Inspiration. It’s the whole reason I started this blog back in Jan. 2009.

I was inspired by my mentors to write about everything dealing with communications and PR. A bit lofty, as I had only been out of college for less than two years and didn’t really know what sector of PR fit me.

Since then, I’ve found that being a hyper generalist with a specific specialty is me. I love working in a large agency, working on various accounts but being one of two who are the social media/measurement and analytics people.

Measurement is my passion. I talk a lot about paying it forward and helping others, and I think this blog has almost become too self-serving. Two and a half years into this blog, and I’m bored with my approach. So, while I debate where this platform will go, I will continue to contribute to other places where my passion truly is:

• Fleishman-Hillard: This is a new venture for me, and one I’m really excited about. FH has a few digital properties, including FH DNA and FH WOM.
• MarketingProfs Daily Fix: A site focused around B2B and marketing, it’s a site I really enjoy reading on a daily basis. I want to step up my contributions and really focus on the mesh of B2B and B2C, with some measurement and analytics thrown in. My background is actually B2B and healthcare, which many don ‘t know.
• #u30pro blog: Issues facing young professionals is a topic near and dear to my heart – and the whole reason that me and Dave started this robust community. They give way more than I could ever ask for.
• Aerys Sports: I get to talk about the team I love on a daily basis. What’s not to like? Go Pack Go.

I’m also open to any type of guest post or other contributions. For your LAF fix, check out my Tumblr.

Cheers to the next writing chapter.

Have you ever sat back to think how many times a day you say “I”?

I can’t do this today.
I don’t have time for this.
I just did X at work.
I think that it should be done this way.
I’m the best at this.

Have you ever sat with a communications person outside of work? For communicators, some suck at just talking to another person. Many can’t convey their thoughts, turning it to themselves and coming across as pompous. It’s this insane thirst for finally putting their needs ahead of someone else.

The professionals that stop and still put others first are those that are doing well in and out of the office. They know how to network. They know how to balance work-personal. They know that for every time they say “I”, that’s two times they should be saying “you” or “we.”

How can we as an industry work to improve the mentality?

1. Participate in Twitter chats, such as #pr20chat or #u30pro, to provide thought leadership to others and students. This is a form of paying it forward in a professional manner. Give up that Happy Hour and spend time providing thought and learning from others.

2. Actively participate in movements such as #12for12k. We all know that social media can drive more awareness quickly. Why not join in with a cause you care about? Use your network for good, instead of the greater gain of your own. There are a lot of different things you can participate in, such as #beatcancer.

3. Share twice as many blog posts as you do your own. I’m all for sharing your own work, accomplishments and posts. Try this on for size: Every time you tweet something about you, tweet about two other people. It could be a blog post, a call-out for awesome work they are doing, or even just connecting them with someone else. Make it about them, not you.

4. Volunteer in your community. Working in the non-profit/association world, I know how hard it was to get

volunteers. But, even if its just two hours every week, or every other week, you’re helping out. Local or national nonprofits will find a way to put you to work. Not only are you giving back to others, but you’re helping out on a larger scale. And, hey, it’s not about you. You could even join organizations for professional development.

5. Recognize and applaud other professionals recognition and awards. There is always going to be someone who works harder, has more accomplishments or is just plain kicking butt. How do you react to it? We see it all the time: professionals that berate others out of jealousy. Buck up and find your own path. Those that actively applaud others always stand out.

6. Take a colleague for lunch or coffee on you. I know, I know. You’re busy. Colleague is busy. But, taking time to show you’re interested in what your colleague thinks and getting to know them goes a long way. Don’t alienate – corporate culture is a lot more important than you think.

7. Send an office-wide email with a colleague’s accomplishments. At Fleishman-Hillard, we routinely recognize efforts in the social media space, publications or community. Our office is pretty modest, so it’s been our mission (me and my boss Justin) to actively share their articles or accomplishments. Peer encouragement has our office participating actively in the community and the social space for thought leadership. This only benefits our office and helps with new business.

Tell me: What would you add?

Chalk up “I just don’t have time” as a weak fallback excuse.

At networking events, happy hour and even with various friends, the constant chatter is around how to handle it all. Time management is an art that few excel at, although many claim otherwise. Work duties, family, dating, networking and friends all have a place in your life during the week.

It’s not about how much time you devote to each entity. It’s about the type of routine and habits you develop to fit it all in.

But how can you really accomplish it all?

Step 1: Make a List

What is important to you? Life happens, and devoting all of your energy to just work or to just personal isn’t going to get you far. “Work hard, play hard” is the mantra that everyone should live by, but few achieve it. If it’s always, “I don’t have time” rather than “How can I make it work?”, then only failure will happen.

By asking “How?” instead of automatically saying “No” you have set the precedence in your brain that it can be achieved. Making a list is the easiest way to know what you consider important, how much time you’ve previously spent and if it needs to shift for the week.

So, list it out. Is it friends, work and one networking event as the objective? Is it work and seeing a friend once a week? Find your balance and what makes you happy.

