Nurses make a lot of decisions. Many of which are a matter of life or death. Maybe not imminently, but ultimately. It’s also worth bringing attention to the fact that our shifts begin as the sun is coming up and our decision-making responsibilities don’t stop until almost 12 hours (really, 13) later with little to no break.
Between patient care - monitoring a patient's condition, taking vital signs, blood work, charting, and administering medications - and everything else that goes into assuring a visiting family member and making sure that everything goes smoothly, it can be exhausting to simply get through a normal day.
How often have you caught yourself talking gibberish or forgetting what you were saying during handoff? Automation is part of the science behind a standardized handoff (among other things).
Nurses, like all busy professionals, can benefit from some automation at work as well as in many other areas of life.
I’ve been super intrigued by the concept of automation since hearing Tim Ferriss talk about it on his podcast. Think of automation as falling into the realm of routine or autopilot. However, routine often has a negative connotation. Most of us think we need to avoid it like the guy on the corner with the cardboard sign (and if you haven’t listened to Tim's podcast on the topic, it’s quite interesting).
Research suggests that rather than avoiding routine, we should probably take the opposite approach and instead embrace and refine what it means. There are aspects of our lives that we can and should put on autopilot. Especially on work days (especially for the boring parts).
The more aspects of our lives that we can automate, the fewer immediate decisions we must make on a daily basis. The less immediate decisions we must make, the more time and mental capacity we have to dedicate to making the important decisions. Our ability to make the best and most rational decisions decreases with each decision we must make. This is referred to as "decision fatigue."
We have limited decision-making capacity in the same way we have limited physical capacity, or energy. Decision fatigue is even further exacerbated when you’re not a good decision maker to begin with (which I swear is genetic!).
By opting for life automation, you end up with more time to dedicate to the important things: intellectual development, cultivating and growing relationships, being present, optimizing health and wellbeing, expanding interests, and progressing your career. You have more time to research whether or not you want to go back to school.
You have more mental energy to decide whether it’s worth putting that rude resident in her place or to be more alert about your patient’s deteriorating status.
The more often we can do this, the more special little changes will feel when you deviate from the norm or “routine.” Trying a new restaurant. Sleeping in or staying up late. Skipping the gym (or "rest day"). Dressing up. Indulging in some ice cream. Going to the farmer’s market. Soaking in the bath. A leisurely brunch.
What if on work days, we reserved all of the mental capacity possible to make the best decisions for patients and families? What if on days off, we preserved this mental capacity to make the most out of our time away, with friends and family, and with focus on our personal lives? I think we'd a lot better about the decisions we make.
We’ve got caffeine and lots of training and experience. Let's add automation to our toolbox for brain power to make good decisions all the way through the 3pm/am slump!
Begin with the easy stuff: meals, clothing, gym time, specific times when you check email/make calls, even batch your chores into regular times each week. Once you're comfortable with some of these daily tasks, you can start the real adult forms automation, like the automation of your financials! If you're ready for that now, check out our multi-part series on how nurses can retire wealthier than doctors!
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