HI! I’m Kaitey Elliott, MPM – I did it! I finished a Masters in Project Management program and I am honestly so happy to be done with school. 18 years of learning in a classroom and I am so incredibly excited to shift into learning through life, reading for fun, and exploring the most incredible world we live in. I still write papers, and give presentations for work, but that’s okay. I can’t let all those years of practice go to waste, right? 😉
Going to grad school and doing most of it during a pandemic helped me grow in so many ways. Here are the three things that have changed my life for the better – and I’m not talking about career moves, hehe!
The Beauty of a Timer – I use a timer for EVERYTHING. For a while, I used the one on my apple watch, and most recently I began using it on my phone. I really like this timer, and I see people use it for chores as well. It is a really good option if your phone is a distraction.
When I first started increasing the amount of research I was doing, I thought that it meant I had to sit for hours at a time and have these really intense study sessions. That burnt me out. My mind would wander, I would end up going down a research rabbit trail and would be researching something that had nothing to do with my assignment. So, I learned that if I did my tasks in 20-30 minute blocks, I was much more productive. Now, I use this in my everyday life. When I don’t want to do laundry, I set a timer!
We Can Choose Our Stress – Life throws us hard seasons. In the last few years, my family has gone through financial loss, job loss, the loss of people in our lives, and majorly increased responsibilities. Life can just be really hard! I don’t think it means that we need to be stressed all the time. Maybe this is part of my love of planning and details, maybe not. One day I woke up and realized that I can choose how much stress I allow into my mind, and into my day-to-day living.
For example – finals. Those were really difficult most semesters. BUT, I learned I could choose to be diligent with my time, do the best I knew how to do, and if I didn’t get the results I wanted, I could choose to be at peace with it, and adjust my studying habits for future exams.
In the same way, we can do this with life. I am in a really hard season at work right now where people are pretty regularly upset with me. I can choose to let this bring me stress, anxiety, and a feeling of overwhelm. Or, I can work hard, and by working hard and doing the job I have been asked to do, I can end my day knowing that there isn’t anything else that can be done. Life is hard sometimes, but we do not need to make it harder on ourselves.
The Rollercoaster of Life is more fun with Faith! I don’t always talk about my faith on here but I do believe in one God, and that God came to earth to show us that He loves us. I have faith that someone else is in control of the big picture. I cannot control everything, so as life has high seasons and low seasons I can celebrate (some might call this romanticizing my life) the little moments along the way. A trip to the grocery store can be a fun date, not knowing what comes next can have a sense of peace that comes with it knowing that there is a God over everything who loves each of us individually!
While I learned hundreds if not thousands of new words, definitions, processes, and best practices – these are the three things that changed my life from going to grad school. As always, thanks for reading!! 🙂