What to Bring on the First Day

In almost all of my daily conversations I find it necessary to include as many movie quotes as possible. I believe that they can explain myself better than I can or, and this only works occasionally, my audience doesn't recognize the quote and they begin to realize how hilarious, intelligent or philosophical I really am. Or sometimes they serve no purpose, but I say them anyway. Whenever it is the first day of school or work, I always reference the classic film, Billy Madison, as the main character accurately sums up my thoughts:

Back to school, back to school, to prove to Dad that I'm not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don't get in a fight... 

While I'm not truly concerned about getting in a fight or convincing my dad that I'm not a fool (that ship sailed a long time ago), I do understand Billy's sentiment about preparing oneself mentally and physically for the first day. Yes, I realize that this is a completely ridiculous analysis of a quote from an Adam Sandler comedy, but I provided full warning above that I still quote movies when they serve no purpose. As I mentioned in my post First Day Nerves, I get nervous before the first day of school or work. I have found that preparing myself in advance helps limit my anxiety. 

Although my internship does not start until June 6th, I have already begun organizing what I need for that day. My first day of work outfit is put to the side to ensure that it will be clean for next Monday. While New York City in the summer is painfully hot sometimes, companies usually compensate by setting the air conditioning at Arctic temperatures. In order to avoid frostbite, I keep two to three basic cardigans at my desk at all times. This is probably not surprising at all, but I am quite anal about the pens that I use, so I set a few aside to bring to work. Instead of relying on post-it notes and scrap pieces of paper, I bring my own planner to keep assignments and dates organized; I bought one in the style that I like (one week takes up two consecutive pages), which will make it easier for me to keep track of my tasks. Some people rely just on online calendars and they also work great. I would suggest making one trip to CVS or the grocery store to stock up on desk essentials: portioned snacks, individual packets of Crystal Light or Propel to add to water, eye drops, hand sanitizer, tampons and hand lotion. I also brought one photo to personalize my desk a little bit. Those items may come in hand at any point during an internship. 

In list form:

First day of work outfit

Cardigans (or blazers) 

Pens (this is probably unnecessary unless if you're like me!)

Organizer or planner

Random desk essentials (snacks/toiletries/etc.)

Even with the amount of preparation that I put into my first day of work, it is possible that my essentials vary from others' lists. Also, many companies will provide items from the list above, such as a planner, snacks, toiletries and even pens. It also is easy to ask co-workers for any basics, like a pump of their lotion or packet of sugar until it is possible to restock. 

How far in advance do you prepare for the first day of something? Is there anything that you would add to my list?

Rebecca