1. Personal Management: Time and Self-Care Strategies
Chapter 2
Personal Management:
Time and Self-Care Strategies

2. Personal Management: Time and Self-Care Strategies
Identify your individual time style and personal time-management strategies
Discuss strategies that increase organizational skills and personal priority setting
Describe early signs of burnout and how it affects nurses
Discuss the importance of caring for yourself
Identify strategies for self-care

3. Managing Your Time
Lack of organizational and time-management skills identified by employers of new graduate nurses as areas for improvement and assistance
Balance is the key
Make time to meet individual, family, and professional goals/needs
Putting off assignments may lead to increased anxiety and more stress

4. Managing Your Time (cont’d)
What are your biologic rhythms, and how do you use them?
Biorhythms affect energy levels
Determine your high-energy times
Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep
Avoid situations that may disrupt your sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythm)
Engage in a relaxing activity 1 hour before bed

5. Managing Your Time (cont’d)
What is meant by right- and left-brain dominance, and where is my brain?
Left-brain traits
Process information in a sequential, linear manner
Want to know the rules and play by them
Extreme forms→ overworked and rigid
Right-brain traits
Resist rules and schedules
Creative, flexible thinkers—like to look at the “whole picture”
Extreme forms→ fail to meet deadlines, causing guilt

6. How Can I Manage My Physical Environment?
Set up a specific work area that is conducive to your physical environment
For projects and studying, find a place that is comfortable, well lit, and free of distractions
Compartmentalize and color-code items
Keep frequently used items in a conveinent location
Declutter the clutter

7. Managing My Physical Environment
What about all the paperwork—how can I manage it?
File it
Forward it
Respond to it—on the same sheet if possible
Delegate it
Discard it

8. Managing My Physical Environment (cont’d)
Use the ABCD system when items cannot be handled right away
A pile—requires action as soon as possible
B pile—necessary, but can wait for now
C pile—can wait till you get to it or could be discarded
D pile—can be immediately discarded or delegated to someone else

9. Managing Tasks How do I deal with procrastination? Set priorities
Eliminate wasted time by avoiding too many social phone calls
Break a task into separate small steps
Establish multiple, specific, and realistic short-term goals
Get started by taking one step at a time
Periodically review your progress
Reward yourself as you accomplish each short-term goal
Avoid doing the work of others
Delegate tasks when possible
Be realistic

10. Managing Others Learn to say “No”
Practice assertive communication skills
Try to limit your time with individuals who complain, criticize, and have unproductive behaviors

11. Managing Others (cont’d)
What about delegation and time management?
Don’t handle everything personally
Identify tasks that can be completed by others

12. Self-Care Strategies How do I take care of my physical self?
Must take care of yourself first before you are able to take care of others
Self-care—the practice of engaging in activities that promote a healthy lifestyle
Keeps you thriving in nursing instead of just surviving

13. Is Burnout Inevitable for Nurses? Early Warning Signs of Burnout
Irritability
Weight changes
Frequent headaches and gastrointestinal disturbances
Chronic fatigue
Insomnia
Depression
Feeling of helplessness
Negativity
Cynicism
Angry outbursts
Being self-critical

14. Empowerment and Self-Care
Learning about self-care is really about empowerment
With empowerment comes a feeling of well-being and effectiveness
Knowing yourself is the very first step in learning to care for yourself

15. Suggested Strategies for Self-Care Based on the Holistic Self-Assessment Tool
Not having our life in a state of balance +
Not having a vision for the future =
A state of poor self-esteem

16. Am I Emotionally Healthy/ Emotionally Intelligent?
Being aware of your feelings and acknowledging them in a healthy way
Emotionally intelligent
Knowing one’s emotions
Managing emotions
Motivating one’s self
Recognizing emotions in others
Handling relationships

17. Self-Care How Do I Take Care of My Physical Self?
Getting proper nutrition
Maintaining a healthy weight
Obtaining adequate sleep
Quitting smoking
Limiting alcohol consumption to one drink daily
Exercising on a regular basis
Engaging in some form of relaxation

18. Self-Care Activities Physical exercise Laughter Mental exercise
Motivating yourself
Alternating physical and mental tasks

19. How Do I Increase My Mental Potential? Is It Okay to Daydream?
Remove negative thoughts or self-defeating beliefs
Give yourself daily affirmations
Begin each day with some affirmations

20. What Are My Choices? How Do I Exercise Them?
Take a proactive stance
Use proactive language versus reactive language
Act responsibly toward yourself and others

21. GAIN CONTROL OF YOUR TIME, AND YOU WILL GAIN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE
Mayonnaise Jar
GAIN CONTROL OF YOUR
TIME, AND YOU WILL GAIN
CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE