Public relations representatives live according to planners, meetings, emails and projects. All of these variables demand time, which is difficult to manage if attention and focus are divided. If you want your PR reps to deliver the best service to your clients, this is how to teach time management in PR in four easy steps.
1. Focus on priorities
Every day is different in the PR world. One day can be spent meeting with a new client and the next can entail running a trade show booth. Spend the last hour of each day setting up your priorities for the next morning. Make a list of tasks that need to be done and divide them into which ones are critical and which ones are secondary. Give each of them a time slot. Focusing on priorities and making lists are time management strategies that will help you accomplish the most important tasks each day. Make sure to focus on one task at a time so that you can give it all your attention and do a great job. These priorities should be clearly understood so that there is no time wasted on tasks that weren’t important due to miscommunication.
2. Utilize technology
Technology can be a big time saver when it comes to communication and scheduling. You can use email and texts to talk with clients, managers and coworkers instead of phone calls and meetings. If you do need to participate in a meeting, explore virtual options to save traveling time and expense. There are wonderful software programs available to assist with scheduling, reminders, event planning and customer data. Research which programs and platforms fit your needs best so that you don’t have to waste energy doing what a computer can do in a fraction of the time.
3. Implement goal checks
At the end of every week, check that your key priorities were met. If you have not met your goals, analyze the barriers and look for solutions. Looking back will help you plan for the future and show your strengths and weaknesses. When you have a successful week of meeting all of your goals, make sure to reward yourself. Downtime during the week can be spent doing goal checks as well, so you can keep on track with what you have accomplished and what still needs attention. Every project should have an outline or some type of business plan with specific goals, so referencing the outline at the end of each week to note progress keeps it moving forward.
4. Stagger duties
You need to keep your workflow strong throughout the day, and staggering your duties will help. What this means is mixing up the type of work you do to stay energized and focused. Don’t schedule 4 hours of computer work with no breaks. Instead, mix it up with a zoom call and other tasks away from your desk. Leave the work that needs your highest concentration for your most productive time of day so you can give it your very best. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help and to delegate whenever possible. Likewise, if it makes sense to combine some of your coworkers’ information or duties with yours, for instance on a spreadsheet, then make the best use of everyone’s time and work the tasks together.
Teaching the concepts of time management to your PR reps is very important for personal and company success. It will enable you to provide high-quality service from a low-stress perspective. By prioritizing, using technology, staying on top of goals and staggering tasks, you can accomplish everything your clients and business needs in a healthy, rewarding environment.
