Work smarter (not harder) in 2019

A while back – but not anymore – when I’d ask a PR person about their job, they’d usually start with what they liked. “I like using creativity and storytelling. I like completing intellectually stimulating activities at work. I like building relationships with new people.”

But now, most of the time, they start with how busy they feel. “I always feel rushed. I feel like my mind is always racing. I feel like I’m perpetually behind. I’m always worried I’m missing something.”

Is that how you feel, too?

What if, in contrast, you could feel like your mind is clear? Have that be the new normal. What if you could feel like you’re doing your very best work at almost all times? What if you could feel certain you’re on the correct path with the daily work you choose and your career direction?

I know people who feel like that. I know how they act and think differently than the typical PR person.

You can feel like that.

But you have to let go of three false beliefs about working in PR:

This is a service business, so my job is to carry out orders and meet requests.

False. That servant mentality may work for restaurants and flight attendants. But this is a creativity business. Your job is to be the expert, and to do that you sometimes need to ignore distractions and turn down requests.

Because I carry this phone/text messaging machine/email inbox all the time, I therefore need to check it and respond to it all the time. 

Dig a deep hole and bury this thinking forever. Any recent college grad can be “responsive.” Your job is to be effective. And you can’t be effective when you’re constantly checking your digital tether.

I’ve got to finish all these things everybody wants me to do. 

Not anymore. In the information age, it is impossible to process every input and complete every request that comes your way. You have a bigger challenge – you need to use your mind and carefully evaluate and prioritize all the incoming you have. Accomplish the vital few tasks that really matter, and have the knowledge and confidence to ignore the rest.