Most people seek ways to balance traveling with their full-time, permanently located job. You get to explore the world as a travel nurse and get paid to do so!
It’s a winning situation … that is, if you make the most of your business trip by combining leisure activities during your downtime.
We get it, though. As a nurse, your shifts are often long, hectic, and draining. You need the few hours in between them to recuperate and prepare for the next day.
Still, all work and no play makes a nurse prone to burnout. You, of all people, understand the importance mental health plays on your overall wellness. With these four simple tips, you can use your free hours to make the most of your road trip and live that life everyone else envies.
Table of Contents
1. Get Real With Your To-Dos
Feeling exhausted all the time, no matter how much you sleep or how many caffeine infusions you drink? There could be something draining your energy besides your job.
What’s on your to-do list that might be the culprit? Are you rushing around to fit unnecessary tasks into your day instead of using that time for better, more fulfilling things?
A few examples of time- and energy-drainers with no real benefit include social media scrolling, TV binging, and the snooze button.
Watch your off-work activities and behaviors and make a list of them. Are there any on there that could disappear in favor of things you’d like to do while you’re traveling?
2. Shoot for Something New Each Day
You might think the best way to have an adventurous life is to cross off things like hot air balloon rides and skydiving off your bucket list. However, the best way to truly make your travel time count is to aim for one new thing each day.
When you’re familiar with the area, make a list of things you’d like to do or see nearby and how long you think you’ll need for each activity. Try to include a mix of short experiences that only take a few minutes or so and full-day excursions. As you meet people and get immersed in your temporary city, you’ll add more restaurants, events, and other things you’d like to try.
Before you go to bed, check your schedule for the next day and compare it to your list. What can you do during your free time? Once you choose something, get everything you’ll need for that activity together, and cross it off when you get home.
3. Set a Timer
It’s amazing how much more we can do when we’re under the pressure of a ticking clock. Activities that would normally take half an hour can be completed in as little as ten minutes if we focus.
That’s why it’s important to set a timer when you’re doing something you don’t want to do or when you can zone out and lose track of time.
Go ahead and watch the next episode of your favorite series, but set your TV timer to shut off in half an hour or an hour). You could turn it back on, but you’ll have to think about it, and you might change your mind.
Do you dread cleaning, but your housing situation is an apartment instead of a hotel with a housekeeper? Set your phone timer for eight minutes and tackle a room or activity with all your attention. When the timer goes off, look at your progress. Do you want to keep working? If not, at least you did something productive.
4. Hire Out Those Unwanted Tasks
Freelancers are everywhere today. With sites like Upwork, TaskRabbit, Fiverr, and Angie, you can easily find someone to do those jobs you loathe or that take up time you’d rather spend doing fun things.
Hire a cleaning service to keep up with your bathroom and floors. Pay a virtual assistant to monitor your emails for new job opportunities. Find a freelancer to update your resume. Crafting a standout travel nursing resume is crucial to showcase your expertise, certifications, and specialized skills in healthcare. Consider collaborating with a professional resume writer experienced in the healthcare industry to highlight your accomplishments, clinical experiences, and unique qualifications effectively.
Whatever tasks there are on your to-do list that you aren’t looking forward to, outsource them. It’s a great way to help someone else make money while freeing up time in your schedule to enjoy your life.
Conclusion
While you’re working hard as a travel nurse, you’re also “living the dream.” Millions of people wish they could get paid to explore the world around them, and that’s what you’re doing.
Your priority is your job and the patients who rely on you for their health. But to be the best nurse you can be and give them the care they deserve, you need to prioritize your wellbeing, too.Note that this is not only limited to nurses but to all medical health workers. Use these four simple tips to make the most of your work trip during your free time.
