Thrive in Shift Work

As a shift worker , there's one thing that 99% of us don't do that if we did , it would change the game for majority of us . In today's episode , I'll go into detail on what exactly that is and how all of you can succeed at it . Shift work can be brutal , but it doesn't have to be . Welcome to a healthy shift . My name is Roger Sutherland , certified Nutritionist , veteran Law Enforcement Officer and 24-7 Shift Worker for almost four decades . Through this podcast , I aim to educate shift workers , using evidence-based methods , to not only survive the rigors of shift work but thrive . My goal is to empower shift workers to improve their health and well-being so they have more energy to do the things they love . Enjoy today's show . Hello , and welcome back to another episode of a healthy shift the podcast . It gives me great pleasure to welcome you and I really do sincerely . Thank you for listening . Now , in this podcast , we deep dive into evidence-based strategies for thriving in your shift working environment . I'm your host , roger Sutherland , and today I would like to talk about a very simple strategy that will literally change your shift working life and get you to thrive , and not just survive in shift work .

Now , as shift workers , so many of us crawl from one shift to the next and we have absolutely no structure , no routine , no meal prep and we just do what we have to do . We just do the kids , we do kids activities , we deal with partners and , honestly , that's about all that we can cope with . We go from bed to work , bed to the couch , tv , back to work . We get to the end of the week and another week has gone by and here we are again . We've actually achieved nothing . Oh my God , it's all so difficult when it comes to shift work . But what if I told you that there is a way , that there is actually a way to dominate your week , and it's really so simple . And I know you're going to go yeah , yeah , roger , no problems at all , but trust me , this absolutely works to give yourself a sense of purpose , because at the moment , we get to the end of the week and we just think I made it and that's all I've done . But that is literally all you've done . There's no time to exercise , there's been no time to meal prep , there's been no time to do anything . Now , I'm not sure where you're actually listening to this , whether you're driving to work , from work , whether you're out on your work or on your run . I'm right there with you and I'm right there in your ears and I'm in full support . I really want to see you thrive and I'm here to help you with a strategy .

Now , first of all , when do we start this ? All right , so what we do is we pick a day off and we do it after we're well rested and we just sit and we just have a think about it . Now , take a deep breath and then reach for your whiteboard . No whiteboard , get one . You think it's lame ? Yep , fair enough , it probably is , but all you gotta do is just not tell anyone that you've got one and that it helps you to dominate your shift working life , because while you're thriving in time from week to week and Jenny from the office is doing keto and all that , you're about to leave Paul Jenny in your wake .

Now , failing to plan is planning to fail , and it's an old adage , but it is absolutely true , and for our shift working community , this is what happens every single week , and there is a pillar to every successful shift worker . Right now , you've got your whiteboard out and if you haven't got one , go and get one . And don't get a tiny little one , get a decent one . Put it up so that everyone in your family can see it , and I'll tell you why . Because what it's gonna do is it's gonna stop conversations . Mum , what are you doing on Friday , dad ? What are you doing on Wednesday ? They can just look at it and they will see it's right there . So what I want you to do to start off with is rule it up and put on it Sunday to Saturday Quite simple Sunday , monday , tuesday , wednesday , thursday , right down the left-hand side , right the way through to Saturday . Now , next to that , put your week's shifts and rest days under every single day Right now . Stand back . Now .

What you can do is you can see clearly , but we can also see around it too . It's really clear , isn't it ? It's one thing to put it in your calendar , in your phone . It's another thing to have it right , visual , right in front of you Right now . The next thing that we do is we put on it any appointments that you must attend . All right , so go ahead and do that now . Put on it your must attend . You've got Johnny soccer practice . You've got Jasmine to BJJ . It's really important . Put the kids activities on it . Put the activities that you've got to do . Do not over commit . That's all we're doing . The must attend , the things that we absolutely must attend . Right now , what we have is a clear picture of what must be done and all the time that that is going to take during the week . So we can look at it and we can see Sunday to Saturday , we've got our shifts on it . We can now see that we've got the kids activities on it or our own activities with what we must attend Right now .

