3 Simple Things Nurses Can Do to Improve Their Work-Life Balance Today
Nurses are an important part of a functional healthcare organization. There’s no need to emphasize how crucial each minute of their shift is inside the hospital. Despite this, the world is still seeing a huge lack of these healthcare pillars. That is why it is common to see nurses voluntarily going beyond their original shift and canceling after-work plans.
All nurses are keen on others’ needs, as it is a skill that comes with the profession. On the other hand, not all nurses are keen on their need for a work-life balance. Although we appreciate the thought that they are willing to go the extra mile for their patients, they are not exempt from the need for a life outside of their work.
Why Is Work-Life Balance Necessary for Nurses?
As the term suggests, work-life balance means being a functional individual outside of work and a responsible and performing employee at work. The nursing profession, and most medical professions, usually experience challenges when it comes to attaining a good work-life balance.
Stress tends to build-up and affects all aspects of daily living. Failure to de-stress may lead to a nurse getting burned out, having a negative temperament, and difficulty coping with more stress.
Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy theory also supports the idea that both work and personal happiness are necessary for optimal human function. At best, income covers most basic physiologic needs and the need for safety and security. On the other hand, love and belongingness is the prerequisite to attain self-esteem and self-actualization. A clinical study published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine also supports the idea that a good work-life balance improves how an individual functions, both in and out of work.
Table of Contents
Tools for Nurses to Achieve a Work-Life Balance
Keeping a Journal
Writing down personal experiences in a journal provides many benefits to a nurse. It is a simple yet effective means to release frustrations and prevent stress buildups. It also helps a nurse have more organized thoughts when trying to sort out how they should balance their career and their happiness.
A study published by Harvard supports the idea that venting through writing helps ease stress, as well as traumas. Although it won’t work for everyone, expressive writing is notably more effective for people who are not suffering from severe mental health issues.
Journals do not need to follow a certain standard as long as one can freely write how they feel. However, purchasing guided journals is also worth considering. Guided journals offer novice-friendly guidance as well as step-by-step instructions on how to maximize its effectiveness. It is a truly remarkable self-help guide that will aid journal writers get in touch with their inner selves and reflect on their feelings and experience.
Develop a Planner System
Balancing work and personal happiness is not a one-size-fits-all formula as people have different priorities in life. What could have been the perfect work-life balance schedule for someone may not be the same for them tomorrow.
In the healthcare industry, a professional’s work often extends beyond their posted weekly schedules. Nurses being asked to fill in gaps in the workforce happens from time to time. That is one reason why they are challenged with balancing work and life.
Using a planner system helps by organizing and tracking one’s priorities. Keeping track of their to-do list helps nurses adapt to the healthcare workforce’s ever-changing needs and create a schedule for their personal needs. Having priorities written down also eases the effort of sorting out another schedule for any activity that might have been postponed by an unexpected workload.
While there are options to use a traditional planner system, which comes with printed and dated pages, mobile phones have a built-in planner system. These built-in planners have their respective limitations and may not cater to everyone’s preferences. Nurses looking for planner systems with more features can visit Google Play (for Android) or App Store (iOS) to look for an application that better fits their needs. Notably, the Fantastical 2 app from iOS has been listed as one of 2020’s best work-life balance planner applications. On the other hand, both Android and iOS users can also use the following recommended planner apps: ZenDay and Any.do.
Use a Task-Management System
While the planner system leans mostly on managing a nurse’s schedule, the task management system is a tool that aids in completing a task more efficiently and effectively. By having a tool that allows the organization and visualization of data, nurses can analyze and formulate a better way of getting things done.
Proper task management in the workplace helps save time and lessen the stress that comes with work-related tasks. Quickly completing tasks allows more time to be spent on other activities, giving nurses more control over work-life balance.
Some popular examples of task management tools are spreadsheet programs like Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, and Airtable. There are also programs that nurses can use for better task delegation such as Trello and Asana.
References
- Mind Journal https://www.mindjournals.com/products/the-journal
- Work Life Balance https://worklifebalance.com/work-life-balance-defined/
- Eastern Illinois University https://learnonline.eiu.edu/articles/rnbsn/work-life-balance-is-important-to-your-career.aspx
- U.S. National Library of Medicine https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7037206/
- Global Glam https://www.globalglam.com/worst-work-life-balance/
- Harvard Health Publishing https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/writing-about-emotions-may-ease-stress-and-trauma
- The Balance Small Business https://www.thebalancesmb.com/best-planner-apps-4174743