Get it together ditch the chaos, do the work, and design your success

Copyright © 2019 by Lauren Berger All rights reserved Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher ISBN: 978-1-26-014296-9 MHID: 1-26-014296-5 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-1-26-014295-2, MHID: 1-26-014295-7 eBook conversion by codeMantra Version 1.0 All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps McGraw-Hill Education eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions or for use in corporate training programs To contact a representative, please visit the Contact Us page at www.mhprofessional.com TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and McGraw-Hill Education and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work Use of this work is subject to these terms Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill Education’s prior consent You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL EDUCATION AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE McGraw-Hill Education and its licensors not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free Neither McGraw-Hill Education nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom McGraw-Hill Education has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill Education and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise My third book is dedicated to my parents, Ira and Sherry Berger, who’ve helped me get it together and keep it together since day one And when things aren’t together, they are the first to let me know I love you, Mom and Dad CONTENTS INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I NEED TO GET IT TOGETHER CHAPTER OWN YOUR DAY, CLEAN UP YOUR ROUTINE CHAPTER COPING WITH FAILURE CHAPTER SET YOUR GOALS CHAPTER THE TOOLS CHAPTER HOW TO GET GREAT WORK DONE CHAPTER SOCIAL MEDIA AND DISCONNECTION CHAPTER MANAGE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS CHAPTER PERSONAL WELLNESS NOTES INDEX INTRODUCTION “Jab, Cross, Hook, Uppercut! Jab, Cross, Hook, Uppercut!” My trainer yelled out boxing moves He was loud for the sake of being loud I followed his commands as best I could with my big pink gloves I felt like Gigi Hadid whenever I practiced with him “Eye contact, stop yawning, put your shoulder into it, use more energy, stop yawning .” I could tell he was starting to get frustrated with my lackluster performance I didn’t mind; I was relieved to not be in charge for the first time all day I meant to go straight to the gym from my office, but, as usual, I forgot my gym bag Our session started at p.m and I had rolled in around 5:20 I was known as the “late client.” My brain was still in a million pieces from the hustle and bustle of the day The highlight reel? My team didn’t hit their sales goals, my assistant put in her two weeks’ notice, I still have several followup e-mails to send, I need to call my mom back, and my closest friends are in a group text message fight that is making my phone ding nonstop If all of that wasn’t enough, I felt a case of the sniffles coming on, and the trainer was right I was tired! Boom, boom, boom my glove would meet his boxing pads I boxed in leggings and an oversized gray hoodie that probably needed to be retired years ago They say that when you look the part, you feel the part I certainly wasn’t feeling the part in my sad hoodie The trainer looked at me and rolled his eyes, “Wearing your dad’s clothes again?” I smirked back at him, ignoring his comment I tried to keep my focus, but the trainer could tell I was distracted My mind was everywhere except at the gym “You need to work on this, Lauren, seriously You seem to be all over the place I want to see constant improvement, none of this laziness You need to get it together!” Wow! A harsh claim from the trainer at my gym, whom I’d only met one month ago But in all honesty he was right Welcome to my third book I’m so excited to take you on this personal journey and show you how I’ve been able to “get it together.” I started the writing process feeling frustrated with life and work I was going nonstop but not seeing the results I wanted I felt like a hot mess, like I was all over the place, and I agreed with my trainer, I needed to get it together Today, after grueling hard work, focus, and the longing to change, I can tell you, my life is more together than I thought it would be WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS BOOK You may know me from my other two books, All Work, No Pay and Welcome to the Real World In those books, I wrote about the