Overwhelmed by being asked things all the time

[Penguin81]

I am am a nurse, and I know there's probably no way around this, but I really struggle when I'm trying to do something and feel I am being pulled in lots of different directions- colleagues will just sit next to me to inform me of and discuss things, and am already busy with a task. This could even be something non work related, and I gave to zone out sometimes to do what I'm doing, and feel terrible of, and if course, I could miss something. It means I dont give either thing my full attention, and become frustrated, although don't let it show.

As I'm doing something, 5 other tasks can arise, as feel I am always drowning or playing catch up, and worry that I will forget something (I write down a lot)
I dont stop all day, but then I wonder what I have achieved. I am always stating very late to catch up, when I get time to write where there are no distractions.
I had a plan to hopefully get out on time today, and was going to spend an hour in a quieter place, but an incident meant that I was unable to.
I'm just having a grumble, and i know that if i cant cooe with the job i shouldn't do it..i just wanted to get it off my chest

Nursing is a very tough job and full of this kind of chaos.

I would get into the habit of saying to people ‘hang on let me finish this then I can listen properly / I’ll come and find you’

You have to try and bend the the world to fit you if you can m, even a bit..

I’m exactly the same OP. Sorry no advice except to stall as PP suggested.

Willing to listen to others advice..,

I'm a nurse with ADHD so I feel you!
As pp has suggested I have to be honest with people and quite clearly say I'm busy doing X but once I'm done we can talk after etc. Don't worry about putting in boundaries.
Of course I do multiple tasks in the day but I tend to start each day with, what's the one thing I need to do today? And then make sure I complete that task and acknowledge that.
Remember to share, team up, delegate and hand things over. Prioritise your time, use supervision and escalate if need be.
Most importantly, be kind to yourself, give yourself breaks, even two minutes hiding in the loo to do some mindful breathing.

Re the "This could even be something non work related"

Be blunt. Say "is this about work?" and give them a Look.

If you can't concentrate and it's not urgent, say "please find me later". Don't look up from what you are doing. They have ti get the message.

Oh and if you need to walk away, flip it. Say "well I mustn't take any more of your time, thank you so much, bye".

Also works on the phone.

I used to tell the ones who wanted to chat bout holidays etc, hold on a minute, let’s finish this first.. and make em BE QUIET drawing up drugs.. some of us are natural multitaskers, others are not..I’m not, or someone interrupts if you say , is it urgent? can it wait till this is done please? Also where you work matters.. A &E frazzled me - too many things happening at 1 time, OVERWHELM! Whereas critical care, lots happening in one place with one person, easier to manage, more controlled environment, calmer.. so think about that too.. and educate yourself into a workspace you can cope with..

Clinic work or community RN was good too, one patient, one chart at a time...

Thank you for your replies! I have done clinic work in the past, which I found much easier (i was still staying late though, as I usually would be still typing as a patient was leaving..time just seems to whiz when I'm using a computer
I am the most awful people pleaser, but do need to get more assertive with regards to boundaries!
I think I may have ADD, but the waiting list is so long!

I feel your pain!

I get incredibly grumpy when I am trying to do something and getting interrupted constantly. For me, it very much depends on the environment.

Could you try a different area? Community nursing or GP surgery would be better than being on a ward in an acute hospital.

I get this when I'm supervising someone and they suddenly decide to discuss their entire life with me when I am writing the notes or start eating a large apple very slowly and crunching every little bit or crisps. That makes my hackles rise.
I am not the most patient of people, I'll usually say can you eat in the staff room please or can you tell me that later I must finish these notes now.
The more talkative they are the grumpier I get. We cannot afford to make any mistakes and its impossible to concentrate when someone is talking banalities.