An Intern’s Best Friend: Her To-Do List

By: Anne Frances Frazier, Music Therapy Intern

Before becoming a music therapy intern, I’ll be honest and say that I struggled with staying on top of tasks and completing them on time. At times, it felt really difficult juggling so many different responsibilities along with all the other things that come with being a college student. Everyone has been there, and I  think an important part of maturing and transforming into a professional is finding a solution that works for you and sticking to it. 

As a music therapy intern, you get the opportunity to try on all the hats that an MT-BC wears, and as exciting and full of learning that it is, I quickly discovered that I needed to be proactive and intentional in order to manage everything. 

I’ve always loved crossing off a list, but that has taken on an entirely new form now that I’m halfway through internship and earning more responsibilities and meeting new expectations. In meetings, I like to jot down everything mentioned so that I can look back at it and make sure I’m accomplishing everything we’ve talked about. Or, at the beginning of the week, I like to make sure I have a clear idea of what I’d like to get done each day. 

In this short amount of time, I’ve seen improvement in my time-management skills as well as my organizational skills. It is a great thing to be in such a supportive environment as a student, because now is the time where I’m building the skills I’ll rely on when I become an MT-BC.  

Image description: A handwritten to-do list for the week of 1/26 - 1/30 featuring checkboxes, some checked off in red with included completion dates.

Also, who doesn’t love tiny wins?! I will leave for the day feeling so proud of myself and my accomplishments, and I have a record to go back and look at to see all the learning that took place the weeks prior. It’s so motivating! Dr. Anikt Sharma, PhD, says, “Celebrating small wins can be a transformative practice that fosters motivation, enhances well-being, and builds momentum toward achieving larger goals.” Here is the article if you’d like to check it out: Reasons To Celebrate Small Wins 

A music therapy intern is someone who rises to challenges and meets them with creative solutions that work for them. To potential prospective interns, if you can expect one thing, it’s to transform! 

Is anyone else a fan of to-do lists? If not, what works better for you? I’d love to hear!