Most people master one schedule. Their time management is built around becoming efficient with their daily and weekly routine. However, life works a little differently for travel nurses. Instead of mastering one work schedule, one commute, and a get-things-done approach to life, your routine changes with each new job. Travel nurses fill over 60,000 nursing shortages each year, and a typical assignment lasts an average of 13 weeks.
With each new location, you still need to live efficiently. You will do great at each job if you can optimize your time at work and tackle your to-do list to provide the best care to your patients and have plenty of time for self-care. The trick is mastering time management techniques that can be applied to any schedule.
We have a few helpful tips to help you master your schedule that you can apply as a travel nurse, no matter your current location and hours.
Efficient Scheduling Tips for Travel Nurses
The first step in efficiently managing your time in a new job is to master your new work hours. Your schedule is a combination of the hours you work and the routine that your role requires. You’ll want to quickly determine what your commute is like, when your day starts, when you’ll be sleeping, and a many little details that will help you optimize your routine.
Adapt Your Sleep ASAP
Determine the best time to sleep with your new assignment schedule. If this is different from your usual or current sleep routine, take two days to adapt your sleep to the new schedule. Go to bed early or late to help yourself feel rested and ready for a full day at your new facility.
Master Your New Commute
Review the map and the possible routes between your temporary home and the workplace. Study traffic flow and ask about quicker ways to get around in your new city. Quickly determine the most efficient way to get between work and home and memorize that route.
Learn Your Work Routine
You also want to make your new work routine second nature as soon as possible. Knowing exactly when to arrive, where to go, when to change clothes (if necessary), when to take lunch, and even what should be in your pockets can help you thrive in a new role.
Make Plans for Meals
You will be at your best when you eat well and determine the best sources for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Will you be packing a lunch or grabbing a healthy lunch nearby? Are you stocking a fridge with groceries or picking up meals from convenient restaurants on the go? It’s your call and your schedule to optimize.
Take Time to Unwind
Lastly, determine the best time to relax and unwind. You’ll need downtime and possibly a few planned activities to help you blow off steam between work shifts. Plan ahead so your off time is as efficiently relaxing as possible.
Efficient Scheduling Tips for Travel Nurses
Popular Time Management Techniques to Get Things Done
In addition to mastering your new schedule, it also helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve for completing a to-do list. Travel nurses often have a lot of autonomy and a ton of both work and non-work-related tasks to complete. Knowing how to complete your checklist efficiently without
Here are some popular time management techniques that you can adapt to your needs on the go.
The Eisenhower Matrix helps you divide your to-do list into four sections: Do, Decide, Delegate, and Delete.
- Do: Urgent and important. Take care of these immediately.
- Decide: Important but not urgent. Take care of these things a little later.
- Delegate: Urgent but not important. Find someone else to do them.
- Delete: Not urgent or important, can take a backseat to everything else.
Time blocking allows you to break your day into blocks and tackle it one section at a time. Your day will go by quickly and efficiently, and it helps you avoid losing track of your time or accomplishments.
- Break your day into half-hour segments.
- Block the time it typically takes to complete each task on your schedule
- Add buffer time to allow for travel, adjustments, and brief breaks throughout the day
Popular Time Management Techniques to Get Things Done
Balancing Work, Travel, and Personal Life
As a travel nurse, you often have three things to balance when managing your time and schedule: work, travel, and your personal life. Keeping these aspects of your life in balance is the key to staying focused and efficient while also taking care of yourself and your personal connections.
Prioritizing work tasks effectively during work hours can help you focus more completely on personal time during your hours away from work. You may stay in touch with phone calls and chats while you are away. You also need to make time for relaxation and self-care so that your stress level remains healthy as you tackle new situations and challenges with each assignment.
Time for travel may involve transitioning to new assignments, but it’s also normal to travel back home on weekends if assignments are longer than a few weeks. Giving yourself plenty of time and optimizing relaxation during travel can help you more fully immerse in both your work and personal time at either end of each trip.
Utilizing Technology for Efficient Time Management
The right tools can help you build efficient strategies to manage your time and get things done.
- Schedule Apps – Good for time blocking and to-do lists. Some have the techniques mentioned above built in.
- Map Apps – Help you build a new commute route for each assignment and travel more efficiently.
- Communication Apps – Help you keep in touch with your loved ones and coordinate with your new coworkers in each assignment.
- Job Finders apps – Help you explore travel nursing assignments so you can find the right fit for your style every time.
Utilizing Technology for Efficient Time Management
Find Your Next Travel Nursing Role with AB Staffing
At AB Staffing, we make it easy for travel nurses to find their next assignment with browsable online jobs and personalized matchmaking. We are proud to support travel medical professionals and share resources to make your vital contributions easier and more enjoyable with useful tips, tools, and insights shared with the community.
Explore our current listings to see what the future could have in store for your next assignment.
- RN in King City, CA
- LPN in Beaufort, SC
- Medical Surgical in Littleton, CO
- Social Worker in Farmville, VA
Contact us today to find your next travel nursing role or check out the blog for more helpful work and lifestyle tips.
