I recently started a new job. The first month and a half was full of trainings, and was honestly a really rough learning period. Naturally, mistakes are unavoidable, but I've learned to accept that as an experience they provide more guidance and stay in your memory as "what not to do", better than a training might. This job requires helping other company representatives with operations, and sometimes it gets frustrating with communication, or lack their of, as well as overall tone and people not understanding that they're not the only person being provided assistance--Particularly around this time of year.

Obviously one has to adhere to deadlines to meet their goals, especially when working with others, but I found the most productive way for me to keep my head on straight is to stay calm and work on problems one at a time. While some people may be expert multi-taskers, I am the opposite where I need to compartmentalize or silo out steps, deliverables, or even further break down tasks so they feel manageable.

Back in grad school is when I really learned this trick. I was juggling a 46 hour week for several quarters, with two jobs and extra classes. Back then, it only made sense to compartmentalize as the tasks for each class, internship, and job were so different from each other. But this little lifehack helps me even compose my day to day schedule during work with how I email, respond, and complete tasks. Of course it can get stressful when multiple people are bothering you to get things done, but luckily my job allows me the freedom to plan my day within the 9-5 hours however I like – as long I get my work done within 8 hours. Doing things one at a time can make me focus on details I may otherwise neglect, and ensure a task is performed to completion.