40 hour workweek, how do you do that?

You might have thought that I would only be sharing lessons from top-level sports, but I’m switching roles for a moment! So feel free to share your tips and tricks, not only with me but certainly with the rest of your network as well.

Since February, I’ve started my internship in the cell biology lab at RadboudUMC. This is the first internship of my 2-year master’s program. I was really looking forward to it! I’ve been studying/retraining from my HBO physiotherapy background to the master’s in Biomedical Sciences for over two years now. It’s not an easy path, but it’s definitely a fun one. I’ve always combined my studies with being a top-level athlete. This essentially meant that sport often came first, and I was more often absent from class than present. Sometimes it takes a bit longer, but with hard work, I’ve made it. The downside, or maybe the upside, depending on how you look at it, is that there is one thing I didn’t learn during my career: working/studying 40 hours a week. Did I do internships during my physiotherapy education? Yes, I did, but it was only about 25 hours a week.

So, now I’ve started a full-time internship (meaning 4 days a week, 9-10 hours a day). I can tell you, it’s quite an adjustment! When do I train now? When do I do groceries? Oh wait, I still need to do laundry and clean. Oh hey, my girlfriend also wants some attention. I can understand how people with a full-time job sometimes feel like there’s not enough time. So, my question to you: how do you manage it?

Don’t take this too seriously; it’s definitely manageable, and I’m noticing that now. But training 6 days a week and working 40 hours a week is a lot. I’m already almost halfway through my internship, and I find it incredibly educational, fun, and interesting. It gives me a lot of positive energy, and that’s the most important thing. But secretly, I’m already looking forward to my summer vacation, which is planned. Until then, I’m giving it my all to get one step closer to my dream. To end with some motivation: when you know why you’re doing something, it doesn’t matter that it’s sometimes a lot. So, let’s push through, learn, and experience. From now on, maybe with some good tips from you all so let me know if you have tips on: