I'm a doctorate prepared Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner who knows what it's like to let charting take over my life.

At one point, I was seeing 18 to 20 patients a day and getting up at 4 a.m. to review charts and prepare my notes before work. I worked through lunch and brought work home. My kids would try to tell me something or ask me to do something with them, and I was often only half listening. Looking back, that's the part I regret the most.

Eventually, I realized there was always going to be another note, another chart, or another task I could do. If I didn't decide when my workday ended, the work was going to keep deciding for me.

I also had to unlearn some of the habits that were making charting take much longer than it needed to. My notes didn't have to be perfect. I didn't need to document every detail. I needed to learn how to work smarter, not harder, so I could get the work done without giving it more of my personal time.

Most importantly, I learned that being a dedicated healthcare professional doesn't require giving work unlimited access to your time.

That's why I created this guide.

Inside, I'll walk you through five practical strategies you can start using to spend less of your personal time tied to the EHR and create a clearer end to your workday.

Because the work may not be finished, but your workday can be. You get to decide when it's over.