How Do I Stay Focused?

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 At work, I easily get distracted while I am concentrating on another task. I think this is common especially if you work in a hospital setting like mine. All the stimuli are around – patients, doctors, co-nurses, supervisors, call bells,  and beeping pieces of equipment. These are facts of life as a nurse and we could not get away with it.

But as nurses, we need to concentrate on the things we do, although it is inevitable to have so many things in your mind all at the same time.  You are doing something and the phone rings, or the patient calls – that will cause you to go away from what you are currently doing. But how can we remain focused on what we are doing, and remain organized despite all the distractions around?

One thing I do when my brain gets overloaded is that I STOP FOR A WHILE. It may be a very busy day and I need to be running here and there. But with all the distractions, I never get to finish anything and my tasks were all half done. I need to stop running then and get myself collected. I usually go to a quiet corner and start focusing on the tasks at hand. Which ones should I do first? Which ones are urgent? Which ones can I do at a later time?

My small cheat sheet allows me to write down which tasks I have done and which ones I need to do on a scheduled pace. After sorting myself out, I go back to the real world knowing what to do.

Another thing I do to keep myself focused on one task, is organization and mind-practice. Before I go to a patient’s room, I stop and practice in my mind what I am going to do there. What should I say? What should be checked? If I need to be doing vital signs, I make sure that all the equipments that I am bringing in are in working condition. If I need to be giving out meds, I make sure I have looked up the indications of the meds so I can readily answer the patient’s questions. If I need to be doing a procedure (eg wound dressings, catheterizations, IV cannulations) I make sure I have all the little pieces of materials that I would need by praticing the procedure in my mind, so then I wouldn’t be going up and down the hallway.

Everything is out-of-hand? I stop what I am doing. I deep breathe and recollect myself.

The Three Funniest People

I love to laugh. I think everyone does. And so when I see a person that’s totally entertaining with his jokes and antics, I am the happiest person.

So here goes my favorites: VICE GANDA, MICHAEL V and last but not the least MY SON!

pic from buzzexpress

VICE GANDA started out as a stand-up comedian in the Philippines. She (or he?)is now hosting a daily noon-time show in ABS CBN Channel 2 – “SHOWTIME!”. I always try not to miss any episode, just because I wanted to hear her daily jokes.

pic from igma.tv

MICHAEL V started out as a rapper, but then he was discovered to be a funny guy too. He has a gag show in GMA Channel 7 – “Bubble Gang”. I don’t get to watch him often now because I am subscribed to ABS CBN the Filipino Channel only.

MY SON! He is another person that makes me laugh everyday. His cute antics and charm just makes my day - and he is doing that just by being self – no effort at all. I hope you are checking out his daily posts at IÑIGO BOY.

I’ll Post More Often in 2011.

That title was what I just actually told myself. I am not sure if I am declaring a new year’s resolution. Or if I am trying to make myself believe that I can do that.

But I really wanted to write more. I feel that I get so many benefits in writing. I am able to hone my writing skills, considering that English is a second language. I get to analyze situations more deeply, and I able to use my critical thinking skills, if there is still any left I get to meet more friends online. And I get to bring out what’s bugging between my two ears.

And so I am signing up for Blog A Week 2011 campaign by wordpress. I’ll try my best, but I am not making any promises. Anyhow, this is supposed to be a fun and happy execise, and is not supposed to be an obligation I need to fulfill. So I guess I should not feel guilty if ever I would miss a week or two.

And so there goes my statement. You heard it. I’ll see how I will fare. If you already read my blog, I hope you will encourage me with all your comments, “likes” and good will along the way.

Quotes for Nurses

Allow me to share you some quotes I like. Some are not really meant for nurses, but I thought it can be useful.

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 There are plenty of professions where you get the chance to advocate for your client, but there is something different, and something special, about advocating for someone’s life.  (from Nurse Julius FB June 2010)

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 ”Being kind is much more important than being right, for sometimes what a person needs isn’t a brilliant mind that speaks but a patient heart that listens…” (Nurse Marlon, FB June 2010)

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I once complained because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.

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Remember… before you judge someone else for who or what they are, you’d best take a good hard look in the mirror. Everyone is different and no one is perfect.

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 Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard worth doing. (Theodore Roosevelt)

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“Some of us learn from other people’s mistakes and the rest of us have to be other people.”  (Zig Ziglar, Author)

Digital Catharsis: 2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

About 3 million people visit the Taj Mahal every year. This blog was viewed about 35,000 times in 2010. If it were the Taj Mahal, it would take about 4 days for that many people to see it.

In 2010, there were 65 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 264 posts. There were 216 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 32mb. That’s about 4 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was December 7th with 188 views. The most popular post that day was Worried Over Elevated SGPT.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, scrubsmag.com, search.conduit.com, facebuko.com, and mail.yahoo.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for sgpt, elevated sgpt, donkey, linkin park, and baptismal invitation card.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Worried Over Elevated SGPT May 2008
226 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

2

Inigo’s Christening Invitation February 2009
11 comments

3

The Ant and the Contact Lens August 2009
5 comments

4

Donkey in a Well June 2009
6 comments and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

5

A Saturday Adventure December 2008
4 comments