About the Author:

Melissa Lawhorn is a senior at Indiana University and holder of multiple internships. With multiple internships under her belt, Melissa provides her perspectives and advice for fellow college students to get the most out of their internship experiences. Follow her weekly column in The Internship Chronicles.

Yes, yes, I know. A ton of people want to say “I told you so!” right now. I am so burnt out.

I knew that taking on summer school, multiple internships, and continuing to have personal time for myself, friends, and family, would be challenging. I expected to have days where I was tired, frustrated, and just generally in a bad mood. What I didn’t expect was to be exhausted (almost) constantly. I certainly have been lately though…

Last week, I shared my calendar with you. Everyone can see how many things are listed there. It doesn’t look like much, but it truly is a ton of things to do, responsibilities, and people to keep in touch with about the projects I’m working on. Aside from my to do’s, it’s also tough to stay on track time wise.

Since someone tweeted asking how I could POSSIBLY be that busy every day, I’ve decided to write out what a typical day looks like for me.

~7AM: wake up, shower, gather all of my things for class. Check right before leaving that I’ve scheduled enough tweets for Social Tables to last AT LEAST until I’m out of class.

8:30-9:20: Spanish class, aka: total torture. I rarely enter or exit this class in a good mood, especially because there is NO AIR CONDITIONING in the building.

10 minutes between classes: I RUSH to get from one building to the next. Generally this is an almost-jog between buildings, during which I call whoever’s call I haven’t returned. If I don’t need to make any phonecalls, I’ll call my mom and check in with her.

9:30-10:20: A religion class. Since I have little-to-no religious background, I have to really focus and take great notes during this class. No slacking off for me! This also seems to be the time when I suddenly remember 32 things I need to do IMMEDIATELY following class, so I almost always have a sticky note alongside my notes to keep track of that stuff.

After class until 12pm: Almost always, this is a time for me to have a break. If I didn’t schedule all of the Social Tables tweets for the day, I get on and finish that. I also normally attempt my Spanish homework during this time, so that everything from class is fresh in my mind. Last (and definitely least), I try to grab lunch/a snack so I’m not starving during my intern time.

12-4: Interning for Social Fresh. Thankfully, this isn’t set it stone, so if I need a break or if I want to hop on my personal Twitter for a few minutes, I can. Generally, though, this is the time of day when I’m most stressed: time is running out (I go to bed EARLY!) and I still have a TON to do. Also, SF is the internship that I feel the least prepared for, so I feel like I’m constantly bugging people with questions.

~4-5: Normally, this is when I shut my computer and just stare at a wall. Okay, just kidding maybe not THAT dramatic, but I do definitely try to do something that ISN’T on my computer.

5-8: A lot of things happen during this time. Generally Philip (my boyfriend) and I eat dinner somewhere in here. I also work on my religion homework during this time. It’s intended to take around two hours each night, and we have homework every day, so a good chunk of this is spent trying to get that done.

8-10: The end of my day. As a general rule, I TRY not to do any work or homework after 8pm. It stresses me out and I have a HORRIBLE time sleeping (really, I take a sleeping medication every day!) so stressing myself out before bed is a no go! Also, I watch a ton of TV, so generally I have something on the TV during this time.

I’m almost always in bed by 10pm, and asleep by 11. It makes me sound old, but I truly NEED to go to bed that early or there isn’t any way I’ll wake up for class the next day.

Even typing things out, it doesn’t look like that much. I’ve definitely learned a TON about myself by having this tight of a schedule…

• First and foremost: I need breaks during work, especially when I’m getting frustrated or upset. Even if that break is just hopping over to Twitter for a few minutes, it almost always helps me to take a step back from work and refocus.
• What works for me doesn’t work for everyone else, and vice versa. I think it’s great for people who can function on two hours of sleep; that just doesn’t work for me. I need to be going to bed early, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
• I absolutely need to write things down in my planner, time them out, and then stick as closely as possible to that schedule. I already knew this to a point, but scheduling my days out has really helped me to stay on track and remember what I have to get accomplished each day.
• Making time for myself, and disconnecting during that time, is important. There are days where I feel like I’m constantly doing something work or school related. Those are the days when it’s most important for me to disconnect and realize that ultimately while I may be working for someone else’s company, I’m benefiting myself in the long run!

So, what’s new, I have a question for you, readers! What’s your schedule like? And what lessons have you learned from it?