Everyone knows the principles of good time management: keep a schedule, try to rise and go to bed at roughly the same time each day, work in some exercise and downtime, etc. 

The PR profession, however, makes time management a bit more complicated. PR pros often juggle multiple accounts and report to several client teams each week. Keeping a schedule and allocating enough time for each client gets complicated fast.

A few core practices will help you feel less overwhelmed. I will share three crucial PR time management  tips in each part of this blog. 

Track Projects and Deliverables For Each Client: This is crucial. There are many moving parts in PR between product launches, media pitches, press releases, content, meetings and more. It’s easy to lose sight of a project or a deadline when you have multiple projects and deadlines for several clients. Keep on top of this by using a tracker for each client and color codes if it works for you. Have your team help fill in project status or deadlines to update client teams on work. Make sure the tracker is constantly updated. While someone (preferably the account lead) should be in charge and driving every project to completion, it’s also up to each member to use their time wisely and tell their colleagues where things stand.

Mind the Meeting Time: PR is about getting things done, such as placing stories, writing content and submitting for awards. Meetings take away valuable time that could be used for work. When clients want to meet for an hour, adopt their style. But in-house meetings should be kept brisk and focused on getting work done. Many in-house meetings could easily be handled via a quick messaging session or message with bullet points.

Don’t Be Afraid to Say No: PR pros are, by nature, people pleasers. We want to help and get work done. Sometimes this leads to taking on too much. When this happens, quality suffers and work falls through the cracks. It’s better to do slightly less and ensure it meets your standards. If you’ve taken on too much or feel overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to let someone know. Chances are they’ll work with you to ensure you can stay focused on doing the best possible work in the time you have.

I will return in a few weeks to share a few more tips.

Interested in learning more about MGP and the work we’ve done for clients? Get in touch at hello@wearemgp.com

Everyone knows the principles of good time management: keep a schedule, try to rise and go to bed at roughly the same time each day, work in some exercise and downtime, etc. 

The PR profession, however, makes time management a bit more complicated. PR pros often juggle multiple accounts and report to several client teams each week. Keeping a schedule and allocating enough time for each client gets complicated fast.

A few core practices will help you feel less overwhelmed. I will share three crucial PR time management  tips in each part of this blog. 

Track Projects and Deliverables For Each Client: This is crucial. There are many moving parts in PR between product launches, media pitches, press releases, content, meetings and more. It’s easy to lose sight of a project or a deadline when you have multiple projects and deadlines for several clients. Keep on top of this by using a tracker for each client and color codes if it works for you. Have your team help fill in project status or deadlines to update client teams on work. Make sure the tracker is constantly updated. While someone (preferably the account lead) should be in charge and driving every project to completion, it’s also up to each member to use their time wisely and tell their colleagues where things stand.

Mind the Meeting Time: PR is about getting things done, such as placing stories, writing content and submitting for awards. Meetings take away valuable time that could be used for work. When clients want to meet for an hour, adopt their style. But in-house meetings should be kept brisk and focused on getting work done. Many in-house meetings could easily be handled via a quick messaging session or message with bullet points.

Don’t Be Afraid to Say No: PR pros are, by nature, people pleasers. We want to help and get work done. Sometimes this leads to taking on too much. When this happens, quality suffers and work falls through the cracks. It’s better to do slightly less and ensure it meets your standards. If you’ve taken on too much or feel overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to let someone know. Chances are they’ll work with you to ensure you can stay focused on doing the best possible work in the time you have.

I will return in a few weeks to share a few more tips.

Interested in learning more about MGP and the work we’ve done for clients? Get in touch at hello@wearemgp.com