I wouldn't consider myself to be the most organized or "put together" person. So when I heard that Lauren Berger was coming to speak about her book, "Get It Together", I knew this would provide a great deal of guidance in my professional and social life.
Lauren Berger, a Phi Mu and alumni of Florida State, is known as the "Internship Queen." She participated in over 15 internships throughout her course of college. If that isn't impressive enough, Berger has written several self-help and professional guidance books and spoke about these on various celebrities' podcasts. The "Internship Queen" and self-made entrepreneur provided unique advice to improve your social and academic lives.
Follow-up with interviewers.
Before even mentioning her book, Lauren challenged all of us to connect with her on social media and follow-up with her within 24 hours of her talk. She explained how this net-working tactic can be helpful in finding internships and jobs, as well as to set yourself apart from others. One woman in the audience asked if this could come off as overly-eager or obnoxious, but Lauren clarified that there are fewer people who will follow-up with her after an interview, rather than vice versa.
Make a "Happy Page."
A unique tip and one of my personal favorites she mentioned from her book were to create a "happy page" in her journal. This "happy page" is a record of positive memories from her everyday life, which may contain anything from a good conversation with a friend to a promotion at work. The purpose of this "happy page" is to provide a sense of comfort or inspiration to make a bad day better. This simple method allows you to reflect on your day and to have gratitude for the little things in life.
Set boundaries.
As an entrepreneur, Lauren Berger mentions how difficult it can be to stop working and set time aside for yourself. To combat this common issue, she sets boundaries between her personal and professional time. In order to be your best at everything you do, it is essential to differentiate time specified for your social life and answering your emails/completing assignments. This will help you to be fully present and to focus on everything you do.
Create personal and professional goals.
It's no secret that setting goals for yourself will motivate and hold yourself accountable for all that you want to accomplish. Lauren Berger mentions the importance of creating one professional and one personal goal for herself bi-weekly. Creating bi-weekly goals can minimize the intimidation that comes with broad yearly goals. Lauren also mentioned making goals specific with numbers, for instance, writing that you want to do cardio three times a week vs writing that you want to "work out more."
Prioritize yourself.
Many speakers mentioned the importance of prioritizing yourself, but Lauren Berger specifically explains how to do this. Lauren explained that the moment she gets in her bed, she does not scroll through Instagram or answer phone calls/emails. I never thought much of doing this, but Lauren raised an important question. Why worry about what other people are doing or answer a phone call that you know will stress you out before bed? It's essential to save these last few moments of your day to wind down and reflect on your day.
It's important to walk into life being coachable and to able handle criticism. These criticisms are what can provide you with the boost you need to be the best friend, family member and professional. These simple tips from Lauren Berger's novel, "Get It Together" can help you accomplish these goals and to be more successful in every aspect of your life.