My week list looks like this:

• 3-5 blog posts/articles  (four different outlets)
• 1 professional type meeting for networking (coffee, happy hour)
• Two days for friends
• Thursdays: #u30pro
• Gym: 3-4 times a week
• One night just for me
• Work: Minimum of 48 hours a week

Instead of wondering if its too much, I wake up at 5 a.m. everyday and just get it done. It might seem early, but once you have that routine established, it isn’t as difficult. Sometimes a night can contain both networking and a personal obligation. Choices come down to whether you stay at the happy hour all night or if you move on to the next stop.

Step 2: Make Changes

Did you notice that one day a week  is just devoted to myself, to re-charge? This is an integral part into changing how someone approaches time management. The time can be spent brewing tea, watching a documentary or shopping for shoes.  The decompress time is important, not only for your personal health and life, but for your professional drive.

Making changes isn’t easy. A person might have to repeat it a few times before it sticks.

Step 3: Create a Routine and Establish Habits

Those that succeed at time management also thrive on routine. They are able to create a list and shift it if needed, while still being courteous. Routine isn’t doing the exact same thing everyday, but it is approaching your life in a similar fashion. To grasp time management, one can’t lean heavily on work one week and personal the next. The human brain just doesn’t operate that way, nor will it help to establish habits and routine.

If more time is needed to accomplish everything, start waking up earlier. A person has to train not only their mental state, but their physical state as well. If its difficult to get going in the morning, start with a jog around the block. Endorphines are your friend during a tough week.

Step 4: Repeat, and It’s Ok to Say No

Time management is a commitment, and repeating approaches to both your professional and personal life are significant to the process. If you’re a list person, make lists. If you like Google calendars, use them. Stick to your commitments and know that it’s ok to say no. If a friendship ends because you say no to a happy hour for a networking event, then they weren’t a friend.

Do you struggle with time management? How do you think this can be fixed?

Let’s chat in the comments below.

“One of the most difficult things for people who have been successful in sports is adapting to the daily world where you can’t get an answer from someone until 5 o’clock tomorrow. There is always an excuse. Living 40 or 50 years like that doesn’t get too exciting after a while.”

-Mark Spitz, U.S. Olympic Swimmer

There is this moment when your fingertips pound into the wall after a swim race. A moment of total clarity, one where there is absolute silence. A reality check happens and pulls you back in, all while seeing your coach’s mouth moving and that first breath is taken. You can’t hear the roar of the crowd.  It’s magical every time – it’s that one moment where there is no conception of success or failure. The first time that happened to me, I was 10. I had just finished my 200 free final at TAGS (Texas Aquatic Age Group Swimming) which was the state swim meet. Our 200 freestyle relay had made the Top 16 Cut (Top 16 in the nation) right before my individual race.

At 7, I sold my mental and physical self to a sport. And at 18, it all ended in a second, two weeks before I was to begin training at a D1 school for a team they wanted me to walk onto. My body finally gave out.

Discipline Isn’t For The Weak

Perception has always dictated that to be amazing, one must take risks and put themselves out there. Schedulers and hardcore Type A aren’t seen as risk-takers. Society is wrong. Having discipline and dedication get you far too. Commitment to one thing, one passion. Knowing that out there, there is someone doing it better. You put in the practice, and the work. It’s reading, absorbing, writing and learning. It’s never quitting because it gets too hard or obstacles are in the way. Those that are disciplined have trained their brain for what they can handle and accomplish.

Athlete to Working World: Swimming is 80 percent mental, 20 percent physicial. It’s about knowing yourself and what you can push yourself to do. It’s hitting those obstacles and hurdling over them. It’s not giving up at an injury or a fever. You just keep going.

Time Is An Investment

Who do you surround yourself with? The people you are friends with, personally and professionally, define you. It’s easy to stand out on your own, but support is everything. On the same token, never invest in someone else who isn’t committed to giving the same back. People hold you back all the time without realizing it. There are those that project, preferring to consistently make it about them and their problems. They aren’t catalysts for positive or pushing someone forward. They are selfish, vapid and only it for themselves. Ask yourself, is the stress because of me or because of a friend? If its because of someone else, time to re-evaluate. Toxic people hold you back – and your time is an investment.

Athlete to Working World: Those that will make time for you will always be in your corner. They’ll push you past your limits because they believe in you, not because they want to see you fall.

Stamina and Rocking It

Sometimes, life sucks. Sometimes, you cut your leg open and have to get 25 staples in the back of your leg. You tape it up and keep going. Sometimes, you have  104 fever at state. You lay on the deck and put ice packs on your body to break it before finals. How far are you willing to push past the pain? Everyone suffers. Everyone has obstacles. Everyone has walls they put up that others have to climb. It isn’t stupidity to have goals for yourself and try to be the best, no matter the cost. I won’t lie to you and say that some athletes push themselves in ways that no other individual will. It’s part of the game. It’s part of our mark-up. It’s as natural to us as it is to breathing. Admitting failure is never easy – but know where YOUR line is.

Athlete to Working World: You never know the obstacles that people face behind the scenes, or the hours they put in. That’s their stamina. What’s yours?

It’s you against the clock. Every time. That clock is you and your past successes. How are you pushing yourself on a daily basis?