How to Make Stress Your Best Friend
By: Anna Pearce
Things can move at a lightning speed in the world of PR. One moment you’re pitching an announcement for one client, and the next minute you’re delivering a kick-ass PR plan for another. At all times, you are a breath away from the weighty feeling of panic that accompanies stepping away from your desk for a second only to return to notifications for additional, unanticipated projects. But at LaunchSquad, instead of letting this stress cripple us, we find ways to overcome it. We reformat stress into productive energy. In short, we use stress to our advantage to deliver quality work for clients.
Recently, we sat down with Senior Account Executive Annie Betz to discuss useful time management and organization techniques, and learn more about how we at LaunchSquad manage stress. Read on for some take aways to help pave the road for a successful and stress-free new year:
Turn big things into little things.
This is something LaunchSquad co-founder Jesse Odell loves to talk about, and for good reason. When assignments appear overwhelming, break them down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Additionally, checking-off smaller items as you go will help build momentum and nourish steady progress. Taking this dual approach will give you a better, more manageable idea of how to tackle the project ahead of deadline.
Phone a friend.
When you’re feeling slammed, find someone who can take an objective look at your workload and help you (calmly) map out a plan of attack. Colleagues are typically more willing than you think to lend a hand, so don’t be afraid to pull someone in to help you prioritize what’s on your plate.
Log off Slack.
And Gchat. And sometimes email, too. Turning off notifications may sound like it will amplify stress but in reality, these channels often do more harm than good. All those animal GIF’s and funny threads can quickly become a waste of time and leave you behind. Next time, unplug for an hour or two when you need to go heads-down on multiple projects – and make sure to communicate your plan to colleagues before signing off. You’ll thank yourself later.
Let stress energize, not paralyze, you.
Looking down at your schedule to find there are more items on your to-do list than there are hours in the day is never a good feeling. It’s easy to let this realization overwhelm you to the point of inaction. Instead of freezing and spending too much time wondering where to start–jump in. Take the time to find what works for you, whether it’s bouncing ideas off a nearby coworker or taking a quick walk to clear your mind. Then dive in and embrace the frenzy. After all, the pace of work is part of what makes PR so invigorating. Channel any mounting stress and use it to propel you forward.
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