power of internships and career opportunities, and how navigating those experiences properly can help you get from where you are to where you want to be This new title is the perfect follow-up to those books In Get It Together, I take my advice one step further and help you create your ultimate path to success Like my other books, Get It Together is rooted in the workplace but provides you with actionable steps that you can utilize at home as well As the reader, you will walk away from this book armed with techniques and tips to quickly integrate into your daily routine to make you feel more together We kick off the book with some solutions for success in Chapter The reoccurring themes I pull out here are brought up repeatedly throughout the book I can’t stress enough the importance of these principles as they guide the rest of the book’s material and are mantras that I try to live by In Chapter 2, I’ll introduce you to my daily routine (think: day in the life) and encourage you to think about reinventing your own schedule A daily routine is our opportunity to execute and accomplish our goals, so it’s important we take that seriously And the best part? Every day is a blank slate to start over and lock that routine into place! Chapter is about learning how to cope with failure One clear lesson that I learned in trying to get my life together was that failure and rejection happen And when it comes, it comes in hard In this chapter, I help you handle these issues and find strategies to better manage both failure and rejection Knowing how to this will help you ultimately get it together Chapter focuses on goal-setting, productivity, organization, and leaving work feeling satisfied In this chapter, I discuss time and how to best track and plan how your time is spent The exercise in this chapter (YQMB—stay tuned to find out what this stands for!) will help you to not only create goals, but learn to create Action Plans too Chapter covers everything you need to be successful at work (all of your tools) including your calendar, inbox, bullet journal, and project management system I go through each tool and discuss best practices based on how I stay organized at work Chapter is all about efficiency at work and saving time while performing at a high level In this chapter, I cover how to great work I’ll cover how to focus, prioritize, run efficient meetings, become more results-oriented, network internally and externally, and so much more Chapter dives into the idea that although social networks allow us to brand ourselves and connect with more people than we ever thought possible, it also adds 100 more things to our to-do lists and is one of the biggest distractions we face This chapter will help you evaluate which networks to use, how to use them, how to manage the noise on all your networks, and even how to really disconnect Chapter is our professional and personal relationships chapter Since our colleagues, supervisors, friends, and family are whom we spend the most time with, it’s important to learn the best ways to manage these relationships Here we will define the professional and personal relationships we have and how to best handle them I discuss strategies for dealing with conflict at work and in your personal life As someone who is from Florida and now lives across the country in California, I share my own tips on staying connected with loved ones no matter how far apart you are Chapter covers tips for the mind, body, and soul I cover fitness, eating healthy, sleep, and most important—relaxation techniques As an added bonus, I list 40 great ways that you can relax—starting today This chapter is important because it’s not about work and only about you As you read these next chapters and start to create your own personal plan to get it together, #GIT, please keep me posted on your progress I’m super accessible, and thanks to social media, we can be in touch throughout your journey Please feel free to message me, tweet me, DM me—anything you want I’m @InternQueen on every social platform! I’m genuinely interested in hearing the story of how each one of you is working to get it together And now, without further ado, I ask you to join me in this adventure of self-improvement, professional development, business savvy, and personal wellness Let’s get our lives together @InternQueen—#GIT! HOW THIS BOOK CAME TO BE Before we dive into the first chapter, I want to tell you how this book came to be and why I’m so excited for the personal journey we’re about to take together When you pull back the