Being strategic....and then just getting sh*t done

As most of you know, I work at Pierpont Communications, one of the largest communications firms in the South. It's an awesome company -- brilliant people, cool accounts and a LOT going on, every single day.

My role in particular is pretty neat. In a firm that focuses largely on public relations and public affairs, I'm one of two dedicated marketing professionals. Yep, I'm special. :) And unlike many of my peers, who spend 100% of their time on client work, my job is divided into three distinct roles: client work, marketing for Pierpont and managing the graphics department. Essentially, in any single day, I may do some strategic research into a client's competition, write and proof copy for a Pierpont eNewsletter we're sending out, and create estimates and purchase orders for new design work that a client needs. To sum it up -- I am an account planner/client manager/production coordinator, all in one. But that doesn't fit on a business card, so they just call me a Sr. Account Executive.

So yeah, I'm ALL over the place. And I LOVE IT! But that doesn't mean it is easy. The most challenging part: making sure that I think strategically and critically....while at the same time ensuring that we stay on schedule and on budget with every projects. Yeah, it's crazy.

Fortunately, I manage my professional life a bit differently than my personal life. In my personal life, I'm not exactly what you would call organized. My room is a little messy (not dirty...just messy!), I sometimes make plans and forget about them (I have been called a flake, albeit a very nice one!), I leave a trail of stuff wherever I go (like in airports and hotels...) and I tend to forget to reply to personal emails, voicemails, and texts (sorry, but I really do forget!). But at work, I've got my stuff together. Why? Because of the tips below....

- There is a time for project management. And then there is a time for strategy. Multi-tasking doesn't work if you want to be a strong project manager. And it definitely doesn't work if you need to think critically and intelligently for a client. When you need to manage a project -- like write work orders, check schedules and just make sure stuff is getting done -- devote yourself to that. When you need to be more strategic -- write copy, critically research a client's industry or just spend a few minutes thinking and processing a client's brand strategy -- devote yourself to that. It's hard to switch between the two quickly -- devote time to each one separately to ensure success.

- LISTS ARE AWESOME. I make lots of lists, and I spend ample time reviewing them every day. My "master list" is actually a notebook with EVERY task I have to do. It's VERY long, and at any given time I can have four pages of "to-dos" listed. Then, I have a smaller, "Daily list" that I create from this master list -- it just lists all the urgent tasks I need to complete that day. As I finish projects, I cross them off from both lists. I like this dual list process because it allows me to keep track of everything I need to do at some point, but still prioritize what I need to complete that day.

- Turn off the email. Yep, that's right. Turn off your email. If I am working on a project that requires a lot of concentration -- developing a strategic brief for example, or crafting copy for a website or brochure -- I turn my email off. In any given hour, I'll get up to 20 emails about 20 different projects....it's distracting! Turning off my email allows me to focus on what I need to do without getting sidetracked every three minutes to read an email.

- Take breaks! I think my brain is a pretty efficient little machine (hello!?!? It did go to Mount Holyoke!) but even it needs some rest every now and then. When I'm working nonstop, my brain gets pooped -- I overlook details, focus too much on just "getting stuff done" and am inefficient when doing anything that requires real thinking and strategy. The key for me is to take a mini break every hour. Even just getting up and getting a glass of water, or hitting the ladies room -- it all provides rejuvenation so you can provide the best work possible.

What about you? What tips can you share when negotiating between strategy and project management -- two very different, yet equally important, tasks?

Halloween!!!

It's Halloween and per usual, I don't have a costume yet. Last year I was Mary from There's Something About Mary -- it was awesome. And before that, I was a Doublemint twin -- again, awesome.

What should I do this year? Feel free to provide new ideas in the comments section. My brain is fried and not being very creative...

What should I do for Halloween?
	Go as a Greek Goddess. I'd go as Aphrodite, duh!!
	Don something cheesy and sleazy -- think "sexy nurse." Yawn.
	A flapper. Again, yawn.
	Betty and Veronica...but I need a brunette to join me.
	Screw it all and just go camping!
pollcode.com free polls

I still love my iPad....

Have you seen the new Kindle commercial? It takes a major jab at the iPad.



Fine. Fair. The iPad doesn't do well in direct sunlight. Amazon is highlighting the iPad's (one) major flaw. But, as CNET.com so brilliantly points out, the iPad could do the same to the Kindle by, oh, I don't know, playing a video on YouTube, downloading a new tune or movie, or showing an app (or two, or three). It's not an apples to apples comparison -- the Kindle is an eReader. The iPad -- a revolution in how we get and absorb information from the internet. Don't believe me? Get an iPad. You'll see. I am obsessed with mine.

And besides, who would ever bring your iPad to the pool anyway? I wouldn't. I'm way too klutzy -- after all, I am the girl who WASHED an iPod. In the laundry. With bleach.

Do you have an iPad? What about a Kindle? Which would you prefer?

Surprising: People still read the newspaper. Not surprising? Republicans like Fox News!

