• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Expert spotlight: Save some seconds with sound time management tips

Nurse Leader Weekly, July 7, 2008

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Weekly!

This week, expert Shelley Cohen, RN, BSN, CEN, offers some time management tips to help you balance your workday.

Q: With all of my responsibilities at work, it is easy to get sidetracked. Any tips on how I can manage my time?

A: Sometimes the most difficult thing to accomplish at work is work. With telephone calls, meetings, visitors, and faxes along with the deluge of mail, e-mail, and internal memos, it can be almost impossible to get anything done. Here are some tips to help you stay on track:

• Determine which times of day are your most productive and schedule your most challenging jobs for those times.
• Build flexibility into your schedule so you can adapt when things don't go according to schedule or when new opportunities arise.
• Split long tasks into smaller increments to allow you to fit them into available time, and divide a difficult job into several parts so you don't burn out before it is done.
• Estimate how long you need to finish a certain project and use this as a guide to help you manage your time.
• Vary your pace. No one can function at top speed all day. After a mentally taxing project, turn to something that is less demanding. Put small, enjoyable jobs in between tough ones.

Editor's note: Do you have a question for our experts? Email your queries to editor kmucci@hcpro.com and see your name in print next week! In the meantime, head over to our Web site and view a growing collection of advice from our experts.

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Nurse Leader Weekly!

• Comment
• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive

Comments