• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Web site spotlight: Try these tricks to manage time and stress

Nurse Leader Weekly, January 19, 2009

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

Even though the stress of holidays is behind us, the role of the nurse manager allows little time for rest. Constant e-mails, piles of paperwork, and creeping deadlines can easily bog you down if you don't keep on top of your time. But you can get moving at full speed again with these time management tricks:

1. New year, new calendar. Block out an hour to create a calendar outlining major responsibilities throughout 2009. Having a calendar to refer to helps guarantee that you're not dropping the ball on anything, explains Diane Farineau, director of administration for graduate medical education and faculty affairs for the Department of Medicine at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville.
2. Be on time with timelines. Timelines help you track the details of big projects. Develop timelines by expanding the to-do list for major responsibilities noted on your calendar. Farineau suggests you work backward from the due date and set mini deadlines.
3. Eliminate e-mail madness. There are several ways you can become more efficient with e-mail. First, turn off notifications that appear on the screen or play a sound when you have a new message. This way, you won't be tempted to read e-mail rather than do work. Instead, Pollar recommends you check and respond to e-mails at specific times throughout the day.

Editor's note: This excerpt was adapted from the article, "Seven time management tips and stress busters" featured in The Reading Room on HCPro's  online resource center, www.StrategiesforNurseManagers.com. Get a free trial membership that will give you 30 days to test drive all the exciting features on the Web site.

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