5 things I learned from the “Ted: The Way We Work” series

1. Be Yourself

My mom has told me this since day one, and now Dan Clay has reemphasized it through his video, Why you should bring your whole self to work. How can you be successful if you are spending too much time hiding who you are?

From this point forward, I am full sending it and will be unapologetically myself until further notice. (I hope you guys like corny jokes and unnecessary plant facts). College is a time to reinvent yourself, so make it a point to be more open with the people around you, and most importantly, embrace yourself!

2. Saving Money

Let’s face it, we are all guilty of spending too much money on things that we don’t need—I’m a prime suspect (thanks a lot, American Eagle). However, saving money can be easy with Wendy De La Rosa’s three tricks: pre-commit to saving, use transition moments to your advantage and get a handle on small, infrequent purchases.

My wallet's greatest fear. Photo from https://bit.ly/2FdY6dV.

The one that stood out to me the most was refraining from small purchases. As a Buddy Brew addict, I can ensure that my daily oat milk iced latte has taken away from what I could be investing into my future through saving. From now on, focus on the big picture—will that daily bagel benefit you as much as the extra $100 you could be putting away each month?

3. Burning Out

I’ve got a lot going on this semester, whether it’s with school, my internship or through extracurriculars, so I am putting it out there that I will make downtime a priority. Rest and self-care is important, so put on that facemask, get that pedicure, jot down those thoughts or even take a nap—you need it to function!!

Ah yes, one of my biggest fears: burn out. Rahaf Harfoush’s video, How burnout makes us less creative, provided me with insight that I will incorporate into my semester.

At the 02:07 mark, Harfoush says, “it’s impossible for our brains to continuously generate new ideas with no rest. In fact, downtime is a necessity for our brain to recover and operate properly.”

I’ve got a lot going on this semester, whether it’s with school, my internship or through extracurriculars, so I am putting it out there that I will make downtime a priority. Rest and selfcare is important, so put on that facemask, get that pedicure, jot down those thoughts or even take a nap—you need it to function!

4. Making Faster Decisions

College students are constantly making decisions. Picking classes, choosing a major and figuring out the dreaded question, “what do I want to do after this?” are all hard choices to make. Thankfully, Patrick McGinnis’s video, How to make faster decisions, can make decisions an easier task to tackle.

What I learned from this video is his system for making high-stake decisions. Determine what matters to you, research options and go down the list starting with your front-runner. Compare each possible option until you reach your final choice.

I’m a libra, so fast decision-making is a skill I do not have (it once took me four hours to pick out a new couch). With McGinnis’s decision-making process, I will be able to commit to choices in the future faster.

5. Building Stronger Connections

Networking is one of the most important things you can do in college, so having the tools to build stronger connections is vital. Robert Reffkin enlightened me on a few ways to do this… and get this—some of them take minutes.

The first way is to write a letter. Who doesn’t prefer getting a meaningful letter over a three-word text message? Phone calls and video chats can do the same job.

What stood out the most to me is being open and honest. Like Reffkin said in his video, “being open stands out so much, because most people aren’t.” Authenticity can be the most attractive thing about a person, and I’m not talking romantically.

In the end, college students have a lot to think about, whether it’s money, trying to juggle their schedule or figuring out what they want to do in life. I hope that through this post you learned tricks that could not only make your life easier, but also make you a better person. In the end, make sure to full send it (and be authentic while doing it).