What are your best productivity tips? All Points team members share ours
July 24, 2018
Public relations, social media and digital marketing professionals are some of the best multi-taskers out there. From juggling internal deadlines, attending meetings and client calls as well as the demands of day-to-day work, our team at All Points has some innovative productivity tips to keep us creatively fulfilled while exceeding client expectations and developing ourselves professionally along the way.
Baca: Find your own way to organize yourself – everyone is going to be different, there’s no cookie-cutter way to be organized. For me, I love color coded charts and old-school to do lists where I can check things off.
Rachel: If I ever have a pressing item to get done like drafting press release or responding to a client email that needs to happen immediately, I make a post-it note to myself to ensure it is top of mind until completion.
Katie: Rather than waiting for items to pile up, I try my best to update internal documents as things happen so that I don’t have to spend hours going back and wasting time looking for the answer. If you just update as it happens, you save yourself headaches later on.
Amanda: At the end of the day, I reflect on all the work I finished, and rework my to do’s for the next day to add any work that needs to be finished or requires more immediate attention. I also identify the work I’d like to get a head start on!
Joey: When I’m tackling a writing project, I like to have a change a scenery. Finding a quieter place to work helps me focus and it often sparks my creativity.
Gillian: To make sure I’m focused and productive during phone meetings, as the other person is speaking I like to summarize what they’re saying on a piece of scrap paper, almost like I’m taking notes to quote them. By directly recapping what they’re saying as they’re saying it, I’m a more active listener, and it helps me focus on the conversation as it is happening, rather than letting my mind wander to what might be coming up next, or worrying about what I’ll say in response. In fact, it leads me to better answer questions because I was actively listening in the first place.
Megan: Work ahead! I set early deadlines and prepare for meetings days in advance because it is always possible for something to unexpectedly require your attention. This helps me to be sure that I’m always prepared and have completed my responsibilities.
Emily B: Color Code Everything! Labeling everything with a different color helps me pick out important information from my long list of to-do’s to make sure nothing gets overlooked.
Jamie: It’s the little things — the attention to detail — that pushes professionals to the next level. Use your calendar (phone, computer, etc.) to schedule reminders for the little things. By scheduling reminders you are certain to prevent items from slipping through the cracks. Plus, it makes everyone else around you trust you more, while making them better at doing their job. A win-win-win (you, your colleagues, your clients).
Gautier: I know I’m not the only one who gets distracted by my phone — so I downloaded the Forest app to help keep my attention away from the buzzing at my side. For each block of time I don’t use my phone, the Forest app plants a virtual tree. Then, the Forest app pays it forward and plants a real tree, too (they’ve planted almost 300K so far!).
Bailey: At the end of each week, I carve out time in my day to go over my tasks and responsibilities for the following week. This way I start each week with a clear road map of what I need to accomplish.
Mackenzie: I always write myself notes about what I need to do or follow up on in my daily to-do list in Evernote or on a post it note that I tape to the back of my phone. Write yourself notes now and your future self will thank you.
Maddy: I always make sure to keep my phone on airplane mode anytime I’m at my desk. It’s easy to ignore text messages and social media alerts, but I normally get distracted by news updates and client emails when you’re supposed to be writing or pitching.
Spencer: I’m a big believer in the 5-minute rule. If it takes less than 5 minutes, its better to do it right away rather than wait. I find this most helpful when it comes to staying on top of my inbox.
Sydney: Whenever I send a press release or other item for review to a client or franchisee, I always make myself a note in my to-do’s to follow up with them in 2-3 day’s time. That way, it doesn’t fall off of either of our radar and materials get returned or questions get answered in a timely manner.
Allie: Once I receive a graphic request or campaign deadline, I write them in my agenda to reference as the deadline gets closer. Writing down my due dates helps me stay focused on current projects instead of worrying about projects further down the line.
Barbara: Arrange program windows on your desktop and monitor to optimize your workflow. A routine 30-minute task can turn into a 15-minute task when you’re not switching between programs and hunting for files!
Emily: To break up your day into half-hour sections. This enables you to stay on track during the day, manage your to-do list and create realistic daily goals.
Stephanie: One of the ways that I keep myself organized is by creating timelines and due dates for every project that I’m working on. From there, I can work backwards to add the dates into my weekly & daily tasks so I can help to keep myself and the team I’m working with as productive as possible.
Amy: After a client call or meeting, the first thing I do when I get back to my desk is transcribe all my notes and add them to my to-do’s so nothing falls off my radar.
Lauren: Set a timer for a specific task to be done by. There are minor adjustments that each of us can make to our day to spike productivity for a couple of hours.
Jessica: Don’t overestimate the number of things you can get done in a day. Put together a small workday plan that you can achieve within a day to help feel a sense of accomplishment.