curtain, you’ll find this book has been a work in progress for some time In fact, the first version of this project (with a different title and take) was put together almost three years ago Originally, I wanted to write a book about the word busy I felt that it had crept up and invaded our lives in a way we couldn’t handle I couldn’t escape the busy Every work call or personal call started with the person on the other line telling me how busy he or she was—disguising the word with silly phrases like “I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off,” “I’m slammed,” “I’m spent,” “I’m crazed.” I felt that “busy” was used as an excuse People couldn’t see me, meet with me, or even talk to me because of how busy they were I also felt that the word busy wrongfully became interchangeable with the word successful Whoever was the busiest was also the most important I didn’t like the busy competition It left me feeling like I wasn’t good enough because I wasn’t as busy as everyone else Or perhaps I was just as busy but didn’t talk about it (or boast about it) in the way everyone else did As a result, I started to subconsciously try to add random tasks and events to my calendar just to feel busy and accepted This left me feeling overwhelmed, confused, and feeling like I’d lost myself somewhere under all of those forced plans and activities I was passionate about the Busy project but couldn’t seem to find an angle that made sense Publishers pushed me to be more academic in tone, but it just felt forced—the book no longer felt like my own voice Long story short, the concept wasn’t working and needed to be modified I desperately wanted to provide my readers with value, not just an idea, but tangible tips that they could put into action immediately, actions that would create meaningful change I immediately got to work with this new idea in mind and was amazed at how often I’d hear people in everyday life say some variation of “I just need to get it together!” I began to research this idea more and discovered a December 2015 Gallop poll that revealed “61 percent of working Americans said they did not have enough time to the things they wanted to do.”1 I knew I was onto something special When I started writing about this new concept, I kept it exclusive to the workplace and how to get your work life together But I quickly realized that my work life intersected with every other part of my life: family, friends, free time, my house, my personal fitness goals everything Getting it together wasn’t just a workplace goal, it was an everyplace goal In addition to feeling busy, why else did we all feel so distracted, disconnected, and “not together”? Ironically, social media (the tool that is supposed to connect us) seems to have played quite the role in creating (or at least enhancing) the chaotic world we’re all living in And think about the pressure that we put on ourselves to uphold our Instagram-worthy lifestyles—it’s insane! We can’t live up to the impossible standards we set We want to be the best worker, friend, parent, sibling, colleague—the list goes on and on Not only we want to act like we have it all together and go through the motions of having it all together, but we also want to look like we have it all together We want to wear the cutest outfits while doing our work, seeing the world, and making things happen Meanwhile, the more we try to be everything to everyone, the more we find ourselves constantly falling short of our own expectations and accomplishing nothing As Erin Falconer says so candidly in her book, How to Get Sh*t Done, “nobody cares that you can it all.”2 We can’t be perfect as perfect doesn’t exist What we can is reframe our thinking and strive to be better, more strategic, more prepared The moment we focus on perfection, we immediately lose We give ourselves anxiety, stress, migraines, gray hair, and breakouts The American Psychological Association reports that 39 percent of millennials say their stress has increased in the last year.3 And it makes sense because we create our own stress We spend our time diligently adding items to our to-do lists, commitments to our calendar, and heavily filtered photos to social media Worst of all, we want to keep this stress a secret from our friends, family, and especially ourselves We don’t want to admit that we don’t have it all under control We desperately want everyone to think we have it all together, when it often feels like the furthest thing from the truth We are so tangled up in our lives that we can’t see how to