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CHRISTINA ZWEIG, from page 9

He continues on, recounting a time when he tried to write a paper, but ended up on the internet looking at meerkats, which led to three-toed sloths, joining a cause about the prevention of the illegal trade of these beautiful creatures, noticing an ex-girlfriend liked a photo on Facebook, and spending an inordinate amount of time writing this person a message. While this is supposed to make you laugh, it shows how quickly and easily multitasking can lead to distraction. “Technology has made it easier than ever to focus on more things at once, but it also introduces a lot of unnecessary and unproductive distractions.” Is it efficient for most people working in the AEC industry to have only one tab open for an entire day – probably not! But if you find yourself feeling stressed, or getting distracted by the never ending vortex of the internet, and too much input – don’t be afraid to turn your phone on silent, not check your email, and force yourself to just focus on one thing for a designated period of time. CHRISTINA ZWEIG is Zweig Group’s director of marketing. Contact her at christinaz@zweiggroup.com. to explore interests outside of what their college curriculum may provide. ❚ ❚ Work hard, play hard. Build camaraderie between your in- terns and your young, emerging professionals. Whether or not we are willing to admit it, these are the folks in your office who know how to have the most fun. Let them plan parties, scavenger hunts, happy hours, and sporting events that create fun activities for your interns while providing opportunities for them to connect throughout the firm and the community. ❚ ❚ Let them be the experts. During a summer internship, students spend the majority of their time listening and ab- sorbing. It’s equally important, however, to reverse the roles and allow the interns to educate your leadership team. Little held a reverse mentoring discussion where the interns served as esteemed panelists and answered questions from various leaders related to the importance of company culture, the future of workspace, the role of social media in marketing/ recruiting, and the myths of millennials. ❚ ❚ Address their No. 1 fear. Discussions with this rising class of professionals revealed their primary fear after graduation is being underutilized, and therefore, restricted in the oppor- tunity to grow their career. Put these fears to rest by involving them in valuable projects and creating opportunities for their input on important decisions. While their project expertise may be limited, a voice in the decision could go a long way in how they envision their future career. The summer internship is a small window for interns to make a good impression. It’s also a small window for companies to make a good impression. These individuals could very well be future leaders at your firm, so take the time to carefully plan an intern program that allows them, and your company, to flourish. KELLY THOMPSON is a senior associate and marketing communications manager at Little. Contact her at kthompson@ littleonline.com.

strengthening the behavior over time.” This multitasking addiction not only makes you feel less satisfied from working on only one thing at a time, but also makes you less productive. “Heavy media multitaskers are more susceptible to interference from irrelevant environmental stimuli,” says the National Academy of Sciences. In fact, another study showed, “When workers don’t check email, they focus for longer on tasks and show less psychological signs of stress.” So what can we do about it? A funny article and video by The Atlantic titled, “Single- tasking is the new multitasking,” introduces a new concept: Tabless Thursday. An entire day where participants are only allowed to use one tab on their internet browser at any one time. The article states: “Trying to do too many internet things at once makes it hard to get anything done at all. Tabless Thursday is a vacation from distraction.” In the video, James Hamblin, M.D., states, “If you asked me the last time I did a thing and just did it, and wasn’t also trying to do something else – I wouldn’t be able to tell you.”

KELLY THOMPSON, from page 11

beneficial for any intern, regardless of their age or career path. ❚ ❚ Immerse them in your culture. Not only are interns truly interested in becoming part of your culture, they can help strengthen it. This generation of students wants to have a sense of belonging and have a passion for making a dif- ference. Let them become fully immersed in your culture through events, client presentations and outings. A positive company culture will be the No. 1 reason these young leaders return for a full-time position upon graduating. “These individuals could very well be future leaders at your firm, so take the time to carefully plan an intern program that allows them, and your company, to flourish.” ❚ ❚ Apply the buddy system. Interns are known for having a multitude of questions, and it’s the job of those in the firm to answer them in as much detail as possible. Pair each intern with a young leader (perhaps someone outside of their day- to-day group who he/she wouldn’t get to know otherwise), to be a personal go-to resource – work-related or not – through- out the summer. You’ll be surprised what your young leader will also learn from the intern. ❚ ❚ Allow them to explore. An internship lets students take their career plan for a test drive. The best experience, howev- er, leads them off the beaten path by allowing them to explore other interests. For example, a student interested in archi- tecture may also be intrigued by how digital animation can build powerful interactive tools of the buildings they design. An engineering student, on the other hand, may be interested in learning about how to optimize a building’s performance. Provide knowledge-packed lunch-and-learns that allow them

THE ZWEIG LETTER September 26, 2016, ISSUE 1169

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