Due to the very relaxed work culture here in Stockholm, and the nature of the company I am interning at, time management is very important to my success here.
The majority of employees of the company that I am working for are all remote workers in other countries. Of the ten or so people that make up the company, myself and the other intern included, only four of us are based in Stockholm. Of the four that are based here in Sweden, my two supervisors are both away on vacation or choose to work remotely some days. As a result, the only two people in the office consist of myself as well as the other intern. With that said, there is no one observing us or managing the tasks that we perform on a daily basis. Because of this, it is very important for me to stay focused, organized, and goal oriented.
It is already easy enough to get side tracked in a traditional work environment. Paired with my ADHD tendencies as well as the lack of supervision, it is even easier in such a different environment. To combat this, I take frequent breaks throughout my day, stepping away from my monitor and task at hand for maybe 10 minutes every hour. I do this so that I can get up and move, grab a coffee, and socialize with other people in our shared workspace. This is so that I do not run into a mental wall when doing my work. I have found that hitting that mental block is sometimes far worse than just taking a short break, it leaves me feeling stuck, unproductive, and slow.
In addition to my small breaks, I am sure to be methodical about my work to ensure that I effectively manage my time. At the end of every work day, I plan out my course of action for the next day. I plan out all of my emails that need to be sent or written, meetings I have to attend, and tasks that I have to work on. This allows me to have a smooth transition into the office each morning and take a moment to relax before diving into my work. I assess what I completed during the work day, and decide on what needs my immediate attention when I arrive in the morning, what needs to be started, and what can wait until later. This is a system that I have used throughout high school and college and it has allowed me to more efficiently manage my time. Additionally, it helps me to have a list that I can physically cross items off of after completion and document my progress throughout the day.
In addition to planning out my days, I am sure to maintain a good work-life balance while I am here. During my time in Stockholm, I have enjoyed exploring the city, trying different cafes, visiting the many museums, hanging out with my friends that I have made abroad, and keeping up with the gym. Maintaining a good balance between my work and extracurriculars allows me to go into work each day feeling rested and mentally clear.
Overall, this internship has proven to be both similar and far different than any other experience I have had. Most of the time, I am not given as much free rein during work hours as I am here. I am definitely grateful for it, but at the same time, it is semi challenging to stay on task and accomplish everything in a timely manner due to the lack of instruction from my superiors. But, like everything else, I am getting it done!