The next thing that we must map out is the key , the key to surviving our shift working world , and that is our meal planning . No stop , do not roll your eyes and say I don't have time for that , because you do , and I'm about to tell you why , and if you listen to my other podcasts around meal preparation , there is a way that we can do it . So how do we start this ? Let's have a look at our rest day . We've got a rest day . On that rest day , that is our meal prep day . Now , on that day , we don't overwhelm ourselves and think about what we've got to do . Go out and shop for it and then come home and cook it . No one wants to waste a whole rest day doing that because , let's face it , that's what it does . Rest days are literally for that .

So on that day before you go into your next rotation , that is the cook day . That's the day that you cook what you've already shopped for and you've already planned out . So on that day you cook . On the day before that you write on it , shop . And on the day before that you write on your whiteboard plan food . So plan food , shop food , prep food Three days in a row , all right . Now , the day that we're planning it in our notes in our phone , we've already got six meals that we really enjoy Six meals for breakfast , six meals for lunch , six meals for dinner and we've also got six snacks . Open the notes on your phone , have a look at what's there . Yep , love that . I'm gonna do that one there . Write down what you need to get and just put that list away and just forget about it .

The next day is the day that we shop . You're a shift worker . You can sneak into the shop . You can sneak out of the shop in half an hour and grab the things that you need , take them home . You can do this on the way home from work . You can do it on the way to work , providing you don't have perishables and you can literally just put them away in the cupboard and forget about them , because on the next day , which is your rest day , that's the day you get up and you cook them . Hour and a half , that's all . That will take you Just an hour and a half to prep up , depending on what you're actually doing , and that is how you literally nail your meal prep .

A lot of people don't meal prep and put your hand up Not now , I know you're in the car or you're walking and you look like an idiot but your hand up Don't do that right . So what we want to do is we plan at our meal prep , because when we plan out our meal prepping , this will absolutely change your life , because fueling your body properly is integral to your energy levels and also to your overall well-being . A lot of the times that we're really struggling is because of poor nutrition . So if we can nail that meal prep and by setting it out over three days and taking the overwhelm out of it and we do get overwhelmed because we get to our last day off and think , oh , I've got nothing to have for dinner tomorrow or lunch , or I haven't prepped myself . Oh , it doesn't matter , I'll just get something at work . We don't eat properly , all right . So now we're going to write all that out . So now we look on our whiteboard and we've got the days , we've got our shifts , we've got our kids appointments and we've worked out what day is our day off before our next rotation meal prep . Then we've got the day before that We've got meal shop , and the day before that we've got meal plan . All right , that's all we've got on it

Effective Shift Worker Scheduling Practices

at the moment .

Right Now , stand back and have a look at it and see what's left . It's not a lot , is it ? Be realistic with yourself . This is where shift workers go wrong . They plan out all these things that they want to do , but there's no time in the week because by the time they get up , by the time they get going , by the time they do all these things , they've run out of time for the things that they need to do . And this is where scheduling this out and looking at it actually shows us there isn't really much time . So what do we do ? That's it at this point .

Nail those things and you are well on your way , as long as you can get the kids to their activities or you to your own activities that you need to get to , and that you attend your shifts and that you have your meal planning done . Trust me , your life is about to change . If you could just nail those things , they will make a massive difference . Because once you've nailed them , I promise you this you will gain more and more momentum just from doing those things alone . So once you've started to nail those things , other things that are also to consider is when can I get some sort of movement in ? Now , if you're a lifter and you want to go to the gym , schedule in three days a week to start off with , don't schedule five and only get three because you won't feel like you've accomplished anything . Just schedule in three and nail them and give yourself a pat on the back for getting to those three . That's really , really important Now .

Movement is important , and especially to shift workers . So what about if you were to schedule a catch up with Jenny and walk and talk at the same time ? It gives you an opportunity to repair your mental health , and just your social health , by catching up with other people , and you can do that at the same time . Go for a walk , catch up with Jenny , and do that . It can be a really , really good way of going about it , because even if you only get one walk in in a week which , to be honest , you should be able to do more than that but walking is more important than anything else , and if you can get yourself up , get yourself out and take yourself for a 20 minute walk every single day as part of your routine , you are well on your way . All right .

