#prdaily

Just when you think you are at capacity, more keeps coming.  Sound familiar?

The spirited and innovative entrepreneurs we work with are securing new opportunities for their businesses. They are keeping everyone around them motivated and taking the time to come up with fresh ideas.  In their “spare” time, they are making new connections virtually.  And on top of everything, they are reprioritizing their budget and making even better use of their time.  And they are loving every intensely busy second of it.

That’s because, if you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life.  When we undertake new tasks, we often start by experiencing a high, ready to take them on headfirst.  It’s important to keep the joy in your daily tasks in order to feel fulfilled in your life.

Work productivity is a concept that can be easily altered by your mindset and simple adjustments.  It’s so important to have fun!

When we set out on our new tasks, it’s important to incorporate authentic enjoyment into our habits. Not only can you get your work done, but you can also achieve excellent results just by making sure you have a little fun throughout the day.  (Signs of that include smiles and laughter.)

Working smart gives you the room to get it done without burning out.  When we work, we want to make the most out of the time we have with the tasks at hand.  It’s important to take a moment to evaluate a plan of action but remember to give yourself the space to accomplish it all.  It’s important to know how to change your mindset to align with your work goals and stay positive.

Here are five C’s for feeling good about getting it all done and creating a bridge to get to the other side:

Curious. Be open. Embrace your passions and watch amazing things get done.  If you don’t see why a challenge is interesting, look harder.

Concentrate. Focus and fully immerse yourself in the task at hand as if nothing else exists. Multi-tasking wastes time.

Care. If you care about what you do, you will get it done. Not having time to get it done is a sign that you don’t care.  When you are going too fast, slow down.

Commit. If you decide to do something, don’t flake on yourself. If you want it to, you can make it happen.

Charm. Passion is infectious and should show in all your communications.

These five C’s will help you navigate and alter the way you work. When you are faced with a new task, you’ll feel ready to accomplish it with the goals you set out for yourself.  Taking each day as it comes will help you create a place where you feel motivated, engaged, and productive.  These tips will help build a bridge to a new way of tackling task management and help you come out with more done on the other side.

Mindfulness

Meditating for 30 seconds or even three hours can also help maximize your output. Setting aside time each day is more important than assigning a time requirement. Positive visualization can help you see what you want to happen and act as if it has happened.  You can keep visible notes of what you want to accomplish. My refrigerator, windows and mirrors have notes that keep me in line.

Sitting for too long will cause your blood flow to slow. It’s good to make sure you’re getting up, walking around and shaking everything out from head to toe.  Comfortable clothes or performance items like compression socks or compression shorts can be a good investment, too.

Taking the time to make sure your health and your workspace have all that it needs to succeed will help you stay productive and happy.

Local news can sometimes be as valuable as national events if you get coverage in the dominant newspaper where your company is located.

This may be a little delayed, but last week I got to experience high fashion, designer styles, celebrities and the extremely busy day of an event and public relations professional.  

Luckily, my internship had started just before Toronto Men's Fashion Week! Even more exciting was the opportunity of being part of the team - organizing seating charts, collaborating with event staff, live tweeting, updating social media with live posts/pics, setting-up, seating and welcoming high-profile attendees, while also preparing for the after party.

It was a whirlwind experience that I have learned a lot from.  I think one of the most valuable lessons I learned, also number one on PR Daily's 4 PR Lessons from the Oscars, was that you cannot please everyone.  There were hundreds of people on a seating chart, plus standing room, and then there were unexpected but still much appreciated guests of already confirmed guests.  Regardless of how smoothly the media interviews went prior to the show, getting people to sit in their assigned seats was next to impossible.  Then there was the mass of people that showed up "on time" or right when the lights went dark and the runway was lit up. Despite all this, the fashion was astounding.  All the guests looked dapper and the designs on the runway were received with praise and exaltation.  

After that, the after party was easy to manage.  The guests arrived at the venue at a constant pace, all eager and full of excitement over the event, fashion and celebrity appearances.  All-in-all, the show and after pary were a hit! The reviews received were all positive, but there will always be that individual that didn't get sat, missed the show because they were "fashionably late" or couldn't get into the after party. 

PR DAILY sums up how to build a strategy for Facebook contests.

Launching a Facebook photo contest may be easy, but planning a successful campaign requires strategy. For those interested in running a contest, here are a few best practices before you jump in. Outline your goals. Determining the measures of success for your campaign is essential to its strategy. Go beyond goals such as to “increase ‘likes’” or “build engagement.” Rather, be specific and assign metrics for what you’re looking to achieve. When planning the campaign, answer the following questions:

• What are we promoting? Is it a new product, brand, or service? • What information am I looking to collect from participants? • How can we repurpose this data? • How will we encourage users to participate? • How long will the contest run? • How can we engage new fans after the contest?

Once the contest stops, create a detailed marketing plan for targeting the new consumers acquired during the campaign. It can transform new fans into customers for life. Make entering easy. A key element in a successful Facebook photo contest is determining the signup experience for participants. Lengthy forms that require too much information will drive users away. Outline the minimum number of required fields for entries, and allow one-click submissions that pull from users’ Facebook information. Also, don’t forget to map out what happens after a user enters. Including incentives such as discount codes in auto-generated replies is a simple way to encourage sales. Promote it. Everywhere. Ensure your contest receives maximum reach by marketing the campaign across all of your audiences. Custom hashtags unite your social networks by enabling users to submit across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Include this same tag in promotional emails, advertisements, and your website. Nexxus’ selfie campaign illustrates how to cross-promote a campaign with a branded hashtag. The company collected submissions from Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with its #PrimeColor tag and promoted it across various channels.

Learn the rules. Within its terms, Facebook outlines its official rules for running promotions:

• Each entrant must provide a complete release. • Acknowledgement that the promotion is not sponsored or endorsed by Facebook. • A user’s personal timelines may not be used for promotion (example: “share on your timeline to enter,” or “share on your friend’s timeline for another chance to win”).

When doing a media interview, follow these easy 10 steps to ensure your material gets used!