As an intern at Indium Corporation, I am given a fairly large amount of freedom when it comes to my tasks. My supervisor tells me the end goal he has in mind; however, the steps that I take to get there are totally up to me. Although I have a large community willing to help me and give me advice, completing projects in a timely manner is heavily reliant on my organization and planning.
When first receiving a project, I begin by learning all I can and taking notes about the topic in order to truly understand what the goals for the project are and what exactly is expected in terms of results. As a Mechanical Engineering major and Engineered Solders intern, this usually includes researching the technology involved with the topic because, although I am not particularly experienced in the electronics field, my engineering background is a great base for understanding, and I am very eager to learn all that I can. This can also include researching product markets, learning a manufacturing process, or anything else that may be involved with the project. Understanding everything about a project is crucial for success, or even for planning the next steps, because it allows me to know what needs to be done and also allows me to ask better, more meaningful questions when communicating with others about the project.
在处理一个项目时，制定一个待办事项清单或时间表也是非常有用的，它可以列出实现目标的各个步骤，以及每个步骤应该在什么时候完成。我通常会先把所有事情都列一个清单，无论是否按顺序排列，只是集思广益，想一想可能出现的情况，然后写下来。在列出初步清单后，我开始将所有事情按顺序排列，并预计开始和结束日期，以便大致了解这个项目将如何进行以及每个部分所需的时间。除了对项目完成过程进行总体安排外，我发现创建每日待办事项清单也很有帮助，我通常会在一天开始时创建这些清单。这些清单考虑到了项目中较小的步骤，包括了我在创建最初的项目时间表时可能没有预料到或忘记的事情。
规划和组织对项目的成功起着很大的作用，可以减少浪费在最后一分钟规划和试图确定下一步行动的时间。我可能把这说成是一个漫长的过程，但是，创建一个清单每天花的时间不应该超过几分钟。重要的是，不要在计划上花太多时间，因为尽管计划能大大加快工作进度，但你的大部分时间应该花在执行清单上的项目上。
