Dear Wisecat

This semester I am taking a heavy course load and have a demanding internship. How do I juggle the two and still be able to be social?

Sincerely,

Big Time

Dear Big Time,

Lists. Lists. Lists. It is time to take out your trusty Post-it notes and really plan out your days. I know it might sound a little obsessive, but if you do not write everything down, then you might not be able to keep everything in check. First, take your course schedule and really outline the workload for the week. List any tests, papers or group work that you might have to do and when you would have to complete them. Next, look at your internship schedule. I’m sure you already have that decided, so mark that down too.

Also, ask yourself, is there anything you might have to take home and work on? If there is, make sure you write that on the calendar too as the weeks go on. You don’t want to be missing any top-notch assignments because you forgot to schedule time outside of your “potential dream job.”

Here is another hint. A friend told me to treat my schoolwork as a 9 to 5 job. He said, if I woke up earlier than I normally did, I would be able to prepare myself for any work that would be discussed in class that day.

He went on to explain that I should also be able to finish any extra work that would be due for the following classes in hopes of being better prepared. Because I was ready for class and had no extra work due, I would then have time to attend extracurricular activities and go out with my friends because I had already planned and was finished my work for the upcoming class.

Life is all about planning. Whether we like to admit it or not, we must plan. If you don’t enjoy the 9 to 5 analogy, try something else. It is quite possible that your internship hours and homework can fit into that method, just think about how to plan your time most effectively. Maybe you are the type of person who

works best during the wee hours of the morning and sleeps until your first class in the afternoon. Either way that is a type of planning. Use your Post-it notes, color code your calendar, dot your i’s and cross your t’s because without a schedule in our lives we all know we would be a little lost.

XOXO

Tina