Me in CA

Saturday morning classes are harder than Friday night classes…

but having both is the worst ever :(

I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.

I have exactly 9 weeks until graduation and my time-management skills are being put to the test. I’m taking 3 classes, each with several hours of homework required every week, 3 part-time jobs totaling about 25 hours per week and I’m full-time job hunting for my dream job once I graduate and all the resume and interview preparation that entails. Everyone I talk to is amazed at all the things I’m doing… and sometimes so am I. I wake up every morning with a giant to-do list in my head and no matter how much I accomplish that day, the list never seems to shrink. Do you ever get that feeling like you’re barely holding your head above water?

Well, I’ll share the 3 things that I believe keep me from drowning.

1) Prioritize - you have to make a choice. It is imperative to understand that you can’t do everything to perfection. Somethings you can skim and somethings deserve a more detailed approach. For example, today I was able to complete several tasks that I needed to get done today in only a couple hours, including finding 8 new connections for job referrals, completing my reading homework for class tonight, catching up on emails from this week and planning my condo showing schedule with my mom. I knew what effort was worth putting into each task and didn’t put a minute more into it. Ever heard of the 80-20 rule? It’s all about prioritizing not only what you work on first, but also how much effort you spend on it. Think about everything on your list and understand the big picture before you dive in and start working on things.

2) Be present - focus is key. When I’m working on a task, I’m only working on that task. I stay present to that moment and focus all my energy and attention to it. The second I get distracted my efficiency diminishes dramatically. It is better to do one thing well than lots of things half-assed (while still taking into account my previous rule). One of my engineering professors told me anyone can solve a problem, but being able to solve the problem in the most efficient manner is what will set you apart. Focus is key to efficiency.

3) Breathe - take a moment to relax. Putting your full energy into a task (see rule 2) is draining. I don’t know about you, but I can’t work for more than a couple hours at a time. Whether I’m doing homework or at the office I take a break every hour or two. Once I complete a task, I get up, walk around, have a drink of water… whatever… just take a moment to breathe, relax and give your brain a break. I also to do this on a macro-scale… I prioritize (see rule 1) time into my schedule for fun. I will take at least one day a week where I don’t do any work. That may mean I have to work harder on Friday in order to take Saturday off, but that is worth it to me. I can’t run full speed 24/7, maybe you can. It’s all about understanding your own personal efficiency and capacity and building your schedule to maximize it.

Time-management takes time and practice just like any other skill. You have to figure out what methods work for you.

Well, this is it. The last quarter of my MBA program started tonight. I had a great Spring Break in Palm Springs, but now it’s back to the grind… and oh what a grind it’s shaping up to be.

I’m excited to be graduating and moving on to new things; a new job, a new apartment, a new life. But I’m also sad that this experience is ending. I’ve had a blast over the last 19 months and I don’t want it to end. I never thought I would say this after my undergrad, but I love school. I love starting new classes every few months, meeting new people, learning new things. I’m not a fan of the routine of the real world. That’s probably one of the reasons why consulting excites me… a new learning curve with each new project.

So wish me luck on my last 10 weeks of school (ever). Here I go :)

Well, only two more weeks in this incredibly busy quarter. It includes a presentation tonight, a paper due Tuesday, a paper due Thursday, a final on Saturday, and a paper and project due next week.

(deep breath)

Then a week in Palm Springs before my last quarter (ever) starts. I’ll save the sentimental moment for when I’m actually done, but I will say that this experience has been incredible so far and I’m excited for everything to come, in the next quarter and beyond :)

This is only the beginning….

Hey friends! I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been super busy with work, school and play. I’m not going to write a super long update with all the details, but I’ll make a list of some of the memorable things that I’ve done in the last weeks.

• Jan 20th: Winter Ball (a.k.a. MBA prom) - A fun night drinking, dancing and seeing all my school friends in fancy clothes. You may have seen pictures on Facebook.
• Jan 22nd: Book Club - We finished a book called “The Night Circus”. I really enjoyed it. It’s a fun book full of adventure and magic. It’s extremely visual and easy to picture as a HBO series.
• Jan 27th: Utkarsh’s Bon Voyage Party - a friend moved to Chicago, so we partied it up in his parent’s mansion in the East Bay hills.
• Jan 28th: Juliana’s BDay Party - a friend celebrated her birthday ’70s style.
• Jan 29th: I joined an intramural soccer team… Since I don’t really know the rules, I played defense so I didn’t have to touch the ball very much.
• Feb 5th: Superbowl - I played a little flag football with local CEOs and EVPs, then pigged out while watching the game.
• Feb 11th: Hockey Day in Canada - Celebrated at a fellow Canadian’s house with poutine, beaver tails, Old Dutch chips, Dad’s cookies and Saskatoon jam… oh and of course hockey…. I actually saw my old boss being interviewed on tv after the Calgary/Vancouver game.
• Feb 14th: Office Work - I started an internship at Cisco. It felt good to be back in the corporate world. There’s a ton to learn but the group seems really fun so far. I even spent my second day at work in San Francisco taking videos of the urban/city landscapes

And then there’s all the school work… I’m really enjoying my classes, but the work is mostly just reading and writing papers, so it’s not that interesting to talk about.

Spring Break in 29 days…. then just 3 more classes before I graduate. Holy crap!!! I better get back to work :)

My first day working in SF :)

I’ll post an update soon.

This morning, on Facebook, my friends in Calgary and my friends in Santa Clara were both complaining about how cold it was. It was -38C in Calgary (-36F) and it was +32F (0C) in Santa Clara.

I’m just grateful I’m in California and not Calgary right now :)