simplify them And the truth? It doesn’t have to be this complicated I want you to be able to take your time with this book It is filled with lifestyle changes and small tips that can really go a long way If you rush the read, you won’t be able to push yourself and really start implementing my advice Please, go slow, read one chapter at a time, and really consider the information I’m sharing I know that everyone has different days, different schedules, different obstacles, different strengths and weaknesses—but I’m confident that you can find something in this book that speaks to you Getting it together isn’t easy If it was, you wouldn’t have picked up this title in the first place But I promise, we’ll fight through it together and we won’t stop until we feel better, lighter, and more inplace INTERVIEWS In addition to my own advice, I wanted to get different experts to weigh in on how they manage their lives at work and at home As soon as each interview started, it reaffirmed my interest and belief in the importance of this topic; I couldn’t believe how much we all had in common, regardless of our jobs We were all fighting the same battle and had the same resources to achieve our goals Each interview taught me new techniques that I could use in trying to get it together At times, I was selfish with my interview questions, asking questions that I needed to hear the answers to And I’m confident that you and I have things in common, and you’ll also enjoying hearing the answers to my questions To determine whose interviews would be the best fit for the book, I first went to our audience and asked whom they wanted to hear from From that brainstorming session, I was able to secure interviews with business experts, social media influencers, and more! I was lucky enough to get to interview Laura Vanderkam, one of the most popular authors on the planet when it comes to time management, for the book She’s written several books on the subject including her latest title, Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done She also happens to be one of my favorite authors as I always learn so much by reading her books Sarah Boyd is the founder of Simply, the larger-than-life and worldwide fashion/beauty/women empowerment conference,4 and president of West Coast operations for Nylon, its new parent company I’ve known Sarah since before she started her megabrand, and she’s always been a force to be reckoned with Her brand receives a ton of celebrity attention from people like Olivia Culpo, Catt Sadler, and more Another out-of-this-world entrepreneur that I spoke with for this book is MissionU cofounder Adam Braun You may remember Braun from his previous nonprofit that he founded, Pencils of Promise Adam is author of The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Birthday phone calls, 178 Biweekly goals, 80–81 Blaming others, not, 26 Bluetooth, 42 Board games, 213 Body Love by Anna Victoria, 197 Boomerang, 106 Boredom, embracing, 22–23, 208 Boundaries, creating healthy, 16–17, 124, 184–186 Boyd, Sarah, 9–10, 106, 197 Braun, Adam, 10 on focusing at meetings, 139 on meditation, 191 on personal relationships, 182 on podcasts, 137 in starting his day, 166 Braun, Scooter, 182 Breakfast, 42 Breaks, taking, 125, 161, 201 Browser tabs, closing, 123 Bubble baths, 212 Buford-Brazzell, Shanette, 107 Bullet Journal, 108–114 communication log in, 112 happiness page in, 113 for ideas, 124 restating goals in, 110 time pie graph in, 111 BulletJournal.com, 108–109 Burning bridges, 144 Business, separating personal from, 57, 65 Business cards, 143, 149 “Busy,” being, 6, 97, 131, 188 Calendar, 98–101 blocking time on your, 121 meeting agendas in, 139 print copies of, 148 “reach out” reminders in, 177 reviewing your, 38–39 and to-do lists, 40 Calm (app), 191 Calories, logging, 198 Car catch-ups, 186 Card games, 213 Cars, 42 “Castle days,” 209 CCP Inc., 174 CDDs (client due dates), 135 Celebrating: from afar, 187 the good stuff, 24 Challenging yourself, 197–198 Choosing methods over moods, 25–26 CIBP, 98 Cleaning up, 47–48 Client due dates (CDDs), 135 Clothes: choosing your, 37 comfortable, 212 for travel, 150 for work, 34–35 for working at home, 147 Cloud-based file storage systems, 117 Coach, 34 Cocktails, 143–144 Commitments, managing your, 34 Communication log (Bullet Journal), 112, 183 Commuting, 42, 46 Comparing yourself with others, 161 Completion, aiming for, 21–22 Complexity, handling tasks in order of, 129 Computer programs, closing, 123 Concerts, attending, 213 Conflicts, resolving, 174–176, 