One of the most common objections I hear from busy nurses:

“I don’t have time”.

I don’t have time for the things I like to do. I don’t have time to read. I don’t have time to go to conferences. I don’t have time to exercise. There’s not enough time in the day. I can’t eat healthy, meditate, exercise. You name it- nurses just don’t have time!

As a nurse speaker, author and workshop facilitator I get to interact with a lot of busy nurses. Stress and time are the two most common complaints. It’s a lopsided balance:

“I don’t have time. I have a lot of stress.”

When what we want is the opposite!

More time and less stress.

OK, so I’m at it again. Promoting my upcoming event, the Art of Nursing program that will run for four days this National Nurse’s Week. And guess what some of the push-back I’ve received has been?

You got it: no time!

Nurses have said to me, “Oh, it sounds like an awesome event! I just don’t have time for it right now. I have class. I’m working a lot of overtime. We’re short-staffed. I won’t be able to make it…” The list of time-inflicted barriers grows and grows.

Well, here’s a quick and easy remedy for this time dilemma: the program includes all access to everything that’s included.

When you register for the Art of Nursing program you will get:

• Inclusive access to two virtual communities;
• A PDF Workbook that you can download, save and print;
• 12 pre-recorded thirty minute interviews (yours to keep forever);
• 4 live evening wrap-up calls (also recorded so you can access them at a later date).

So if you can’t make it because you don’t have the time; well, that’s just a non-issue. Since you will get all of the materials delivered to your email inbox, you will be able to save them to your own personal device and revisit them again and again.

‘Time’ just shouldn’t be a factor.

As one of my favorite quote says:

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” -H Jackson Brown Jr.

I actually found myself saying today, “OY! I just don’t have time to write my blog post today.” And guess what? That was just an excuse. After dinner, I looked at my husband and said: “I have to go upstairs and write my blog post. Then I will be doing my Yoga. I’ll be back in about 45 minutes or so.”

It’s all about re-framing your priorities and making a choice.

Do you want to pick up that extra shift because you need the money? Do you want to help out a friend in need? Do you want to lie on the couch, watching television? Do you want to go to that drive-through restaurant? ‘Health’ is in your hands.

You just have to choose the healthiest choice that’s right for you.

I’d love to hear your feedback. When have you heard yourself say “I don’t have time”? Was it just an excuse? How can you make more time for what you want in life? What does ‘time’ mean to you?