Five Steps to Creating NP Work-Life Balance

The phrase “work-life balance” was born in the 1970s when overworked baby boomers looked for ways to balance their careers and home life. According to the Cambridge dictionary, work-life balance is “the amount of time you spend doing your job compared with the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy.” Unfortunately, more than 66 percent of Americans say they do not have work-life balance.

Baby Boomers have a reputation for being workaholics, but there did not seem to be much of an option at that time. With the transition to the Generation X population, human resources witnessed an upwards trend of employees utilizing their paid time off to spend time with their family and do hobbies outside of work.

However, as millennials have escalated through the professional ranks, their main priority is finding a career supporting their current lifestyle outside of work. Millennials are thinking about the lives they want and are looking for jobs that support this vision. This is the opposite of what previous generations did, which was finding a job and then building a life around their work.

The prevalence of burnout for healthcare providers has inspired nurse practitioners to focus on balance and integration of work and personal life. According to Advisory.com, more than 60 percent of NPs reported feeling burned out. NPs may have difficulty balancing work and personal life because of the increased physical and emotional stress they experience in the work setting. They must balance multiple roles such as NP, spouse, parent, friend, and caregiver. In the work setting, NPs duties include patient care, charting, teaching and training, meetings, administrative tasks, and community outreach activities. With the addition of mobile technology, work time can easily creep into personal time.

Practice Core Pursuits

Nurses are often selfless, which can feel like they are working 24/7. They are caregivers at their core and put the needs of patients before their own. Even off the clock, NPs tend to offer medical advice to their family and friends. Nurses and NPs should take time each day to do something enjoyable. This will allow them to feel refreshed and let them focus on their personal lives. This can be something as simple as going for a walk, reading a book, or meditating.

NPs can use personal time to focus on their wellness, romantic life, family, friends, physical health, finances, and other factors in personal growth. NPs should use their skills as a nurse to evaluate their priorities. They should start with small goals. For instance, if they want to spend more time with their loved ones, they can start by planning dinner together at the table instead of everyone eating separately. They can schedule a monthly massage if they want to focus on wellness.

When away from work, NPs should follow their core pursuits. This can include physical activities such as playing golf or tennis. NPs must set aside time each week to focus on their interests outside of work. They can spend time with loved ones, participate in their church, cook, join a book club, or do gardening.

Additionally, traveling during their time off allows them to bond with family or friends and creates a sense of adventure. Taking time away from work is crucial. It helps reduce work-related stress and regulates emotional and physical states. In return, this will improve the NP’s work performance.

Setting Boundaries

As a clinician, NPs feel that they are in the business of helping people. They sometimes believe they need to be at work all the time. However, it becomes a wake-up call when they witness their colleagues experience heart attacks or panic attacks at work from the stress of if. Setting boundaries is difficult for NPs, but doing so is an excellent form of self-care. Saying “no” is the best boundary an NP can set. Saying “yes” when the NP’s plate is full will lead to more burnout. As a result, burnout leads to resentment towards the workplace and even towards patients.

Establishing boundaries can protect NP’s physical, emotional, and mental needs. NPs should try to take their lunch break even if a patient walked in to be seen. The lunch break allows the NP to decompress, even for a few minutes. If the NP is only comfortable seeing 20 patients maximum per day, they should put their foot down when their schedule is being double-booked, and they now have 30 patients on their schedule.

The NP should evaluate which aspects of their job they do not enjoy. This can be administrative tasks or bureaucratic meetings. They can negotiate with their employer about stepping back from participating in these duties. In their personal lives, the NP can set boundaries regarding personal tasks. For instance, if the NP normally spends an entire day off cleaning the house, they can decide to hire out for this task. They can negotiate with their partner or subscribe to a weekly meal delivery service if they do not enjoy cooking.  

NPs should also establish temporal boundaries. These are specific for leisure activities, such as spending time with friends or participating in their favorite hobbies. They can set aside a specific time each day dedicated to the activities. NPs can also utilize physical boundaries to create a gap between work and home life. Examples include turning the work phone off, especially long enough for the NP to enjoy dinner with their family. Lastly, NPs can practice cognitive boundaries by leaving work completely behind when they leave work for the day. They would set the boundary of not turning their work computer back on once their shift ends.

Conclusion

Creating and implementing work-life balance for nurse practitioners is fundamental in preventing burnout. The first step would be for the NP to decompress and spend time outside work to be physically active or engage in their hobbies. The next step is to enforce time management and set boundaries at home and work. Finally, practicing in a healthcare setting with a positive work culture is essential in counteracting burnout. By following these steps, the NP can equally enjoy their time working and personal lives.