Balancing life and work can often be a struggle for even the most organized individuals. There was a time when the divide between work and home was clearly defined. However, with the invention of smartphones and other mobile devices, it has become harder than ever to create the ideal balance. This is especially true as a travel nurse because you’re away from your family and friends and may not have personal obligations to entice you away from work.
If you think you may have over allocated your time at work over your personal life, consider evaluating your relationship with your job and apply various strategies to create a healthier balance. Here are four tips for developing the perfect split between the two parts of your life:
1. Practice communicating clearly. Minutes are lost as you try to re-explain a situation or communicate the same message for the second time that day. Instead of rushing daily conversations, try to slow yourself down and clearly and distinctly deliver the message. This may seem like it takes more time out of your day, but properly conversing the first time around will reduce the other person’s confusion and eliminate the delay of re-explaining yourself.
2. Turn off your phone and computer. While much of the work a nurse is charged with is considered on-site, there are a few tasks that can be accomplished at home on the computer or cell phone. As a result, unless you’re on-call, keep the electronics out of sight.
3. Let go of guilt. Almost everyone can get bogged down feeling guilty about failing to complete a task or letting someone know that you can’t do something. However, it is a wasteful emotion, and you can’t let yourself feel debilitated by guilt. Realize that there are only so many hours in the day, and only so much can be dedicated to your professional life.
4. Create time for yourself. There are constant demands on your time, therefore, make sure to make yourself a priority and set time aside for just yourself. It doesn’t matter what you do during that time, but don’t let yourself get tempted to perform tasks that impede your ability to recoup.