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Career Advice

Get advice from other social media professionals. Learn what it takes to build and make an impact in your career. Get inspired with our stories and resources.

  • 171 Topics
  • 428 Replies
171 Topics
dustinzick
dustinzickLevel 1
posted in Career Advice
Giveaway Day 1: Productivity Tip - Balanced Checklist

For me, one of the ways I’ve always stayed productive is by balancing my checklist each morning.The two things I am always sure to do are:Plan 1-2 easy <5min tasks first thing, to drive up my sense of accomplishment and feel some motivation for longer, deeper projects. Have a bank of 5-20min tasks that I can jump to when I fatigue on a bigger project. This helps to change things up and keep the momentum running.These tasks don’t always have to be “work” related to. It might just be cleaning my personal inbox. Scheduling a doctors appointment, ordering dog food, anything like that.

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kerriann.jenkinsLevel 2
posted in Career Advice
Keeping A Physical To-Do & Idea List

My go-to productivity tool is a simple paper booklet divided into a "To Do" list and an "Ideas" list. Crossing off tasks keeps me focused, while the "Ideas" section captures inspiration without interrupting my workflow. At the end of the week, I review my ideas to turn them into actionable tasks for the next week. Simple, satisfying, and effective!

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georgia.manningLevel 1
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip: 1-3-5 Rule

Each day, I focus on 1 big task, 3 medium tasks, and 5 smaller tasks. This rule helps me stay realistic about what I can accomplish, while also ensuring I tackle important priorities without feeling overwhelmed. Breaking my workload into manageable chunks like this has significantly improved my focus and efficiency. I don’t have to accomplish all of the big task, but knowing that I’m putting in work on it helps make sure I’m staying on track.

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craig.cordell
craig.cordellLevel 4
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip: Have one priority! ☝️

☝️ This one feels so obvious and (almost) goes without saying, but you should only have one top priority. 🗓️ When you start your day, focus in on one priority to measure your success against. Starting your day by saying “my top priorities are scheduling social posts, brainstorming new content, and answering emails” can feel overwhelming and impossible to achieve. “My top priority is scheduling content.” You can do that! Focus in, be honest with yourself, and declare your one top priority for the day.

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visit.hattiesburgLevel 1
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip

My productivity tip is a good old fashion pen and paper to do list. Nothing feels as good as crossing something off your list!

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Jonathan Zuluaga
Community Manager
Jonathan ZuluagaCommunity Manager
published in Career Advice
2023 Giveaway Extravaganza: Day 1

Kickstart your week by sharing a standout moment from your social media journey! Whether it’s a thrilling triumph or a hurdle you conquered, your story enters you to win a $50 Amazon gift card and a Wireless Lavalier Microphone. Join in the giveaway by sharing your experience in the Career Advice Forum!How to Participate:Share a moment from your social media marketing journey. It could be a triumph that made you proud or a challenge you successfully overcame. Let's celebrate and learn from each other's experiences!Go to the Career Advice Forum, create a new post and drop a link to the post that you created there in the thread below to be officially entered  into today’s giveaway.Want to see be the first to know of the other upcoming prizes and challenges? Subscribe to our giveaway thread:Want to see the other giveaways? See the full line-up here:  The Promotion begins at 9:00 a.m. Central Time (“CT”) on December 11, 2023, and ends at 11:59 p.m. CT on December 11, 2023. To participate i

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jaime.monteforteLevel 2
posted in Career Advice
focused work bursts with planned breaks

Here's how it works:Choose a task: Pick one specific task to focus on. Set a timer: Work on that task with intense focus for a set time (e.g., 25 minutes). Take a short break: Step away from your work completely for 5 minutes. Stretch, grab a coffee, or do something non-work related.   Repeat: Continue this cycle throughout your workday.Why it works for me:Improved focus: Knowing I have a limited time to work on a task helps me avoid distractions and stay laser-focused.   Increased energy: The short breaks prevent burnout and keep my energy levels up throughout the day. Reduced procrastination: Breaking down tasks into smaller chunks makes them feel less daunting and easier to start.   Enhanced creativity: Stepping away from my work allows my mind to wander and often leads to new ideas and solutions.  This technique, often called the Pomodoro Technique, has significantly boosted my productivity and reduced my stress levels. Give it a try and see if it works for you!

