The Weekly Preparation: Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan

The Weekly Preparation: Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan

I think we can all agree that there is so much prep every week in nursing school. Papers to be written, chapters to be read, notes to review… it can become very overwhelming! The anxiety of thinking about everything on that extensive to-do list we have written in a notebook keeps piling up. But managing this list and working through that list in a productive, positive way is beyond important! Here are some helpful tips to consider:

• Get A Planner: Yes. This one may be obvious, but having a monthly and weekly layout can sometimes be the simplest of solutions to the overwhelming feeling! Showing a day's structure of the things you need to accomplish is the best way to narrow down your focus on your to-do list! The Student Nurse Planner is the obvious choice for this one. It does have monthly, weekly layouts and has study/ review materials and fun colors and stickers to keep organizing fun! 
• Pick A Planning Day: Usually, I pick Sundays to evaluate my week! Write out my weekly tasks (quizzes, tests, homework) and go day by day and plan! The to-do's, the due today, studying, readings, and prioritizing from most important to the "would be nice to get a head start" list. So then it goes from an ongoing, never-ending list to more of a daily checklist!
• Color Coding: I pick a color and highlight the task by its importance. Yellow is a high priority that needs to be done today; pink needs to do within a day or two, green should be done by the end of the week ("need a head start). Find a pattern that works best with you and your planning, and go with that! 
• Knowing priority: I played by this truck during school, and it has so changed the game for me and getting tasks done on time, if not early! So, in my planner, I put the "due date" for assignments and papers 1-2 days before the actual due date! Then it ensures I get this task complete, turned in, and gives me more time to focus on other things such as a big exam I need to focus on or clinical paperwork. 

Getting an excellent steady handle on planning also goes hand and hand with prioritization in the field. We will plan and get the things we need to best help our patients! I hope these help someone else plan your work and work your plan!  

You have so got this- Happy Planning! 

Written by: Haley Goff

Instagram: nursehaleyy