183–184 Connected, staying, 159 Consequences, evaluating, 129 Contacts, 166, 177–178 Continuous learning, 136–137 Conversation starters, 140–141 Conversations, random, 65–66 Coping with failure, 17–18, 60–68 Couching, 212 Counting on yourself, 18–19 Coworkers, conflicts with, 175–176 Culpo, Olivia, 10 Daily routine, 31–52 changing your, 35–36 evaluating your, 48–50 example of, 38–47 and getting dressed, 34–35 and managing priorities/commitments, 34 and meetings, 35 Josh Notes on, 32 planning your, 50 sticking to your, 64–65 and waking early, 34 Dance party, hosting a, 212 Deadlines: multiple, 128 pre-due dates with, 134–135 Diet, 151, 198–202 Disconnecting, 211 from social media, 167–170 from Wi-Fi, 123 Distraction-free work zone, 119–120 Do nothing mode, transitioning to, 204 Doyle, Rachel, 10, 63, 123, 137, 198–199 Dressed, getting, 34–35, 41–42, 147 (see also Clothes) Driving, avoiding texting while, 167 Dropbox, 117 Durovic, Max, 36 Eating clean, 193–195 Eating healthy, 151, 198–202 Elevator pitch, 43 E-mail folders, 103–104 E-mail inbox, 102–106 E-mail templates, 102–103, 178 E-mails: listening to music while reviewing, 122 responding to, on your own time, 38, 41 responding to, when emotionally upset, 57–59 setting times to check, 104 tone of, 166 Erin Condren LifePlanner, 108 Exercise, 151, 196–199, 209 External networking, 142–144 Face masks, 211 Facebook, 155, 163 Failure, 53–69 coping with, 17–18, 60–68 and embracing rejection, 56–59 negative responses to, 55–56 and understanding your frustrations, 59–60 Falconer, Eric, Farrell, Will, 178 Feedback, receiving, 144–145, 159 Feelings, identifying your, 190–191 Ferris, Tim, 105, 132 File storage systems, cloud-based, 117 “Finding the Perfect Planner + Giveaway” (YouTube video), 108 Focus: finding your, 121–127 inability to, 119–120 on yourself, 64 Folders, e-mail, 103–104 Food Group (chat group), 199 Forbes.com, 55, 174 Ford Motor Company, 171 The 4-Hour Workweek (Ferris), 132 “Free write” sessions, 209 Freshales, 115 Fridays, 100–101 Frustrations, understanding your, 59–60 Fun days, 211 Gallup poll, Get Your Sh*t Together (Knight), 128 Getting it together, 15–29 and advocating for yourself, 19–20 and aiming for completion, 21–22 and celebrating the good stuff, 24 and choosing methods over moods, 25–26 and constantly self-evaluating, 23 and coping with failure, 17–18 and counting on yourself, 18–19 and creating healthy boundaries, 16–17 and determining your goals, 20 effort involved in, 27–29 and embracing boredom, 22–23 and knowing your needs, 21 and knowing your priorities, 20–21 and loving yourself, 16 and not blaming others, 26 and preparing, 24 and taking action, 25 and using your time wisely, 26 Getting ready, 25 Getting work done, 119–152 and achieving results, 133–134 distraction-free work zone for, 119–120 efficient meetings for, 138–139 and finding your focus, 121–127 and holding yourself accountable, 130–131 from home, 145–147 and learning, 136–137 networking for, 140–144 and prioritizing, 127–130 and receiving feedback, 144–145 and removing inefficiencies, 135–136 on the road, 148–151 and talk vs action, 130 and thanking others, 137 using PDDs for, 134–135 and working up vs working out, 131–132 Gifts, sending, 179–180 GlamourGals, 10, 63, 123, 137, 198 Gmail, 102, 106 Goal list (Bullet Journal), 110 Goals, 71–96 biweekly, 80–81 and creating a Time Chart, 92–95 and creating an Action Plan, 82–91 determining your, 20 monthly, 78–81 for personal wellness, 198 quarterly, 76–81 restating, in Bullet Journal, 110 setting your, 73–74 SMART, 71–74 yearly, 76–78 YQMB, 74–85 Good stuff, celebrating the, 24 Google Calendar, 98 Google Docs, 115, 117 Google Drive, 117 Grayscale mode, 168 Grocery shopping, 200 Group text chats, 186 Gym bags, 196 Gym workouts, 196–198 Hadid, Gigi, Haircuts, 151 Happiness page (Bullet Journal), 113, 191, 208 Headphones, 123, 196, 208 Headspace, 191 Health, evaluating your, 193 (see also Personal wellness) Healthy boundaries, creating, 16–17, 124 Help: asking for, 188 getting, 190 Hiking, 210 Hobbies, 210 Hock, Lauryn, 10–11, 41, 196 Holiday, Ryan, 58, 60, 61 Home, working from, 145–147 “How to Create Your 30-Second Elevator Pitch” (YouTube video), 43 “How to Embrace Failure in Order to Become Successful” (Forbes.com article), 55 How to Get Sh*t Done (Falconer), Huffington, Ariana, 203, 213 Human resources department, 176 Hydrated, keeping, 125, 201 “Important” e-mails, 103 Inbox, e-mail, 102–106 Inefficiencies, removing, 135–136 Informational interviews, 143 Inspired, getting, 159 Instagram, 10, 156, 