possible time and know how to react properly.
Improving your time management skills
Here are some suggestions for improving your time management skills in nursing:
Arrive at your shift early – this allows you enough time to assess your responsibilities for the day and scope out the work atmosphere. We recommend setting your watch ahead so that you avoid being late and don’t have to waste time catching up at the start of your day.
Make your agenda and prioritize your tasks – make sure to write everything down and then cross tasks off as you complete them. As a suggestion, many nurses currently prioritize their patient care responsibilities in the following manner:
- A – critical or essential
- B – important
- C – could be delayed or put off
- D – delegate to another
- E – erase from your list or ignore
Do some delegating – nothing adds more stress to your day than thinking that only you can perform a certain task. Whenever it is appropriate, delegate some of your tasks to a capable fellow co-worker. Just be sure that you oversee what they are doing and ask them to report their progress to you.
Stop procrastinating – a good rule of thumb here is to attack those tasks that are the least desirable or the ones that you actually dread. Get those out of the way first so that you don’t stress about doing them during your workday.
Stay on top of your paperwork – as a nurse, no one needs to remind you of the importance of proper charting. This is essential to remembering priorities during your shift so that you do not forget critical entries on those patient charts.
Get your life at home organized – to reduce stress at home, you should learn how to delegate tasks and prioritize them in similar fashion to your work environment. Make sure that you schedule some down time in order to relax during the day.
