Being a student-athlete at Amherst College can feel overwhelming at times. Balancing office hours, group work, and study sessions alongside practice, games, traveling, rehab, etc., can be a lot to manage. Adding an internship with its own deadlines, presentations, and more can feel almost impossible.
Over the 2025-2026 academic year, I have had the privilege of working at the Loeb Center as the Marketing and Communications Intern. This hybrid role has allowed me to complete most of my work remotely. Balancing this internship with athletics and academics has taught me many time management skills. Below are five of the most important tips that have helped me stay on top of my commitments throughout this semester.
Organize Your Productivity with a Planner
Having a planner is key to staying organized and managing your time. Planners can come in many forms; my preferred choice is a whiteboard in my room.
Every Sunday, I write out what is due throughout the week, alongside other things that help me stay motivated, like a daily win streak column and a to-do list. Writing these things out frees up space in my brain that can be allocated to the task itself rather than remembering them. This also helps me prioritize what actually needs to get done versus what can wait. When everything is laid out visually, it becomes easier to break larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps and stay consistent throughout the week rather than cramming everything into one day.
Communicate with Your Supervisor
As an intern, your supervisor understands that you are a busy college student with many other commitments, whether or not you are an athlete. There will inevitably be times where deadlines conflict or you face a time crunch and need extra guidance or flexibility with time. It is CRUCIAL that you communicate these difficulties as early as possible. Not only does this allow for quicker solutions, but it also demonstrates reliability and professionalism. Communicating early shows your supervisor that you take your responsibilities seriously and are proactive in managing challenges before they escalate.
This season, for example, I had to travel by bus from Amherst to Virginia for the NCAA National Tournament. Anticipating a full week on the road, I met with my supervisor on Tuesday to discuss how I could meet my weekly deadline within my new time constraints. With a plan in place, I completed my internship work before the Sunday deadline and finished competing in the tournament by Saturday. Although a small ask, it was necessary given the circumstances.
Use Small Pockets of Time Efficiently
As a student-athlete, there are multiple time pockets throughout the day that are easy to pass up as opportunities to do work. Use those 30 minutes before lift to send out some emails instead of scrolling on your phone. Bring your computer and do some work during those 20 minutes you are heating your body before practice. It is a lot easier said than done, but when you get back to your dorm after a long day and all you want to do is rest, you will be grateful that you finished two out of your five tasks earlier in the day. These small pockets of time may seem insignificant, but consistently using them adds up and can make a huge difference in staying on top of your workload.
Schedule in Advance
Scheduling things has been a game changer for me in my internship. In this role where the majority of my communication is through email, scheduling emails ahead of time has lessened my stress of deadlines. One of my job responsibilities is sending a weekly email to the entire Loeb Center team, so I utilize the “Scheduled Send” feature in Gmail.
This feature is located under the arrow next to the send button on Gmail (circled in the image). It allows me to draft emails in advance and have them sent automatically at the exact time I need, even if I’m in class, at practice, or traveling. It removes the pressure of having to remember every deadline in the moment and ensures that my communication remains consistent and professional.
Schedule Downtime to Reduce Burnout
While staying productive is important, scheduling time to rest is just as essential. Burnout can build quickly if you are always working 24/7. Intentionally blocking out time to relax, whether that’s watching a show, spending time with friends, or simply doing nothing, helps you reset both mentally and physically. Treating downtime as just as important as the work itself allows you to come back to your work more focused and consistent over time. For example, I set a rule that one hour before bed, I stop working completely. This allows me to unwind and recharge so I can be more focused and productive the next day.