So I just read an interesting article about how Americans get their news. The Huffington Post reports, per a study by Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, "People are spending an average of 57 minutes per day getting the news from television, radio and newspapers." 57 minutes -- that's a long time. The big kicker -- it hasn't changed in a decade. That's right -- per the study, people are still getting most of their news from these traditional sources. In fact, the Internet and online only accounts for 13 additional minutes of news a day.

I'm curious to know the division between TV, newspaper, and radio. Newspaper reading is way down (the research found a drop of more than 10% just between 2006 and 2010), and I suspect TV talk shows are dominating a lot of the TV air time. Me? I get all my news from two places: online (NYTimes.com, Slate, Huffington Post -- fine, I'm a little biased) and NPR. The only print news I read? The Week, which is sent to me (duh) every week. (Side note: it is THE BEST MAGAZINE EVER!)

More interesting tidbits from the study:

- 40% of Republicans watch Fox News (Snore. I thought it would be higher.)
- Only 9% of Rush's audience thinks Obama is doing a good job. And oh yeah, three quarters of his audience, Hannity and Glenn Beck's identify themselves as Tea Party members. Seriously???

As a secret numbers geek, I love having data to support my stereotypes. Good stuff, right? :)

What about you? Do you read the paper -- not online, but actually ON paper -- everyday? Watch the news on TV? Share, share, share!!!

OMG, I AM UPDATING MY BLOG.

Eek. Wow. (Hides head in shame.) Bad, bad, BAD JEN.

So it's been almost ONE YEAR since I have updated my blog. ONE YEAR. My only (poor) excuse is that I've been busy -- and that's actually the sad truth. I fell off the wagon. I thought that I would be able to keep updating my blog regularly, even when marathon training got underway, traveling became more frequent, and my work hours got longer and longer...

But I wasn't.

So here we are, A YEAR LATER, and I am (hopefully) back on the blog track. But I'm going to be realistic about it -- balanced you could say. In fact, it's an approach I want to take with EVERYTHING in my life...suppress my competitive side a bit (seriously -- I compete in yoga class! who competes in yoga???) and enjoy a slower paced life. Read and write more. Work out less intensely. Meditate for more than 30 seconds. Take my vitamins. Stretch everyday. Take up art again. (I actually used to be a pretty good artist in HS.) Relearn French. Go to church.

So alas, without further ado, let's do this. I'm not aiming to update it everyday, or even every other day, and I know some weeks will be busy and I won't be online as much as I should. But let's see how it goes -- hopefully I'll keep the momentum up.

And if I fall off the wagon again, just yell at me. Seriously. It works.

Man vs. Wild. I mean, vs. Toddler

Muscle Milk Does Thanksgiving

In honor of my Puritan and Mayflower roots. Who needs turkey when you have Muscle Milk! (Kudos to Adverblog for the link!)

Cool new blogs!!!

Hey folks!

Two blogs you MUST READ NOW.

First, check out one of my best friend's blog -- Images from Above. It's a collection of really cool photos she has taken from flights all over the world. A couple of the coolest photos are below...but make sure you add it to your blog roll and check it out as she is always adding to it.





Next, the fabulous Greg Morago, Food Editor at the Chronicle, style guru and all around freaking awesome DUDE has a great blog on the Chronicle site. It's called Food and Cork, and in it he gives us the scoop on all the cool rezzies and bars opening up in Houston. Bonus point -- he sometimes invites me, which means I'm sometimes in the blog! Um, AWESOME. Check it out here.

ENJOY!

Social Media ... is it a fad?

This video was shown at the Pierpont Digital Bootcamp (#dbcpierpont, @pierpontcom on Twitter). It's f'ing awesome -- and very inspiring for a digital geek like myself. Know someone who thinks social media is a fad? Send 'em this video.



(P.S. Thanks to @elehr, @brittneydanne, @lindseydonnell, @briguyblock, @nancylsims, @denise_patrick, @nicolehub, @stacy_armijo, @helenrod, and everyone else who is not on Twitter for an AWESOME bootcamp! Y'all rocked my Friday the 13th!)

Eek.

Once again, it's been FOREVER since I posted. And I don't really have an excuse, other than being lazy, lazy, lazy. Yes, I admit it. Lazy. But that is changing -- beginning today.

What inspired this? Quite simple actually. Some fellow Pierponters and I (@briguyblock being one of them, Emily Bernard -- who isn't on Twitter I think -- another) developed the first official blog schedule for Pierpont. (Check out the blog here.) That's right...an organized, step by step and date by date blog schedule. Sadly, we're already off by one day (grr!) but I'm not letting it get me down. In fact, I'm using this "calendering" as I call it to inspire me to create a schedule for my own blog. As many of you know, I work well when things are structured -- either someone creates the structure for me, or I do it. Otherwise, it'll get done, but it will take a lot longer. (Hey, at least I'm honest.)

So in honor of my new blog schedule, which will begin STAT, I'm asking y'all, my loyal readers and lovers of all things Jen, to let me know WHAT you want to hear/read/see about. A lot of this blog has been focused on marketing, social media, and (occasionally) fashion in the past. Anything else you are dying to learn about from moi? Let me know and in the meantime, buckle up. My tank is full and I'm revving up.