As this internship comes to an end, I would like to use this opportunity to reflect on what I have done well and what I should improve on. Except for every other Monday meeting, our team worked from home. Working virtually has its pros and cons, and while I love the increased freedom I have to work in whatever way I deem most efficient, my home is filled with distractions. I’ve spent a lot of time at various libraries trying to get work done because I know that if I stay home nothing will be completed. I’m proud of myself for recognizing this early on and taking steps to physically separate my working hours from the rest of my life. 

An area for improvement includes setting unrealistic deadlines for myself. When I began my literature review for the best practices report, I planned on completing it within a week. This seemed like a completely attainable goal at first, but after reading my 5th research paper in a row, I knew that I had set myself up for failure. Next time, instead of immediately choosing a deadline for myself, I’d like to wait and see how quickly I can get through a couple of articles and choose a range of dates that I expect to be done based on that progress. Related to this issue of unrealistic deadlines includes overscheduling myself. I have this tendency to fill up any blank spaces on my schedule. I never really allow myself to have free time, which can be dangerous. Looking forward, I’m going to set restrictions on how many activities I can plan for one week. I will continue to remind myself that just because I can accomplish x amount of tasks in a day doesn’t mean I should. I am not a machine and taking a break is just as efficient as any other task on my to-do list.