Career Advice

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.  

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. 

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.

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.

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.  

Add a reminder to your calendar to step away from your desk to spend just 10 minutes meditating or taking a quick walk outdoors to refresh your mind. Providing that mental reset really boosts my focus and creativity. Even if it’s a short break, it reduces my stress and helps my productivity throughout the day.

How many of us routinely juggle 100+ projects? That’s where time blocking works for the win for me.I reserve time on my calendar for long-form writing and video work as well as batch work the “little emails.” 

One of my go-to productivity tips is utilizing Do Not Disturb on my phone! I easily get distracted by incoming texts, calls, and emails - putting my phone in Do Not Disturb mode for certain periods of time helps keep me focused on the work in front of me. I also block out chunks of time on my calendar to work on certain projects or content pieces uninterrupted. It helps me visualize the time I’ll be spending on something and helps be disconnect from other tasks to focus on something else.

I take screenshots of everything… a clever post that might inspire a future campaign, a compliment from a colleague in a Teams chat that could lift me up on tough days, gifts I must buy after work hours 😊… it’s “just a photo”, but it’s become a powerful vault of inspiration that I’ve come to rely on… vs. hoping my overworked brain will remember.Humans are visual creatures and we better digest content when it’s eye candy. So start snapping — your future self will thank you!I have dozens more on my phone, but I try to house them in a folder on my work laptop so I can scroll through on demand. As a mom who never gets to finish her coffee the first time it’s hot, and who has left a re-heated mug in the microwave only to discover it later in the day more times than I care to admit… I am eyeballing that Ember mug! ☕

Two of my top tips for productivity are creating organized to do lists and taking mental breaks. One of my teams favorite resources is monday.com which is a work management platform, and it is one of my favorite things to help me with my to do lists! It helps me start work each day with a clear list of things I need to get done, and what items are high priorities on my list. I also love their automations! Sometimes if its a busy month, some monthly tasks will not cross my mind, but with monday.com I set up multiple automations so they are automatically added to my to do list each month. It’s amazing!!  Another tip of mine is just taking mental breaks. It’s so simple, but helps me a lot. As social media managers, we are always on our phones or staring at a screen, so I love taking mental breaks for about 30 minutes during the day to step away and clear my mind. This practice also helps me a lot when I’m in a creative funk, and am having trouble brainstormi

I use a Pomodoro “tomato” timer to track my tasks and to set time-oriented goals. When the 25-minute timer goes off, I can take a 5-minute break to refresh or reset my mind. After every four pomodoros (25-minute work sessions) I’ll take a 15-minute break. 

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.

For the day 1 giveaway, my productivity tip is around continual learning.Never let what you know become stale. Trends and innovations are showcased often, while tool and platform features and algorithms are updated, tweaked, and changed about as often. Allocating time to stay current, by reading news, blogs, checking out podcasts, joining communities (like this one, of course!), attending webinars can definitely help with optimizing productivity  — and staying sharp!.

It’s not hard to get easily distracted these days! One key tip I have for staying focused is to use time blocking in my daily schedule. By allocating specific blocks of time for different tasks, I can prioritize what’s truly important and maintain my focus on completing those tasks without distractions. This ensures that I’m working on the right things at the right time! 

In Onenote - or wherever you keep notes - create a tab for each recurring meeting you have. Whenever a topic or issue comes, add it to that running list right away under the meeting date.It’s a good reminder of what you talked about and what you need to cover or revisit. It also allows you to answer questions that you discussed previously, that no one would otherwise remember (e.g. “we talked about this Feb. 16 and decided not to because of xxx.”) 

At the end of each day I spend a few minutes looking at my calendar for the next day. I keep a small dry erase board on my desk and I write out what I have going on the next day. I can prioritize my free time based on what I know I’ll need to accomplish that next day. It’s really helped me visualize the coming day, wrap up my day and enter the new day ready for what’s to come. 

As someone who is visual, I have found that creating a spreadsheet was the easiest way to keep my work life in order. The best part was color coding the whole thing! The most important part was creating a Key. I know I know….this sounds like a basic checklist but the color coding really help keep things in order. And once you check things off you can move on to the next. I love the red being urgent because it stands out and I know I need to prioritize asap.  A lot of people use post-it notes but having a digital copy allows me to be able to go back (YoY) and look over past taks and become more efficient with my time with my copywriting.  

I’ve started completely signing out of my inbox so I’m not distracted on new emails. Focusing on one thing at a time was sometimes difficult, not being bothered with new emails has been a game changer!

I don’t know about anyone else, but once I became a parent, my brain totally shifted personally and, honestly, professionally. My now 3yo, energetic, yet sweet son has given my husband and I a run for our money (and brain cells). Because of that, I write down almost everything. From grocery lists, Target runs and, most especially, work tasks, if it’s not written down, it’s not getting done (or purchased).It seems silly and simple, yes. But this has truly been my personal game changer since becoming a working mom. I’ll write down things such as, “Reply to xyz person about xyz topic BY FRIDAY,” which is something I never had to do until the last few years.But if it’s written down and needs to be checked off? It gets done quicker. Simple as that.

Throughout my career, I have tried various ways to stay productive during the work day. I’ve found, at least for me, a combination of print and digital methods works best, especially for my role. I oversee marketing, communications, mergers and acquisitions, and creative, which means managing a few different teams and people. So, staying organized and productive is key to my every day responsibilities. Prioritization: where does the project fall within department/company objectives and has the most visibility with the executive leadership team? My team uses ClickUp for project management. We treat our team as an internal agency with the other departments as client. We meet weekly as a team to map out the planned and potentially unplanned work that each group is working on, how can we collaborate, and what is the timeline. All of this information helps prioritize our week.Daily Check-Ins: pulse check on work in progres

A timer. For productivity? Groundbreaking. I know, I know. But I set the timer once an hour to remind myself to get away from my desk and stretch my legs, so I don’t fall into the rabbit hole of my inbox and tabs and tasks. Taking a few moments to step away and reflect on the last hour and what I’ve accomplished in that time breaks things up nicely. It also makes my day feel more manageable, so I’m less likely to suffer from Fried Egg Brain, which is not a productive form of brain. 🍳

My top two productivity tips are writing daily to-do lists and setting reminders on my phone. I’m the worst at getting caught up in a project and losing track of time, so setting reminders ensures everything is done on time, including remembering to eat lunch.

Your calendar is your friend, and write down 3 of your top priority items for the day — anything you accomplish after these three items just set you ahead for the following day! End your day writing down your top 3 priority items for the following day to set yourself up for success. 

My biggest productivity hack/tip is utilizing my calendar for time blocks. I add calendar blocks to schedule social media posts for the week, handle invoicing, prepare for meetings, etc. These blocks allow me to focus on the task at hand and stay on top of the never-ending to-do list.

Use a content calendar to map out posts and campaigns in advance, aligning them with important dates and goals. But don’t forget to leave room for spontaneous opportunities and trending topics. Finding that sweet spot between being prepared and going with the flow helps your content stay fresh and interesting while still getting things done!