During the work week (and sometimes during the weekend), we all know there aren’t enough hours in a day to tackle every single item that may come across your email or desk. It’s important to manage your time wisely in order to keep peace of mind. Unless there’s a time machine hanging around at the local supermarket, time is something that is truly valuable.
Make Lists
Whether you create a list on paper, your smartphone or computer, making a list will help keep you organized and your stress level low because everything you need to get done will be at your fingertips. I prefer to write down projects or assignments that come in from clients on a notepad and pin it to my corkboard. Then, when it’s time to take on those assignments, there’s no guesswork and I can just dive right in.
Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize!
Are there any assignments or projects that are more important than others? If so, try to see what you can scale back on and how much time that will save. This will help you figure out what takes priority when you need to juggle multiple projects at once. Another important factor to consider is the deadlines of each task. Projects with tighter deadlines should come first, or if they’re all similar, see what you can push back on and possibly get an extension.
And, Break!
What’s that grumbling noise you ask? That’s your stomach and its saying, “Feed me.” It’s important to keep yourself nourished. After a while, that grumbling noise can become a nuisance and may force you to only focus on how hungry you are, which can result in you becoming ”hangry.” Besides eating, it’s important to actually leave the office and take in fresh air. Go for a walk or have lunch at a local restaurant. Doing this not only gives you fresh air, but can also boost productivity and creativity. Recently, our agency incorporated the idea of having lunch out on the town on Fridays. This is a great idea to move some of us from behind our desks on lunch breaks.
Recommended Tool: Microsoft OneNote.
Microsoft OneNote is a tool that I think is truly helpful for planning and organizing. I like to organize notebooks by client and add different tabs. Some of my tabs include case studies, press releases, articles and eBlasts. In each notebook I jot down items that the client discussed (under the appropriate tab), which require future follow-ups that are at least three months in the future. The most useful part about OneNote is that I can create a reminder next to each lined item and I’ll receive a reminder about that specific task or project. See below for some examples.
Being an efficient time manager in the PR world is an underrated but necessary skill to have when you work in the industry. What are some of your tips? Tweet us @LRGMarketing and share how you manage your time.
