I am about two weeks into a new job as a Health Sciences Outreach Librarian at an academic library, and my imposter syndrome is slowly wearing off. Never in my two years of grad school did I think I would be working my own office as a full librarian just a few months after graduating. It’s been surreal.

Something that is especially interesting to me is my new workday structure. In all of my previous jobs, I was an hourly employee with a schedule assigned to me by a supervisor that may or may not stay the same from week to week. There was always somebody there to tell me what to do, how to do it, and when it should be done. In other words, my time at work was always very structured and mostly out of my control.

Now I have almost complete freedom in how I spend my time at work. As a faculty position, I can technically work any time I want between midnight on Sunday to 11:59 PM on Saturday. I can start my day when it suits me and leave when I’m done. I can direct my efforts towards whichever tasks I deem to be most important, and complete them however I think is best.

I absolutely love it.

But at times I find myself overwhelmed by the pressure of being responsible for my entire day. What are the best ways to stay organized? How do I make sure I’m working towards the most important goals? How do I stay motivated?