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katie.deaton
katie.deatonLevel 2
posted in Career Advice
Giveaway Day 1: Productivity Tip: Start a "Parking Lot"

As a social media manager/ parent/ person with lots of interests and activities, the distractions are endless. I frequently have ideas when reviewing feeds or working on projects, but in order to stay on task during dedicated project or task time, I have a “parking lot” where I write down or screenshot any ideas I want to revisit. I block time weekly to review this list. During that time, they’re either deleted, filed away, or lead to inspiration or new projects. This helps me reduce the number of “SQUIRREL!!” moments during focused periods of work. Would love to hear what works for others!

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marisa.stephensLevel 2
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip: Get Outside of the Office!

I find that sitting in the same environment day in and day out - whether you work from home or in office - can often stifle productivity and creativity.If you have the flexibility, work from a coffee shop for a few hours or even just work from a different room in your home (the kitchen table instead of your office) or a different space in your office building (get outside on the patio if you have one or hang out in a lounge space).A simple change of location can sometimes break the monotony and help stimulate your brain with new ideas from your surroundings. 

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lucyrobertsLevel 2
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip: deep work

My productivity tip is borrowed from the book Deep Work by Cal Newport. He suggests you time block the same couple hours every day for deep work. This is time where you are pushing your brain to its capacity and putting in your hardest effort, in order to create work that cannot be easily duplicated. It’s where you are really adding value to the workplace. The more you stick to it, the easier it gets. 

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dianna.lyngholmLevel 1
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip - Ai at the ready!

More recently I’ve found that always having ChatGPT and Gemini open as tabs on my screen makes work a lot faster. Time I used to spend trouble shooting something, or brainstorming, thinking of marketing copy, or researching is so much faster with the tools. I must get an hour a day back minimum just by making sure i have those resources at the ready and have already trained chats so that I get what I need asap. It’s also helped me keep on top of the ever changing landscape of Ai with new custom gpt and integrations with other tools like canva! So, have you’re preferred Ai tool open and at the ready and think about the tasks you’re doing, can you do them faster with some Ai assistance? 

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gbreckenridgeLevel 1
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip - File Saving

Sharing a quick productivity tip from a blog writer and social media manager. Upon downloading image and video files, name them appropriately and include the date. Most of my visual elements come from Canva, and sometimes in those designs, there can be 20+ pages in a single design (for example, if using the images for an Instagram carousel). Name the designs in chronological order (e.g., Advice Cover Image, Advice 1, Advice 2, Advice 3, Advice 4, Advice Conclusion). This sounds tedious but saves me a headache later on when I’m sifting through 200+ image files that will be used for social media, web, paid ads, etc.

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caro_k
Agency Partner
caro_kAgency Partner
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip - Brain Dump ✍️

I keep a blank piece of paper next to me on my desk and whenever I get an idea that doesn’t relate to what I’m working on, I write it down there so I don’t lose focus. I used to keep this as a running list on my laptop’s Notes app, but found that I’d end up forgetting about it or it’d get lost in the mess.At the end of the day (most of the time 🤭), I go through the notes and either add them to my to-do list for the next day or slot them into my calendar wherever makes sense. It has been helpful in cutting down my constant clicking back and forth between tabs/projects and I find that when I physically write down my to-do’s I remember them better.

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mmellander
mmellanderLevel 3
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tips

EVERYTHING goes into my calendar, including blocking off time for lunch.  Being sure to step away from my desk occasionally to detach from my email. When planning social posts - I always start with the “set in stone” posts (holidays, anything tied to an event). I then fill in our re-occurring posts (e.g. employee highlights). Then you can see what space you are left to work with and start tackling filling them in with content. 

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molly.rodinLevel 2
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip: Plan your distractions

Instead of trying to not get sidetracked, I find it’s way easier to just build time for distractions into my plan. So if I am taking a coffee break, I’ll give myself extra time to check my phone, scroll IG, etc. Or plan in advance to use the 30 minutes between meetings as downtime rather than productive time. Knowing when I’m taking breaks and not feeling guilty about using that time “unproductively” makes it a lot easier to stay focused when I do need get stuff done.

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savannah.bellemLevel 1
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip - set your day up for success!

