How to Get Your Charting Done On Time

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11 minutes ago
3 min read

Charting is an essential part of nursing, but let’s be honest, it’s also one of the most time-consuming. Nurses spend an average of 40% of their shift documenting care. When juggling admissions, emergencies, family questions, and constant call lights, documentation can quickly become the thing that gets pushed off until the end of your shift—or worse, your time off.

But charting doesn’t have to feel like a never-ending task. With the right strategies and a little discipline, you can finish your documentation during your shift, reduce your mental load, and go home on time.

How to Get Your Charting Done On Time

1. Chart in Real Time Whenever Possible

This may sound obvious, but it’s the most important tip for getting your charting done on time. Waiting to document at the end of your shift leads to missed details, increased risk of errors, and longer documentation times as you try to piece everything together from memory.

Pro tip: Use spare moments—after med passes, during patient repositioning, or after a call light response—to enter quick notes. You’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish in small increments.

2. Use Templates or Standardized Formats

Structured formats like SOAP, PIE, or DAR help you document more efficiently and consistently. They provide a logical flow so you’re not pausing to think about what to write next.

According to a recent study, using a standardized format speeds up the documentation process and improves the quality of notes.

Bonus tip: If your workplace allows, create personal “shortcuts” or smart phrases for common documentation entries so you can insert them quickly.

3. Group Your Tasks When You Can

Grouping tasks can reduce time wasted switching between rooms and systems. If you're already documenting in a patient's chart, consider updating any other relevant sections before moving on. If you're in a room doing a med pass, take a moment to check dressings or chart assessments if they’re due.

This type of time management helps you stay ahead of the clock instead of constantly playing catch-up.

4. Prioritize What Needs to Be Charted First

Not all documentation carries the same weight. Focus first on time-sensitive and legally significant items, like new assessments, pain scores, changes in condition, or PRN effectiveness. These have a direct impact on patient safety and clinical decision-making.

Once the critical pieces are done, move on to routine entries. This tiered approach ensures that if you get pulled away, you’ve already charted the essentials.

5. Use Voice-to-Text Tools or AI Assistants

New tools can significantly reduce the time you spend typing. HIPAA-compliant voice-to-text documentation apps like NurseMagic™ let you speak your notes or summarize what happened, turning it into a professional chart entry in seconds.

NurseMagic™ is especially helpful in home health or fast-paced inpatient settings where charting on the go is necessary. You can pick any format (like SOAP or narrative) and convert your input into the right structure.

6. Build “Charting Time” Into Your Routine

You schedule your meds. You schedule your rounds. So schedule your documentation, too.

Try setting aside 5–10 minutes at the end of each hour or after key tasks to check in and chart. Blocking off this time creates a rhythm that makes charting less overwhelming and more manageable.

If your unit tends to get chaotic, communicate your schedule with your team so they know you’re stepping away briefly to document. Protecting this time can actually make you more available later by preventing a charting backlog.

7. Know When to Ask for Help

If charting consistently falls behind despite your best efforts, speak up. Whether it’s outdated systems, overwhelming patient loads, or workflow inefficiencies, chronic delays in documentation can lead to burnout and errors. A survey by the American Nurses Foundation found that 62% of nurses cited burnout as a major factor affecting their work.

Bring solutions, not just problems. For example, request updates to your documentation software, suggest smartphrases, or propose brief team charting blocks during shifts.

Final Thoughts

Charting is crucial to patient care, but it shouldn’t consume your whole shift. By adopting small, intentional habits like charting in real time, using smart tools, and protecting your charting time, you can finish your notes before the clock runs out.