Need some tips for time management

i don't know how i missed your post yesterday! i found it this morning by doing a search, of all things, for posts on care plans!

anyway, when i first started out working i used to make lists of what i had to do and organize the stuff on the list in the order that it had to be done. these are actually called todo lists if you want to give them a name. but, 30 years ago it just seemed reasonable to me to list what i had to do so i wouldn't forget anything!

• http://www.ehow.com/how_3812_make-list.html

now, there are all kinds of experts to tell you how to manage your time! (see links below!) mainly, i would include the things i absolutely know that i had to do such as take vital signs, give medications, perform treatments, do my head to toe assessments, empty foleys and compute i&os, chart, give the end of the shift report. i started out by putting them in the order i thought i would be doing them. this helps you start to organize and prioritize. some things, however, just end up having to take priority over others at times. i also had a report sheet i used. i took report for all my patients on it. in my early years i put my todo list on the back of my report sheet and crossed items off as i completed them. i was constantly referring to it. some nurses carry this report sheet folded in the pocket of their uniform; i put it on a clipboard i always had with me. i also had other helpful information on the clipboard. (when you start working, no one expects you to have memorized everything.) you will hear many people refer to these report sheets as their "brains". as time went on i didn't need the todo list so much, but i needed the report sheet. i developed a way to mark off things i had done for patients on the report sheet itself (charting, check for doctor's orders, write and sign off verbal doctor's orders). what you will find is that time management and organization is a very individual thing. some things i tell you may work for you; things someone else tells you may work a little better. whatever works best for you is what you do. you can open the link and print out and use the student clinical report sheet for one patient that is at the end of my post. here is the link to the actual report sheet i used at my last job (it's cleaned up a bit, but is the basic tool) [attach]5032[/attach]. because it was created on word using table commands, the rows can be deleted and expanded to customize it for as many or fewer patients as needed. here are other websites and allnurses threads with other samples of report sheets i've picked up and saved from around the allnurses posts:

• http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d31/nur/learning_objects/brainsheet.html - sample report sheets for 1, 2, 3, and 4 patients
  
• http://www.minnesotanurse.com/work_sheets.htm - sample worksheets for nurses
  
• https://allnurses.com/forums/1683581-post5.html

there are a lot of resources on the web and in print on how to time manage. you won't find a lot that is specifically tailored to nursing. this is where you have to get your creative juices going. here are two of the better websites on time management and prioritizing:

• http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newmn_hte.htm
  
• http://www.dkeener.com/keenstuff/priority.html - setting priorities.

i am really dropping the ball this morning. i totally forgot about these other links that i have:

• https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/third-semester-student-time-management-70617.html - "third semester student/time management" in the general nursing discussion forum from june of 2004, particularly post #3.
  
• http://www.getmoredone.com/tips.html - helpful time saving tips
  
• http://www.ascp.com/publications/tcp/1997/sep/helpfulideas.html - time management tips
  
• http://www.psywww.com/mtsite/page5.html - list of links to information. notice, particularly at the bottom of the page, the links to action plans, activity logs, time estimates and prioritized to do lists.
  
• http://www.timethoughts.com/ - time thoughts.com: resources for personal & career success. you don't need to register to get into the site. just click on the links that interest you on the left side of the page. some very useful explanations and tips here.
  
• http://www.localcareers.com/links/time.htm - 13 tips for more effective time management