Jaime Bennis
Five Ways To Instantly Improve Your Work Day
Jaime Bennis
Spring 2016
BUDC can be overwhelming and exhausting at times. Some days drag on forever, and the fact that there’s no time to nap certainly doesn’t help. It’s easy to become jaded, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are a few simple ways to make your days a little brighter:
- Wake up early: this may sound like a death sentence at first, but it’s really not too bad once you get out of bed. After all, there’s nothing worse than being late. Get up early, eat a good breakfast and if you play your cards right, you may even have time to stop and get a cup of coffee. You’ll feel better if you don’t have to rush and then you can slowly ease into your workday.
My fellow interns and I celebrating International Women’s Day. We participated in Google’s #OneDayIWill initiative.
- Walk as much as you can: walking is a great way to clear your mind and to get some exercise. If you can, walk instead of taking the metro. If someone in your office needs you to run an errand, take advantage of the opportunity to get up, walk around, and get away from your cubicle. I also really enjoy walking home from class. This is a great way to decompress before homework or bed (if you’re lucky).
- Meal Prep: making your meals ahead of time is a great way to save time and money. Sometimes with work, it’s challenging to find time to buy food before class and it isn’t healthy to eat late at night after class. By preparing your meals, you can control what you’re eating and also how much you’re spending on food every week. Meal prep can be as simple as making sandwiches the night before but you can also take it to the next level and prepare more elaborate meals.
The Library of Congress on a sunny winter morning in January right after the blizzard. I took this picture on my walk to work.
- Befriend your co-workers: during your time at BUDC, you arguably spend more time at work than anywhere else. Make friends with the other interns and the other people in your office. The day goes a lot faster when you’re surrounded by people to laugh with. The relationships you foster during your internship may turn into lasting professional relationships and friendships. You can also learn a lot from your co-workers and co-interns. All of the interns in my office come from diverse backgrounds. We’ve all learned so much from one another and get along really well. We’ve even started spending time together outside of work.
- Take advantage of the resources available to you at work: at BUDC, a lot of people work in really cool places such as government agencies, or Capitol Hill. Take advantage of all the great things your internship has to offer. Attend briefings, receptions and networking events. Learn as much as you can during your internship. You’re surrounded by some of the sharpest minds in the country.
I took advantage of an opportunity to attend an event where my boss, Congressman Rangel, spoke about the future of education in the United States with the CEO and Founder of Democracy Prep charter schools.
Jaime is a junior at Boston University from Glen Rock, NJ. She is passionate about public relations, politics and pizza.
