If you run your own PR agency, you will have the added pressure of completing client work in addition to the day-to-day work a business takes to run smoothly. In this case, procrastination is a synonym for missed deadlines, unhappy PR clients, and business decline.
If you procrastinate over doing tasks, then no one is left to complete them, which leads to a feeling of overwhelm. We’ve all been there – workdays get hectic, inboxes fill up, and to-do lists quickly snowball out of control. In your state of panic, all your tasks seem equally important and time-pressing. No matter how much you try to plan, life always puts a wrench in those plans. You need to learn how to be more productive and how to prioritize to overcome procrastination as successful women in public relations.
Find your motivation again by implementing these strategies:
Complete your biggest task first.
Start your morning with confidence by completing your biggest task of the day. This could be a big PR client call or project you need to finish. Don’t just assume you can do it later because you don’t know what client crisis might come up on your schedule.
Find an accountability partner through Women in Public Relations.
As a member of Women in Public Relations, you can find an accountability partner through our online academy or social media groups.
Holding yourself accountable for your goals is a key factor to accomplishing your weekly goals. Having to tell someone you failed at reaching a goal or making excuses to that person is uncomfortable, especially if this chosen partner is a “tell it like it is” person who won’t accept your excuses or let you off easy. Even if you just choose one goal a week, knowing someone is waiting to hear an update is often enough to spur you to action.
Create a vision for your future success.
A powerful exercise to prioritize what you want in the future is to create a PR vision board. Working on a vision board for your work is simple and exciting because you choose pictures that speak to you; you’re paying attention to your subconscious desires which can be quite different than your intellectual desires. Posting these photos on your vision board gives them life, it makes them a solid goal in your business life and should inspire you to work hard to reach those goals. However, don’t keep your goals a secret. Tell your spouse, parents, friends, or other women in public relations so they can be your cheering squad.
Get out of your comfort zone.
Sometimes procrastination evolves from a fear of getting out of your comfort zone. It’s a form of denial. However, no matter how long you put something off, it’s not just going to disappear on its own. Getting out of your comfort zone can be rewarding if not nerve-wracking and oftentimes you’ll discover the task itself was easier or less complicated than you thought.
Delegate smaller tasks that are holding you back.
If the small mundane tasks are holding you back, then hire a PR assistant to handle those tasks. Delegate those tasks which cause you to procrastinate and you’ll find a new love for your PR work. In the end, you’ll also come out ahead because while your PR assistant is taking care of client business, you can take care of building your business.
The Women in PR Time Management + Productivity Program will help you learn how to manage your time rather than being managed by the lengthy list of items on your PR to do list. We will show you how to make small tweaks to your work habits to improve your PR productivity.
If you haven’t already, please join us in the Women in PR Academy for monthly PR career and lifestyle inspiration.
American Women in Public Relations™ (Women in PR USA®) and Canadian Women in Public Relations (Women in PR Canada) has been formed to enable groups of public relations women leaders across the Americas to come together to share ideas, contacts, experiences, and to advocate for major issues directly affecting women working in the PR industry today.
Join our online community to be interviewed on our website as Women in PR, gain access to our premium resources, find your next job and build contacts in your field. We also offer member discounts on PR tools, events and training to help you thrive in your career.
Talia Beckett
Talia Beckett Davis is the Founder of Canadian Women in Public Relations and American Women in Public Relations. She works as the Managing Director of Pink Pearl PR.
