I am currently two weeks into my internship, and in my third week here in Stockholm. I knew prior to arriving here that there would be many hours of daylight in the summer due to how far north Sweden is on the globe. So far, it hasn’t caused too many issues for me, but it still is strange waking up by the sun rising at 3:30 in the morning. For my internship, I was initially weary of working from 9-6, but it hasn’t been as draining as I had thought. My first two weeks, I have been working remote with the exception for last Thursday. The office my company operates out of is a shared office space, and they have one room in that space that they occupy. Due to the office only having four desks, it is a bit impractical to have all of us in the office at once. Typically, the morning starts with a stand-up meeting over Zoom, going over progress from the previous day and determining what direction to move in for that day. When working remotely, the rest of the day is not very structured, so it is my responsibility to determine when to schedule additional meetings for myself as well as block out time for tasks. I have been given two different projects to work on over the course of this summer. It hasn’t been too difficult to oscillate between the two priorities, but that may change if or when the deadlines for each project overlap. What has been difficult, however, is focusing my attention specifically on the task at hand. The projects are very open ended and require a lot of research on different industries. It has been a challenge to know what specifically to research and where to find the information I am looking for. This results in many hours reading about topics or details that seem helpful but aren’t directly useful. It’s still beneficial as it helps me build more knowledge surrounding the industries I am researching, but it does feel like I am wasting time or not making as much progress as I would hope. I have spent several of my afternoons solely reading articles, learning about valuation methods, what analytics coverage analysts look at, and teaching myself about external factors that impact certain markets. What has been helpful is utilizing breaks to act as a catalyst to switch to a different focus. I plan my work between meetings, lunch, and Fika. Fika is a Swedish tradition that means “to have coffee.” It is common to take Fika breaks two or three times throughout the workday to go for a walk, grab a coffee or snack, and socialize with your coworkers. I usually plan to take a break once mid-morning, and two in the afternoon. I have found that going for a walk helps me think of new ideas, especially after going in circles around the same idea for several hours straight. My eyes and brain get a break after staring at a screen reading documentation, and I feel rejuvenated once I return. I also have realized that if I haven’t eaten in a few hours, my brain stops working efficiently. Walking around the corner to the shop to buy a few protein bars and a Coke Zero has been my go-to remedy. Structuring my day in this manner has allowed me to stay efficient with my time and prevent myself from working aimlessly. The breaks set a hard stopping point, where I can then pivot to a different task. Outside of work, however, I haven’t had many issues finding time to complete chores and explore all of what Stockholm has to offer. Although the majority of sunlight is weighted towards the beginning of the day with the sun rising at 3:30, there is still a solid amount of time before the sun sets each night. The sun sets a little after 10:00. Even after the sun sets, the sky still remains bright, especially if the weather is cooperative with clear skies. The extra daylight each evening makes it enticing to go out and explore the city as much as possible. I have spent most of my evenings walking the streets of Stockholm, with the goal of being able to navigate the city without using a map or GPS. I want to make the most of my time in Stockholm and the extra daylight helps facilitate that goal. I usually make my way back to my accommodation sometime before 11:00 so I can get ready for the next day, starting around 7:00 the next morning.