As someone who’s job heavily revolves around social media like many of you, the biggest difference I’ve seen with productivity is starting out my day NOT looking at my phone. The urge to scroll on IG/TikTok to catch up on trends, news, etc. is REAL. But I find myself wanting to doom scroll much less when I resist that dopamine rush first thing in the morning. Airplane mode/Do Not Disturb mode is your friend! 

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molly.rodinLevel 2
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip: Plan your distractions

lol not sure how this got posted to the wrong place and can’t figure out how to delete. 

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mschillingLevel 2
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip - Cancel Noise

Invest in noise-canceling headphones if you’re in an office space. It helps to focus and prevent too many interruptions in-person when you need to dedicate time to your screen. 🤓

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alicia_cheungLevel 1
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip - Time Blocking

As a social media manager who’s balancing multiple projects and deadlines at once, time blocking has been super helpful. Instead of just using my calendar for meetings, I like to block off time to work on specific projects so that I’m not jumping from one task to another. Once the time’s up, even if the task isn’t finished yet, I’ll move on to the next one. Time blocking (along with writing daily and weekly to-do lists) helps me prioritize and get work done.

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allyson.blinkhornLevel 2
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip

As someone with ADHD, I have a lot of productivity tips, failures, and everything in-between. I can be sporadic, stuck in strategy, you name it. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in this profession, especially when you’re a social team of one (but still want to do the work of a team). I’ve kept journal, sticky notes, digital planners, physical planners, pomodoro timers...yeah. The biggest productivity tip I have is this:Keep a list with 5 essentials for your brand. What do I mean? I’m talking audience, color scheme, adjectives describing your brand - that kind of thing. You’re probably like me and have no trouble looking through analytics, learning about the “algorithm” for whatever platform, thinking about ways to repurpose content and make fresh, new ideas stick. But at the end of the day, come back to that list when you sit down to draft content. Have the strategy and all the fancy things you’ve thought of in the back of your head, but come back to that list. Keep it right in front of yo

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andersevLevel 1
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip - Small Steps

Something that helps me with my productivity is turning larger projects into smaller, more achievable steps.It can become overwhelming to look at an entire project but just like a journey, it takes several steps/miles to get to your destination. Knowing what steps are along the way and having those be your initial objectives will help you reach completing your project/task.This is especially true for those of us that are neurodivergent. Much larger projects can feel like a mountain on our shoulders and can push us into avoidance but breaking things up into more achievable steps can help create a positive snowball effect.  

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maureen.fitzgerald-pennLevel 1
posted in Career Advice
Giveaway Day 1: Productivity Tip to Manage the Chaos

I’m most successful with managing the projects and daily requests of my many internal clients when I reply to each message with as complete of a response as possible. Once that message has moved down the list it is out of mind -- leaving tasks incomplete. So, I review the proposed content or provide analytics or whatever is requested as soon as I read the message. That doesn’t mean that I’m constantly interrupted -- but when it is time for me to manage my incoming messages -- I handle each request to my capacity. Then add any remaining elements to my To Do list for the next day. 

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donmouthLevel 1
posted in Career Advice
Career Advice Giveaway Day 1: Mix Digital and Written ToDo lists

ToDo lists are essential productivity winners, but with all the different apps, spreadsheets, I find I still miss essentials. I’ve found since writing my daily lists by hand, I’ve been knocking my tasks out of the park. At the end of the day, a new list must be written, and anything not done that day is re-entered by hand onto the new list. Great way of keeping tasks to mind.

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adrienne.cooleyLevel 4
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Advice: Phone placement!

For me the most effective way to stay productive is to put my phone in another room, or if I’m in the office, to put it in my bag on the other side of my cubicle. Since I use Sprout, it’s easier to engage on our social channels using the smart inbox, which helps me stay on task and makes it so I don’t get distracted by every notification that pops up on my phone.

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TAMAYSLevel 2
posted in Career Advice
Productivity Tip: Walk or Dance it Out

You know when you hit the wall on a creative idea and your brain is just running in circles? Take a walk, a brisk 7 min walk to get you in your body, and therefore thinking a different way could be the thing you need to move forward on that project. the NSFW edition is host a private dance party. Turn on that song that has you “That’s my jam!” and give it your all. The only one who thinks you are weird is a dog and you can bribe them with a bone. That’s what I do when I’m stuck because it get’s my brain working in a different way and when I come back to the idea, I’m thinking differently instead of in the same rut.  

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