159–161, 164 Instant responses, avoiding, 162–163 Intern Queen, 45, 108, 200 Intern Queen Party, 56 Internal networking, 140–141 Interruptions, meeting, 138 Jealousy, 63, 159–161 Jira, 115 Journal, keeping a, 209 Kenny, Mike, 36 Knight, Sarah, 128 Knowing: your needs, 21 your priorities, 20–21 Learning, continuous, 136–137 Leisure time, 97 Life in Jeneral, 10, 47 Life people, identifying your, 171–183 Lilly Pulitzer Agenda, 108 LinkedIn, 39, 141, 143, 156, 165, 178, 213 Listening, active, 175 Lovato, Demi, 16 Loving yourself, 16 Making plans, with friends and family, 187 “Me projects,” 38, 40 Meal prepping, 202 Measurable goals, 72 Mediakix, 154 Meditation, 191, 212–213 Meetings, 35 in calendar, 99–100 confirming upcoming, 38–39 efficient, 138–139 identifying action steps at end of, 142 in-person vs virtual, 147 planning for timely arrival at, 39 status, 45 Meltdowns, 192 Mental health, 189–192 Mentors, networking with, 141–142 Miccio, Brooke, 11 on comparing herself with others, 161 on focusing at work, 147 on organizing e-mail, 106 on planners, 108 on sleep, 206 Millennials, Mindless tasks, 209 MissionU, 10, 137 Monthly goals, 78–81 Moods, choosing methods over, 25–26 Morning time, managing, 38 Multiple deadlines, 128 Music, listening to, 41–42, 211 Myatt, Mike, 174 Myers-Briggs Assessment, 174 MyFitnessPal, 198 Napping, 212 National Sleep Foundation, 206 Needs, knowing your, 21 Networking, 140–144 Networking events, 143 The New York Times, 168 Nighttime routine, 211 No, saying, 185–186, 209 Notebooks, 107–114, 124 Notes, Josh, 11 on dealing with rejection, 61–62 on handling deadlines, 135 on his daily routine, 32 Notifications, managing, 165–167 Nylon, Oak, 191 Off the Clock (Vanderkam), 9, 193 On the road, working, 148–151 OneDrive, 117 Opportunities, turning problems into, 58 Organized, getting, 47–48 Others: avoiding distractions from, 123–124 not blaming, 26 opinions of, 62 with similar experiences, 192 thanking, 137 venting to, 57, 63 Outlook Calendar, 98 Outside, going, 213 Packing (for travel), 149, 151 Panic attacks, 192 Parties, weekend work, 187 PDDs (pre-due dates), 134–135 Pencils of Promise, 10, 137 Pending events, 100 Pep talks, giving yourself, 190, 198 Perfection, focusing on, Personal life, work life vs., 57, 65 Personal relationships, 181–188 boundaries in, 184–186 handling conflict in, 183–184 and identifying your “life people,” 181–183 maintaining, 186–188 Personal wellness, 189–213 Action Plan for, 194–195 and diet, 198–202 and exercise, 192–199 and mental health, 189–192 and relaxing, 206–213 and sleep, 202–206 Phan, Michelle, 210 Phone: disconnecting from your, 167–168 as distraction, 123 grayscale mode for, 168 talking by, 188 Phone calls: birthday, 178 limiting time spent on, 43 preparing for, 39 Photos, as gifts, 179–180 Physical health, evaluating your, 193 Pinterest, 156 Plane rides, preparing for, 148–149 Planners, 107–108 Plans: A, B, C, 67–68 action (See Action Plan) making, with friends and family, 187 Podcasts, 210 Pomodoro Technique, 125 Pool, going to the, 212 Pre-due dates (PDDs), 134–135 Preparation, 24 Priorities: knowing your, 20–21 managing, 34 Prioritizing, 127–130 Proactive, being, 64 Problems, as opportunities, 58 Process (of tasks), 129–130 Productivity, 125–126 Professional relationships, 172–180 handling conflict in, 174–176 and identifying your “work people,” 172–173 maintaining, 176–180 Project management systems, 115–117 The Promise of a Pencil (Braun), 10 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program, 175 Psychology Today, 58, 60 Quarterly goals, 76–81 Questions, during meetings, 138 Random conversations, 65–66 Reading, 210 Reconnecting, 159 Rejection, embracing, 56–59 Relationships, 171–188 boundaries in, 184–186 conflict in, 174–176, 183–184 personal, 181–188 professional, 172–180 and staying in touch, 176–180, 186–188 Relaxing, 191–192, 206–213 Relevant goals, 72 Reoccurring meetings, 100 Responding, to social media, 162–163, 166 Results, achieving, 133–134 Results-oriented, being, 134 Robertson, Ashley, 10–11, 161, 168 Robin, Jen, 10, 47 Robinson, John P., 97 Routine, daily (see Daily routine) Roy, Alyson, 63 Rubin, Robert, 71–72 Sadler, Catt, 10 Saint Louis University, 71 Salesforce, 115 Screen time, eliminating, 168 Seinfeld, Jerry, 213 Selene, Belinda, 108 Self-doubt, 63 Self-evaluating, constantly, 23 Self-love, 16 Shopping, 200, 211–212 Showers, 211 “Shut up and work,” 130 Silicon Valley, 60 Simply, 9, 106, 197 Singing party, hosting a, 212 Skype, 123 Slack, 123 Sleep, getting enough, 196, 202–206 