Happy Saturday! Today's post is about the balance between work and play. It truly is a lot harder than it seems. I guarantee there will be times where you need to catch up, and your friends will try and make you go out with them. You'll give in, go out, won't get work done, and face the consequences later. I get it, friends are fun! But you need to keep your career in mind at all times, and think about how things will play out in the long-term. In order to stay balanced, try these tips!
1) Prioritize.
If you have something that has to be done soon, be responsible and do it! You can go out with your friends anytime! In PR, you really cannot slack off because there are so many people counting on you. You need to take care of your business so that your project can move forward. This might seem dramatic, but missing a deadline can cost you the job. Then, you'll get to hang out with your friends all the time...because you're unemployed.
2) Consider all outcomes.
Think about what could happen. If you want to go out and have work the next day, think about what would happen if you were so tired that night and overslept and missed work. What would happen? Your job is different than other jobs. You're in PR, and you're required to be fully coherent, focused, and ready to work everyday you step into the office.
3) Will it happen again?
I don't want to make it sound like you should only think about work forever, so here's one for the social butterflies! When your friends ask you to do something, think about the opportunity. Is it a once-in-a-lifetime chance? Will you gain something from it? This a friend sprung a trip to Aruba on me, and I took a week off of work to go. Did I gain something from it? YES! New cultural experience and hello, ARUBA. If it truly is a rare concert or meeting someone important (potential client? seeing a new space? a date?!?!?!) I would say to go ahead and do it. Just stay organized with what you have to do before and after the fact and you should be fine.
4) The company you keep.
Consider who you will be spending your time with. Think about how hanging out with them will affect your mood. If taking care of your sloppy friend from college will make you cranky the next day, skip it. If your slightly tamer friends want to have you over for a game night and it will boost your mood if you've been having a rough week, go for it. Friends have a bigger influence on your feelings and mood than you think. Which leads me to...
5) Be careful who you associate with.
People have different types of friends. Your best friends, your work friends, your party friends, casual friends- and all serve different purposes. Regardless, all of your friends are a reflection of you. Who you associate with can have a good and bad correlation with your image. The good: networking, of course. Knowing a lot of different people helps you meet other different people. Any good PR pro should know how to socialize and interact with people. The bad: if you associate with people who are known for less than stellar reasons, you might want to reconsider surrounding yourself with them. First impressions are hard to break, and you wouldn't want someone to know you as "the person who is friends with the girl who started a fight at the bar." No bueno. So, in a non-creepy way, do your research!
However, even more important than one's reputation is their attitude. The girl who got in the fight at the bar could be your best friend and is the only person who can cheer you up after a hard day at the office. Surround yourself with people who lift you up- that way, you'll never hit rock bottom even if everything goes wrong.
Friends are also a huge blessing because let's face it- life is no fun alone. They can lift you up, expose you to new things and experiences, and just be great people to be around. You need to find what works for you and find your own balance between your career and your social life!
xxx
1) Prioritize.
If you have something that has to be done soon, be responsible and do it! You can go out with your friends anytime! In PR, you really cannot slack off because there are so many people counting on you. You need to take care of your business so that your project can move forward. This might seem dramatic, but missing a deadline can cost you the job. Then, you'll get to hang out with your friends all the time...because you're unemployed.
2) Consider all outcomes.
Think about what could happen. If you want to go out and have work the next day, think about what would happen if you were so tired that night and overslept and missed work. What would happen? Your job is different than other jobs. You're in PR, and you're required to be fully coherent, focused, and ready to work everyday you step into the office.
3) Will it happen again?
I don't want to make it sound like you should only think about work forever, so here's one for the social butterflies! When your friends ask you to do something, think about the opportunity. Is it a once-in-a-lifetime chance? Will you gain something from it? This a friend sprung a trip to Aruba on me, and I took a week off of work to go. Did I gain something from it? YES! New cultural experience and hello, ARUBA. If it truly is a rare concert or meeting someone important (potential client? seeing a new space? a date?!?!?!) I would say to go ahead and do it. Just stay organized with what you have to do before and after the fact and you should be fine.
4) The company you keep.
Consider who you will be spending your time with. Think about how hanging out with them will affect your mood. If taking care of your sloppy friend from college will make you cranky the next day, skip it. If your slightly tamer friends want to have you over for a game night and it will boost your mood if you've been having a rough week, go for it. Friends have a bigger influence on your feelings and mood than you think. Which leads me to...
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| NOOOOOO. |
People have different types of friends. Your best friends, your work friends, your party friends, casual friends- and all serve different purposes. Regardless, all of your friends are a reflection of you. Who you associate with can have a good and bad correlation with your image. The good: networking, of course. Knowing a lot of different people helps you meet other different people. Any good PR pro should know how to socialize and interact with people. The bad: if you associate with people who are known for less than stellar reasons, you might want to reconsider surrounding yourself with them. First impressions are hard to break, and you wouldn't want someone to know you as "the person who is friends with the girl who started a fight at the bar." No bueno. So, in a non-creepy way, do your research!
However, even more important than one's reputation is their attitude. The girl who got in the fight at the bar could be your best friend and is the only person who can cheer you up after a hard day at the office. Surround yourself with people who lift you up- that way, you'll never hit rock bottom even if everything goes wrong.
Friends are also a huge blessing because let's face it- life is no fun alone. They can lift you up, expose you to new things and experiences, and just be great people to be around. You need to find what works for you and find your own balance between your career and your social life!
xxx
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