Last week was MSU‘s spring break and contrary to popular belief, I did take the week off. That’s right – no work, meetings or even PRSSA… OK, just a little bit of that. But still, it was nice to finally have some time off to relax.
With all of the new online tools, it’s easy to get lost in work. And with some big exams/midterms coming up, it’s even harder for me to stay away from the computer. I’ll be the first to admit that it was really difficult, but I’m proud to say I learned some important lessons. More than just learning how to step away, I learned a lot of balance. Here’s how I did it:
- I limited myself online. I went online for about an hour a day, mostly because I normally steal my neighbor’s wireless and it wasn’t working. Needless to say, it was interesting. Between work and school I end up online a lot, so I had plenty of time to get out and enjoy not being connected to the rest of the world. Even though I missed some earthquakes and scandals, it felt great.
- I made small goals for each day. Instead of cramming at the end of break (like I normally would have done), I completed a couple of smaller tasks each day. For the bigger projects, I broke them up and tackled pieces each day. By the end of break, I had a lot done. I even stayed offline for the entire day yesterday.
- I scheduled some personal time. Whether it was getting caught up in the reading for the PR Book Club, or taking a nap or even getting caught up with friends, I managed to make sure I had fun every day. Hey, I do this at school already, but I want to get better at making sure I have personal time every day.
- I studied without my laptop. And I got a lot of studying done in a shorter period of time. This really shouldn’t be a surprise to me. Normally, I’m rocking some Beethoven symphonies with my e-mail open and have my books/notes open. This week I’ll test this out while I’m studying for these exams.
Overall, it was about making my time more efficient and balanced. My new goal is to focus more on each individual task and not to get distracted with other things. And what do you know, Pick the Brain has the perfect post for me today. I’ll blog about this soon. Next step – turn off my phone. We’ll see if that ever happens.
How do you get away from work and commitments? And how do you balance working on multiple projects at the same time?
Filed under: Social Media, balance, pick the brain, spring break, time management
PR Start by Nick Lucido 
Let me start by saying I can’t believe you, Nick Lucido, actually took a break! Good for you! Welcome to the world the rest of us live in.
I struggle sometimes putting too much on my plate. I also have to work very hard at time management, it’s never been a strong area for me. Once you learn that you work well under pressure and with short deadlines, it can be hard to motivate yourself at another time.
Lately what I’ve been doing is breaking projects up into pieces and putting them on separate days in planner. I check each item off once I do it, and try not to skip ahead so I still have time for “life” beyond my to-do list. I work on each task in the order it is due, that way I avoid doing the easier tasks first and getting stuck with the big ones closer to deadline.
Maybe the same tactic will work for someone else.