Charting time saving tip brought to you by The Nurse Practitioner Charting School– the one stop for all documentation resources created specifically for nurse practitioners!
Anyone else feel sluggish and tired as the day progresses?
If you are like me, I am most energized in the mornings after a good night’s sleep, exercise, and of course, coffee! But as the day wears on, I become more fatigued. My energy seems to drain after sitting at a desk, under the fluorescent lights, staring at my computer. At the end of the day, I feel tired and tense. The information overload and decision fatigue that nurse practitioners face everyday, takes a toll on my mind. I don’t have as much energy to finish up charts, let alone engage with my children after I get home.
Does this work-life imbalance sound familiar?
Importance of creating more energy
My days off are filled with chasing my kids, household chores, and getting outside- so I know my lack of energy does not relate to an underlying medical condition. I get 6-8 hours of sleep a night and feel rested. I realized I needed to create more energy throughout the day, especially while working in a primary care clinic.
Our brains become bombarded day after day with work as a nurse practitioner. Our bodies are made to move and don’t appreciate sitting behind a computer all day! If we can keep our physical energy up, we can create more mental energy. This leads to better concentration, getting our charts done, and even having left over energy to share with our family and ourselves. This charting time saving tip can be used in any practice setting!
Tips to increase energy at work
- Increase physical activity. During lunch break- no matter how many charts I must catch up on- I try my best to get outside and go for a quick walk. Somedays it’s only 5 minutes, but the increase in activity wakes my body up. The fresh air certainly helps destress and clear my mind too!
- Ditch the desk. I used to feel so incredibly tense after sitting all day. So, I got a new office chair. This helped a little, but I would still end up with tight hamstrings, low back pain, and tension headaches. Then I tried a standing desk. I spend most of my time at the standing desk and it’s amazing how much more energetic I feel. It has certainly helped my muscle tension as well! Quick tip: my “standing desk” is actually an old bedside table- it doesn’t have to be fancy!
- Food and drink. I do drink a cup or two of coffee in the morning but then I switch to water. And drink water the rest of the day! Not only do I increase activity by making more trips to the bathroom, but water is what my body needs. Same goes for food. I try to eat a well-balanced diet, limiting excess sugar. My blood sugars are more consistent and I avoid the “sugar crash” that makes me feel tired.
Working as a nurse practice takes our full attention and concentration. Utilizing this charting time saving tip can increase my energy level helped my mental, physical, and emotional health. Not only do I give better patient care, but I have more energy to get my charts done!
I challenge you choose one thing to work on to improve your health and energy level!
Additional charting time saving tips
For more Charting Time Saving Tips, check out The Nurse Practitioner Charting School’s blog page.
Or check out The Time Management and Charting Tips Course to learn how to chart accurately and efficeiently so you can STOP charting at home.
The NP Charting School also offers a Comprehensive List of Smart Phrases with access to over 100 smart/dot phrases so you can save time charting!
For time management and charting tips, check out The Nurse Practitioner Charting School– The one stop for all documentation resources created specifically for nurse practitioners. Learn more at www.npchartingschool.com
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