Tag Archives: motivation

Balancing the Busy & Preventing Burnout

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Happy March everyone! I’m currently blogging from Daytona Beach, Florida, there’s approximately two full months of the Spring semester left, it’s Midterm season, its PT test season, and for me its a season highly saturated with Matlab coding. My go-tos for being very busy during this time are adding clay face masks to my nighttime routine (to help my skin combat wearing cloth face masks all day), drinking lots of coffee (and lots of water to balance the lots of coffee) and in the true nature of a college student – adding peanut butter and hot sauce to basically all my food for fast flavor for my microwave rice or noodles.

I am currently in the thick of it, in terms of being extremely busy. Something I struggle with balancing during the busiest times always seems to be powering down at the end of the day. Sometimes I have weeks of “on” mode, constantly go, go, go, next assignment next due date next quiz/test to study for, next time commitment, and it’s hard to actually slow down. While tapping into the productive flow state can be helpful for a few days or a few weeks, it is certainly not sustainable in the long term. That being said, I am absolutely guilty of planning my weeks ahead of time, scheduling my days with lists, and powering through by showing up for each item on my list. The thing most of us forget to prioritize in all that though, is time for ourselves!

Outside of yoga, coffee and conversation in car rides is one of may favorite ways to relax.

Usually when schedules get busier the first items that gets “kicked off” my To-Do list are the items that have to do with self care and taking time to wind down. This leads to burnout! 

I am a strong believer that we make time for the things that are important to us, but also that sometimes there isn’t enough time in a day to complete all the tasks we elect to do.

Tips and tricks I’ve found that help me center myself and prevent burnout: 

Balance is key! I have found that showing up for myself has never had negative effects. Taking a moment to calm down, meditate for a few minutes, go for a run or a workout, or nap when I need it is essential. You know your body/mind best so if you need to schedule time to check in to assess what you need to help you feel and perform your best, do so!

One of my other favorite ways to relax is looking at pictures from my sister of my puppy niece, Daisy! Never fails to brighten my day.

Let’s circle back here, while it is absolutely essential to take care of yourself, a balance is absolutely essential too. For example, I don’t like doing my homework, and my classes are stressful, but in order to eliminate my stressors I could either do my homework and get through them, or not do my homework and avoid them. Doing my homework leads me to be more stressed on my own time, but less stressed during tests/exams.

Not doing my homework and taking a break is sometimes needed, but it’s important to differentiate between taking breaks and neglecting your responsibilities. When you need a break, take a break, but if you find yourself not finding motivation to do ANY homework, circle back to why you signed up for the classes in the first place and think about your end goal.

Whether that goal is graduating, passing a class, earning any type of degree, commissioning into the military, all of us have motivation of what made us choose to be in college and why we stay. Find your reason and reflect on how it will feel to get your degree or reach your end goal. When things get tough, circle back to what keeps you going!

Keep on keeping on folks, stay safe, will report back soon!

Post 2: Tips and Tricks to get through Week 1

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It’s a crazy Friday night in Maryland. And by crazy, I mean Trader Joes Spicy Cheese Crunchies and a mixed drink. Since my last post, I have worked two full weeks at my internship, turned 21, and hit five hundred pot holes.

Quick facts about my internship: First- for security reasons, I will not be posting any in-depth information about my internship nor building/ my cubicle pictures. I am the Systems Security Intern at Textron Systems. I am learning so many new things. The group of people are phenomenal, and my supervisor is an amazing leader. I will admit it has been difficult meeting other interns and making friends. Because I am the only intern in the Security Department, I haven’t had much time to interact with the other interns. Plus, I’m a shy, introverted person… and extremely busy with my own training. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to make some friends and have a travel buddy, but it’s also so fun solo exploring.

What does the typical day look like for me: Wake-up. Get ready. Drive. Work. Drive. Dinner. Prep lunch for next day. Exercise. Get ready for bed. Pick outfit for next day. Relax. Fall asleep.

How did I find the internship? Believe it or not, I found the internship on Linked In. I had applied on Eagle Hire and directly on the websites. Linked In offered initial information and directed me to their website. So in a way, I did apply on the website, but the first platform was Linked In.

University Relations contacted me, and I went through two phone calls. I spoke with the Director of Security (now my supervisor). We went over basic phone interview introduction, “tell me about yourself”, and the position. If you take anything away from this post, make sure to research the company, agency, department, or organization beforehand. Not only will it make you look prepared, but it shows interest. Career services stresses pre-interview company research, but I cannot stress this enough. I did do a follow-up email because I was supposed to hear back a couple of days after the Director phone call (but didn’t). Remember that people are busy and sometimes forget. It’s okay to send a professional, polite follow-up. If you are so lucky to nail a gig, here are steps I advise.

Pre-internship:
1. Continue to stay informed about company news, events, products, etcetera.
2. If you can anticipate any vocabulary or incoming information you will need, hit the laptop a couple days if not a week before.
3. Time yourself on a test drive home to work.
4. Study the surrounding area.
5. Locate your nearest auto shop, gasoline stations, and preferred grocery store.
6. Start adjusting your sleep schedule.
I did not stay informed as I should have. Textron is a multi- industry company that works with Cessnas, EZ-Go Golf Carts, Bell Helicopter, and more. There are numerous locations across the United States. If you are working for multi-industry company, familiarize yourself with the different branches and locations. You will likely hear coworkers mentioning so-and-so at location X.

Night Before:
1. Panic a little. It’s natural.
2. Have an outfit ready.
3. Lay out bag, purse, etc.
4. Review any information on your job position.
5. Look up inspiration quotes to soothe yourself.
6. Set alarm and then try to get some sleep.

Must Haves:
1. Identifying legal documents (Your first-day may require proof of citizenship in 1+ versions. Just set a reminder the night before to put the documents safely in your bag).
2. A watch.
3. Note book. You will likely be given new office supplies but get your own notebook. I’m already ¼ the way through with notes and running lists of vocabulary. One word… Acronyms. So many acronyms in the security field. Any Homeland student will (should) know DoD, SF-86, SOP but do you know DD 441, SF-702, or FSO? That’s when the notebook comes in handy. Acronyms are going to be flying. You can either try to look it up yourself, but some acronyms may have multiple meanings or be company specific. If that’s the case, ask a co-worker or supervisor.
4. Folder for any organizing documents.
5. Cardigan or suit jacket. It may be a summer internship, but the AC will likely be full throttle.
6. Re-useable water bottle.

I will never forget: First day at orientation and I forgot my rain coat in a different room. Someone made an announcement and I had to awkwardly stand up and climb over some interns to get to my jacket (the chairs were really packed in the conference room). Imagine a line of rolling chairs followed by a row of fold-out chairs. I was in a rolling chair but had someone sitting a foot behind me. When I went back to sit down, I almost missed my seat.

Motivational Quote: The expert in anything was once a beginner.