1) Budget your time wisely. Make every second count in the day. Be sure to save time for yourself by the end of the day and keep a schedule and stick to it. I keep to a schedule by using a spiraled day calendar I carry in my backpack. I keep track of assignments due, appointments for my family (I'm married with 4 kids) and other obligations. Keeping track of how you're to spend your time during the day can help you budget your time and keep you from getting behind in life.
2) Study wisely. What I mean by this is to study without too many distractions, keeping it simple (read my blog about study tips), not overstudying and taking breaks so you don't get burned out when you study. Many people over do it and cram the few days before an exam. Don't do that, take time out each day to study unless you took the day off...this leads into my next tip, take a day off from studying.3) Take time off from school. When you can afford academically to do it, take a day off from studying. I find the day before a big exam I take at least half the day if not the whole day off from studying. There comes a point when either know the material or you don't. You need to spend time with your family or friends. Relax so your brain can get a break and be fresh the next day.
4) If you work make sure you're committed to school too. This has been an issue with some friends of mine in nursing school and I can not stress this one enough. It is very difficult to work full-time while in nursing school. Whether you're a part time student or full-time student, nursing school is a full-time job. Make sure you can balance a work/life environment for yourself so you have the time needed to study and do your clinicals. Clinicals take up a great deal of time and missing work too much will haunt you. Before you commit to school or a new job make sure they are aware of your strenuous hours for nursing school and they are prepared to work with you. Cut back hours at work if you can afford to, the more time you spend in nursing school, the more time clinicals take.
5) Don't do everything yourself. Delegate someone to help you around the house, someone else to cook a few nights a week, someone else to help watch your kids, someone to feed the pets and walk the dog. It's OK to ask for help, if your family is supportive they will understand how much time commitment you have to nursing school. I have no problem delegating tasks to my kids and husband. They truly understand what the next 2 years entails for us, but we are clear it will be worth it 100 fold at the end.
Hopefully these suggestions will help you keep an open mind while in nursing school. We all know the next 2 to 4 years of our lives (more for some of us) will be committed to school and our passion which is nursing. Keep yourself mentally and physically healthy and your life around you will be complete.
Please leave a comment with what other suggestions you have, what do you do to stay balanced and focused while in nursing school?
No comments:
Post a Comment