Have you ever found yourself full of exciting opportunities and responsibilities, but completely overwhelmed by the number of bullets adding up on your to-do list?
We’ve all been there- saying “yes” to every offer, trying to make the most of your time (especially college!), and ending up with one big mess of a task load. Saying yes to everything is an issue in itself, but we can leave that for another day. Given the work you have, how do you manage your time? Unless you get into the right mindset, you’re far more prone to feeling anxiety and getting less done.
This summer I’ve decided to take on two internships and it’s been an absolute blast. I love both jobs, all of the people I work with, and the feeling I get after a long day of work. Never have I felt so fulfilled- but also exhausted. Even though I’m smiling on my walk home, I sometimes can’t sleep as I’m running through to-do lists and things I forgot to do at the end of the day. These are the ways that I keep my head on my shoulders and get everything done:
Prioritize, Don’t Multitask
Everyone finds themselves in the position where the boss is asking you to do three things at once, your roommate is asking you to pick up dinner tonight, and your mom won’t stop calling you. Instead of trying to deal with these things simultaneously- stop. Think about what needs to get done now and what can wait. The end result? You’ll probably get it all done faster than you would’ve if you’d tried to do it all.
This works differently for every person. I like to break up tasks by what kind of mindset I need to be in to complete the work. Instead of completing my work for one internship before starting work for the other, I do all of my creative work at once (writing, design) and all my more technical work (analyzing data, working with spreadsheets) separately. Some people don’t function like that- and that’s okay. Find what works for you!
Carve Out Time to Relax
Right around midterms, I felt completely distraught and overwhelmed by the amount of work I had. I found myself aimlessly wandering all the way up to the Empire State (I lived about 25 blocks downtown) and calling my mom to get some guidance. After venting for about 20 minutes, she calmly asked me: “When’s the last time you went to Central Park?” Confused, I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had time to travel that far uptown. It was then that she prescribed her best remedy for my stress- 2 hours of Central Park a week.
![]() |
image via |
Apps Help
I’m a firm believer that some apps out there are doing really great things to help make peoples lives easier. Some of them are a little pointless, but many of them have helped my productivity skyrocket. One that I use constantly for work assignments is Trello. It’s an easy way to keep track of the status of assignments that a group is working on. It works on the computer and as an app on your phone and it’s saved the day with many group assignments.
As simple as they may seem, I’m an avid fan of the Reminders and Notes apps that come on every iPhone. They’re so simple and straightforward- easy for jotting down those pesky thoughts in the back of your head that just need to be written down.
And last but not least, the holy grail of productivity apps: Acompli. This app combines email, calendar, contacts, and files in a way that changed the way I organize. Everything’s there with a really beautiful interface. My Acompli app sits right between Messages and Safari on my bottom row- yep, we’re on that level.
Listen to Motivational Music
That means different things for everyone. When I really need to sit down and get in the groove, EDM and hip hop just don't do it for me- I get my best work done to Ingrid Michaelson. I can’t explain it, but as I write this post I have Ingrid’s Spotify profile on shuffle. Maybe her soft lyrics don’t help you, and that’s okay! Just find the music that makes you want to hustle and save it. Use it when it’s crunch time. You’ll be doing your work with a smile on your face and the tunes will serve as grease for when the gears in your brain get stuck.
Making playlists is generally very important. Make a playlist for walking to important meetings, for celebrating a success, for picking yourself up when something doesn’t work out. Music soothes the soul, especially when you pick it for yourself! Ditch the Top 100 playlist and mix it up with what makes your ears happy.
Write it Down
If I had to pin down the one way I keep it all together, it’s writing everything down. Whether it’s on the sticky notes on my desk or the Notes app on my phone, I make sure that at the end of the day I can look at all the little thoughts I had and figure out what needs to get done. The same goes for plans- if it's not in my calendar, it doesn't exist.
A lot of people like apps that sync notes across your phone and computer, but personally it just doesn’t work. I can count on the fact that I have 10 minutes to organize my thoughts before I go to bed every night. I can’t count on there being wifi every time I need to write something down or access the list. And if you’re anything like me, your brain buzzes at a million miles a minute. The best way to slow all those thoughts down is to get them out of your brain rand onto a piece of paper- even a virtual iPhone one.
-via Lori Berenberg