Now what you got to do is you've got to pick a day as well that you're going to literally just chill . Now give your mind and your body a rest . You're a shift worker , all right . You are different to the rest of the society and community , and you can't put the same expectations on yourself as friends around you that are non-shift workers . You need to be realistic with yourself and give yourself downtime . Go off air , off your phone , off the TV , curl up on the couch , read a book . Give your mind and body a break . You have earned that . But by the same token , you've got to call yourself out on your own bullshit as well . Am I being lazy or am I being fed income here ? All right , only you know that , depending on what your schedule is .

But the more that you stay inside and land around on the couch , the more fatigued you are actually going to feel . You've got to get outside and get that natural light . So even on that day when you schedule to give your mind and body a rest , get out of bed , put on some gear , take yourself for a walk and go for a walk for half an hour to the shop back around the around the block , do whatever , and then come back and chill out for the rest of the day on the couch . That at least you've got the movement , at least you've reset your circadian rhythm with the daylight . You've done all of the good stuff there , all right . So none of this just crawling out of bed and having a pajama day straight on the couch that's not helping you in any way whatsoever , trust me .

Now the other thing that you need to consider as well while you're planning and planning ahead is to schedule a catch up over brunch or a walk , or both , with a friend . Social connections are vital . As a shift worker , it is really , really important that we catch up with each other . It's frequently lonely being a shift worker because everybody else is off doing other things , or you're on opposite shifts or whatever . You must prioritize your mental health , but , by the same token , who are you choosing to catch up with on those days off ? Do not waste them . You only spend time with people who are adding value to your own life , someone who's uplifting you , someone who is supporting you , someone who makes you feel good about yourself , not someone who is literally sucking the life out of you . That is not what you need . All right , so keep that in mind . It is something that is really , really important . Now . Remember that All of that is important , but I want you to keep it quite simple .

Now , if you think it's really stupid getting a whiteboard , that's okay . Wander on through your life , the way that you're doing it now , and compare that to having a whiteboard and just being able to look at it on the wall . You're not normal . You are a shift worker . You are not a normal 9-5er . It is not failing by writing this out on a day when you are lucid .

Decision fatigue in shift workers is very , very real and as we progress through the shifts , the more we forget . We pick up our phone , we get distracted , we forget . We go to work , things happen at work , we forget . But if you've got that whiteboard to fall back on and just get back into your schedule or your routine . Honestly , it can make such a difference to you . Alright , so that's it Now . That's a wrap for today . To recap , scheduling and creating routines will absolutely gain momentum for you I promise you that and it will evolve into so many other improvements in your shift working life . I get enormous success with clients when we start scheduling , writing things down and working towards those things .

But minimalistic . You don't write down that you're going to do eight walks and five five gym sessions and you're going to get list sessions in and you're going to do this , that now , because it just doesn't happen and you feel like such a failure and it ends up being absolutely nothing . So set out your week in a realistic fashion . What you can dead set nail Not too much . Just get that right and gain confidence out of it . And remember this by taking control of your schedule , you're actually taking control of your life . Thanks so much for listening to today's podcast . If you get anything out of it , or if it really helped you in any way , please do me a favor and share it to your colleagues , share it to your friends and , if you'd be so kind . Give it a rating or and or a review on Apple . It really does help the show just so much , thank you .

Now , fellow shift workers , your health , and in particular your physical health , is absolutely a non-negotiable . It's the foundation that allows you to excel in your career and enjoy life beyond the workplace . And remember , this is about having more energy to do the things that you love outside of your shift working life . By taking these evidence-based steps , you won't just be surviving , you will be thriving . Keep pushing forward and remember I , roger , are here to support you every step of the way . So stay committed to nourishing your body and prioritizing your well-being and , as always , please remember to be patient and kind to yourself as you navigate the challenges of shift work and prioritize your mental health and well-being . Thank you for listening . If you enjoyed this episode , be sure to subscribe so you get notified whenever a new episode is released . It would also be ever so helpful if you could leave a rating and review on the app you're currently listening on . If you want to know more about me or work with me , you can go to a healthy shiftcom . I'll catch you on the next one .