Slumps, dealing with, 67 SMART goals, 71–74 Snacks, healthy, 200–201 Social media, 153–170 benefits of, 159 choosing networks for, 154–158 disconnecting from, 167–170 and handling your time, 162–164 importance of regulating, 191 and managing texts and apps, 165–167 and managing your networks, 159–161 staying in touch via, 186 (see also specific networks) Spa days, 211 Spark, 106 Specific goals, 72 Standing plans, 187 Staying in touch, 176–180, 186–188 “Stop and wait” tasks, 129–130 Stress, 8, 192 Stretching, 198 Studio Tone It Up, 197 Success, failure as precursor to, 60 Sundays, 100–101 Supervisor, alerting your, 176 Sweat lodges, 212 Switching it up, 197–198 Taking yourself seriously, 146 Talk, action vs., 130 Target, 144 Task lists (Bullet Journal), 114 Tasks: mindless, 209 prioritizing, 127–130 Tea, drinking, 208 The Teacher Diva, 168 Texting, 165–167, 186–187 Thank you notes, 180 Thanking others, 137, 142 Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, 174 Thrive (Huffington), 203 Time: blocking, on your calendar, 121 for focusing, 125 leisure, 97 for meetings, 139 morning, 38 and productivity, 125–126 screen, 168 for social media, 162–164 for steps in Action Plan, 86–95 travel, 99 using your, 26 Time Chart: creating a, 92–95 reviewing your, 100 Time Pie Graph, 94–95, 111 Time zones, 44 Time-bound goals, 72 To-do lists, 37, 40 Tone, e-mail, 166 Tools, 97–117 Bullet Journal, 108–114 calendar, 98–101 e-mail inbox, 102–106 notebooks, 107–114 planner, 107–108 project management system, 115–117 Travel time, calculating, 99 Traveling: making time for, 208 working while, 148–151 Treating yourself, 66, 151, 210 Trello, 115 “Trigger finger response,” 145 TV, watching, 210 Twitter, 156, 164, 213 “Two-second response e-mails,” 105 UCLA, 171 Unfollowing, 160 United Way, 107 University of Georgia, 11 University of Louisville, 23 University of Maryland, 97 Upset, being: and avoiding immediate responses, 57–59 with yourself, 59–60 Urgency, 128 Urgent situations, handling, 41 US Department of Labor, 145 Vanderkam, Laura, 9, 121, 193 Venting, 57, 63, 175 Waking early, 34, 51 Walks, going on, 208, 210 Water, drinking, 125, 201 Water bottles, 196–197 Weekend, planning your, 207 Weekend work parties, 187 Weighing in, 198 Welcome to the Real World (Berger), 2–3 WhatsApp, 199 Why, remembering the, 127 “Why You Should Embrace Failure” (Holiday), 58, 60, 61 Wi-Fi, disconnecting from, 123 Williams, Evan, 213 Winer, Jeff, 213 Winfrey, Oprah, 213 “Work dramas,” 63 Work people, identifying your, 172–173 Work zone, distraction-free, 119–120 Workbags, 41 Working out (exercise), 151, 196–198 Working up, working out vs., 131–132 Wrike, 115 Yearly goals, 76–78 YouTube, 11, 16, 43, 106, 108, 147, 157, 210 YQMB goals, 74–85 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lauren Berger is CEO & Founder of both CareerQueen.com and InternQueen.com, together they reach over million people and connect them with their dream careers Berger has been a featured keynote at 200+ colleges, universities, leadership conferences, and entrepreneurship events Her previous titles include the best-selling All Work, No Pay and Welcome to the Real World Berger’s Youtube Channel, has over 1.2 million views and releases new content every Wednesday Her Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn reach over 100,000 people Berger’s career advice has been featured on The Today Show, KTLA, Fox & Friends, Marie Claire, WhoWhatWear, Refinery29, Entrepreneur on Fire, Bustle, CNBC, Entrepreneur, Glamour, and more Berger not only delivers unique career advice to her audience, but also serves as a marketing agency that helps leading brands activate brand ambassadors and establish a presence with both college students and young professionals worldwide Berger’s business has doubled in recent years and her current roster of clients includes Michael Kors, Keurig, Whole Foods, Schwinn, Duncan Hines, Estee Lauder, and over 30 other top-notch brands ... have it all together and go through the motions of having it all together, but we also want to look like we have it all together We want to wear the cutest outfits while doing our work, seeing the. .. or otherwise My third book is dedicated to my parents, Ira and Sherry Berger, who’ve helped me get it together and keep it together since day one And when things aren’t together, they are the. .. Cope with Failure It s Inevitable The truth is, we don’t always get it right As I’ve tried to get it together throughout this process, I’ve experienced a lot of failure and rejection and it sucks