I Got Lady Skills

I’ve heard it said that “you learn something new every day.” I wish I could say that this past Wednesday was the first time I’d learned that sprinting uphill in a pencil skirt and heels is a terrible, difficult idea; but, alas, it wasn’t.

The problem is that I always budget my time a little too closely. The last time this happened, it was in Salt Lake City. My date and I were heading to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas concert, and we’d gotten stuck in traffic. In order to make it in before they closed the doors, we had to make a run for it. He at least had the freedom of slacks. I say again, I was in a pencil skirt. And heels.

This time, I’d just gotten out of my Accounting 310 class in the Tanner building when I realized I had a job interview in 15 minutes in the LSB. This was a problem. First off, I hadn’t had time to prepare for the interview. I’ve never had to officially interview for a job, since most jobs I’ve had have fallen into my lap because of networking. Despite my best intentions, I hadn’t gotten around to researching what I should know going into the interview. As a result, I didn’t know what to expect. Secondly, I was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Based on the second suggestion I read from the online article I skimmed as I sped-walked across campus, this was not acceptable attire. I live in Condo Row, which is just south of campus, so there was a possibility I would have time to go home, grab a skirt, and make it back to the interview in time. I would have to make a run for it. Literally.

Miraculously, this story has a happy ending. With all my running and frantic online-article reading as I ran in a pencil skirt and heels up the hill just south of campus, I made it to the interview 20 whole seconds early. I interviewed well, and ended up getting a call two days later that I’d gotten the job.

What can I learn from this “iffy” victory? I need to give myself more realistic time frames. Just because I can do something in a certain amount of time doesn’t mean I shouldn’t give myself a bit more breathing room. Generally speaking, time management is an extremely valuable skill to have (I also happen to think running in heels is a valuable skill, but that’s a different story). I’ve been working on my time management skills the past few months, but I still have some work to do. My main struggle is budgeting travel time between commitments. As a rule, it might be a good idea for me to start overestimating, rather than underestimating, my travel time.

Well, that, or stop wearing pencil skirts.