…or “How do I get that job?” or “What did I get myself into?”
You’re here in the Wisconsin MS Information program and it’s getting hectic — or perhaps it’s been like that since orientation? No worries. Just stay calm and “work the problem”. Here are some easy steps to keep you working through any large undertaking:
Big Picture
Sometimes it can help to just take the 30,000-foot view of what is happening. You chose to attend this program and you’re moving through the normal ups and downs of graduate school life. Lean on friends, connections and relatives that have gone through similar challenges. This will help you stay focused and “Keep the main thing the main thing”.
Small Wins and Scale
Write an introduction. Build a small project. Craft your elevator pitch. Network on LinkedIn until lunchtime. Make progress every day to remind yourself that you can do it. Then do it again. Before you know it, you will have a good amount of work finished and the free bandwidth to tackle even more the next day. Then, scale it up by making more, pitching more, and networking more.
Tackle The Easy Stuff
Just getting started can be challenging. I used to make a small list of super easy tasks: email so-and-so about this thing, call this place to check on that, fill out this form, make that appointment. Now you’re started with some momentum and can tackle the important projects that you really need to move forward with. Prime the pump.
Map The Obstacles
There is risk in any endeavor. Make sure you take a bit of time to plan out which steps or stages are the riskiest or most challenging for you. Have backup plans and strategies to get past those obstacles and put them in your rear view. Things will pop up, and you’ll have already thought about working the problem. You are in control of how you will react to these bumps in the road.
Divide And Conquer
Enjoy the writing but dislike field work? Like the data work but dislike networking? Lit reviews not your thing but interviewing is? Break up the work into categories that you can assign to each day of the week. This also helps you focus on the task at hand — one step at a time. Doing a task you dislike once a week is far better than ignoring it for a month or more.
Set Expectations (For Yourself)
Where do you want to be in five years? What goals are you setting for yourself each day/week/month/year? Who’s holding you accountable? If you have no expectations, chances are you won’t make much progress towards a goal. When you finally reach your short term goals, set the bar a little higher. If you reached the last goal, you know you can reach this new one.
No matter what you are trying to achieve, if another human being has done it before — then so can you.