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PR Life Hacks: A Quick Survival Guide

By Meagan Poole on November 27, 2023

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A young Black woman smiles as she jots down some notes in her notepad.

It’s challenging in any field to find that perfect work-life balance. Having this balance would allow you to recharge, take care of yourself, and avoid the burnout many of us experience after a long work or school week. For fast-paced industries like PR, it can feel impossible to find that balance if you’re not timing it correctly. It felt important to me to share a few tips and tricks I implement in my everyday routine that make my life a little easier, professionally and personally. 

Morning Tip

The average person is looking at their phone directly after waking up. Some think this is a waste of time, mind-numbing, or both. I think differently. Suppose this is something everyone else is doing anyway – instead of wasting the first minutes of my morning scrolling through social media content. In that case, I use this time to answer time-sensitive emails or any lingering messages from the previous night. This allows me to ensure timely responses to clients, colleagues, family, or friends. It keeps me honest and reliable in the eyes of the people in my professional and personal life. I highly recommend doing this, especially if you’re the wake-up-and-scroll type. You’ll be able to address important emails early, keep organized, and prioritize other tasks. 

Afternoon Tip

If you’re anything like me, it’s usually right around mid-day that you feel the professional motivation slipping away. Suppose anything boosts my energy and confidence. It’s feeling fresh and looking fresh, too. Mid-day is the perfect time to take five or ten minutes and freshen up your day’s look. This is a good tip for any time of the day, to be fair. You’re communicating with people all day and representing yourself and sometimes others, so it’s important to consider this, no matter your schedule. I will share my list of beauty products I keep in my bag that are practical and easy to use, making you feel professional and presentable. I will be real with you: beyond this part of my routine boosting my energy up mid-day, this is the time of the day when the action happens. You never know if you’ll be pulled into a meeting or if a professional opportunity arises. This tip will ensure you’re ready, at least appearance-wise, for those situations. 

In My Beauty Bag:

  • A small dry shampoo bottle will make your hair smell and look refreshed
  • Cleansing or facial wipes
  • Travel-size face moisturizer keeps skin looking fresh and healthy
  • Mini toothbrush and toothpaste for the midday brush
  • Travel deodorant and antiperspirant
  • Travel brush to maintain hair
  • Light perfume or cologne
  • Sanitizer

Night Tip

I’m not saying do this every night, so don’t stress about fitting a bunch of hours in, but there should be one night a week when you dedicate an hour to your hobbies. You’ll only grow as a professional if you’re growing on a personal level, too. In my life, my hobbies have always included the arts in some way, shape or form. Mostly, I’m a painter. If I didn’t exercise my creativity this way, I’m unsure if I could apply my creativity to any PR projects I take on. Often, when I need to get into a creative headspace in a professional environment. I revert to my artistic process and pull inspiration and ideas from that. I owe much of my success to the time I give myself to learn new things and practice my passions. I hope you’ll have similar outcomes if you devote some time to your hobbies. A different perspective is sometimes all it takes to create a breakthrough campaign, a viral post, etc. Wouldn’t it be nice if that different perspective came from you?

I wish I had the official answer on achieving that perfect work-life balance. Maybe someday I will, and If I do, I’ll come running to this blog to share that information. For now, I hope these tips and tricks I’ve shared with you allow you to consider at least the importance of timing out little moments of your day to improve your well-being at work, school, or in your PR position. 

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