Just Say No!

One of the hardest things for me this summer has been managing my workload. We all know that an internship is nothing more than a summer long interview, so we all want to impress our bosses and do the best job possible. However, doing a good job and managing your workload do not have to conflict. It is always important to know exactly what you have on your plate at one time so you know what new projects you can take on.

Although it may be hard to tell a superior you can not work on something, sometimes it is necessary in order to do the best job possible. No boss will look at this as you being a slacker, but rather they will appreciate your honesty and they will expect you do your best work on whatever it is you are working on. Although it has been uncomfortable for me to do this, I have done it on multiple occassions this summer. I report to more than one person, and each of my bosses doesn't know my workload. Everytime I told one of them that I could not work on something they were completely fine with it and actually respected me for respectfully declining the work they had for me.

Despite what I just said you can easily mess this up. Once you are done with the large project you are working on make sure to approach the person again, tell them you are done with the other project, and then ask if they would still want you to work on their project or if they have anything else for you. This is not brown-nosing but rather showing that you are a diligent and respectful employee. Being able to manage up is a very hard skill to learn, but an internship with a heavy workload can help you learn to do it effectively.

So if you can't take on a new project because you are swamped remember, JUST SAY NO! (politely of course)