I spend all my time helping comms people to be more creative and effective in their work.

If there’s one thing I regularly see as a barrier to creativity, it’s being so bloody busy that you can’t think straight.

I remember it used to make me feel important and useful to have so much on, it felt like I had no time to rest.

Then I burnt out and made a load of crap decisions (which turned out OK, but still).

Holidays, breaks, lunches, walks – they are not a luxury.  They’re fundamental to doing good work.

Drop everything, know it can wait, and have a rest.

I think we all strive for working 100% in the way described the left.

Don’t feel alone or like a failure if tasks get thrown at you last minute and you experience something like the chaos on the right.

It happens to loads of us.

I aim to always have a couple of priority projects that are planned and get my full creative and strategic attention.

The rest has to go a little bit more like the jumble of capable but reactive comms.

So I’m off to make myself a cuppa, and I might even make it an Irish coffee!

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