Once A Day: Going Offline to Stay Sharp
October 1st, 2009Author: John Ratcliffe-Lee
Above is the original notepad that inspired IBM’s storied ThinkPad laptop computer line (via Merlin Mann). Being digital professionals and our worlds moving a mile a minute online – what are some things, as PR professionals and trusted communication counselors, that we can do to help focus ourselves?
Switching from e-mail and phone call and conference room to really helping keep the big picture in mind not just for your team but your clients as well can be helped by simple, daily exercises that will take less time than you think and – hopefully – reward you down the line.
- Talk to every person on your team – what is everyone working on? Maybe it impacts some of your projects? Or sharing what you’re doing can help someone think about their work differently or offer different perspective on your own. This isn’t a formal meeting, this doesn’t have to be face-to-face but it’s important to look up from the grindstone and check-in with your team.
- Double-check a budget or goals/objectives for a program, campaign, etc. – what comes next? Is what you’re working on the right thing that needs to be done? Often, when projects are launched into, everyone focuses on the immediate next steps without managing the finish line – doing this will not just help deliver a great product to your client but help you think strategically about the program, campaign or project you’re working on.
- Take 5 minutes to think – as easy as this sounds, you’d be surprised about how few of us do it during the course of a day. Focus on a new skill or a topic you want to know about, or try to connect ideas between clients and trends. The small savoring of mental focus might just give you your next big idea!
Want more? Check out The 99 Percent. A think tank from the awesome folks at Behance (which inspired this post), it’s a great site that focuses on what happens after your team walks out of that brainstorm – when it’s time to put ideas into action and all the things to take you from point A to B.
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Tags: Blogging, Public Relations, Tips and Tricks
