He's been putting together a series of journal prompts, and today's the day I finally have the time and the wits about me to reply to one. How ironic that the prompt is about organization and time.
Prompt
Organize!
Juggling work, sleep, social, school, studying, partying, sleep, chores, and sleep can be rough and taxing. What do you do to stay on top of everything? What systems or tricks do you use (and links are encouraged). Let's GTDing!
(Note: "GTD" is a reference to a book by David Allen, details in post)
Juggling work, sleep, social, school, studying, partying, sleep, chores, and sleep can be rough and taxing. What do you do to stay on top of everything? What systems or tricks do you use (and links are encouraged). Let's GTDing!
(Note: "GTD" is a reference to a book by David Allen, details in post)
First, let me clue you in to what my current situation and schedule is like. I am a nursing student, I am married, and I have 2 cats. Doesn't seem like much yet does it? As a nursing student, you really dont have time for much else. What, between clinical work, paper work, homework, class time, studying, and tests, what else is there? Then I have a husband. He is very supportive, but he works 10 hours a day 6 days a week. Needless to say he is a messy person and is too tired most of the time to help me clean anything. The joke running through my nursing group is that we only get to clean our house once every 10 weeks. Oh so true. Then the cats. Well, there's not much to the cats except playing with them occasionally, feeding them, and changing their litter. Where's the time for sleep? I usually get 3-6 hours a sleep per night. Add this onto my being a night person and we have trouble! Partying? What's that? Thankfully I don't have a job to worry about.
Anywho, Im a very disorganized person. I dont keep a planner, I dont keep alerts on my phone or computer, and I dont make as much use out of my calendar as I could be. It's usually all in my head, which isnt a good idea for a person who selectively forgets things and likes to procrastinate. For me, though, I manage to get things done. Here's my schedule for the week, from what I can remember.
Monday
Drive an hour to Hospice Care to meet nurse at 9. Drive around to patient's homes and be home by 5. Take a short nap (maybe), then start working on the day's paperwork. After paperwork is finished, start working on internet class's homework, which is due Wednesday. Take care of cats. Make a full dinner. Wake husband up from nap to feed him. Do reading for this week's class. Go to laundromat to dry clothes because dryer is BROKEN and take back a late movie. Sit for a while on the internet, go to bed.
Tuesday
Wake up at 5:30am to get to mental hospital in an hour. Do assignment, take lunch at 12 then come back at 1 till 4. Have post conference till 4:30pm. Drive all the way home. TAKE A SHOWER. Finish homework to be turned in Wednesday and submit it. Do some more reading. Do paperwork for the day. Hopefully there's leftovers and I dont have to cook. Cook if there's no leftovers. Clean a little of the mess that's accumulated up. Sit on the internet a little bit, go to bed.
Wednesday
Wake up at 5:30am to get ready. Drive 15 minutes to town's hospital to work in ICU for the day. Take a 30 minute lunch when available to, if not, skip it. Go to post conference from 3 till 5:30pm. Come home and finish paperwork. Read, read, read, STUDY STUDY STUDY! I have a test tomorrow and I havent gotten the chance to read any of the material in the past week Ive been assigned. Make dinner unless I made it the night before. Sit on the internet a little bit, go to bed.
Thursday
Wake up at 7 (yay) and get to class. Take the test I (hope I) studied for. Sit in lecture until 12:30pm. Come home and each some lunch. Get some cleaning done since the place looks like a hobo lives there. Do some paperwork. Relaxxxx, finally!
Friday
Sleep in (hopefully). Get up and make lunch. Call into one of the hospital's to schedule a mock interview as part of an assignment due next week for my internet class. Type up a cover letter, resume, and a letter of resignation. Go with husband after he gets off of work to get both of our vehicles' oil changed (long overdue). Get some things for dinner and go shopping for the next week. Leave for sister-in-law's house 2 hrs away.
Saturday & Sunday
Now usually we stay home or go to the mall, but this weekend we're going to my pregnant sister in law's house to cookout and meet up with my husband's aunt. He hasnt seen her since he was 13 (he's 22). Help cook and have fun. Come home Sunday night and do some reading, do online class's test, and make some discussion board postings for my class also. *Try* to go to bed early because I have another 3 clinical days next week x__x.
Yeah, that's just this week. Yes, it is a ball of stress. But I manage to GTD. The adjustment to this type of schedule was difficult at first, but I think Im getting the hang of it now. You just have to learn to prioritize.
~Yuzi
Community Member
I'm not an organized person. xD
My mother teaches nursing school.