Dear PR Matters,
My friends and I have been following your past columns about PR trends in 2017 and I find these very helpful and industry even if we are not in the PR or advertising industry.
For those not in the PR industry, can you give some tips on how we can become more successful in 2017? We are in our 20s and 30s and feel that there are a lot of things we can improve in ourselves. Can you share with us some tips?
We will really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Louisa C.
Dear Louisa,
It is nice to know that you and your friends have been following our columns, despite the fact that you are not in the PR industry. My International Public Relations Association (Ipra) colleagues and I also find it heart-warming that you would like to improve yourselves.
While you are in your 20s and 30s, let me say that self-improvement does not stop there. It is a work in progress whatever age you may be. In fact, my Ipra colleagues are still looking out for ways we can improve ourselves.
With that we would like to share with you an article “17 Bad Habits You Need to Kill to Be More Successful in 2017” by Silverback Social CEO Chris Dessi, which was published in Inc. Com.
But why zero in on bad habits? “Adding good habits can be fun,” Dessi says, “but unfortunately, [most of the time], they don’t work. Approximately 38 of Americans will make resolutions, and only 8 percent will succeed.”
That is why “instead of adding a new diet or workout regime”, Dessi suggests that we “remove the negative habits that have been holding you back”. We will share with you the first seven habits in this column, and the other eight next week.
Kill your habit of checking social media during the workday. “Social-media platforms are masters of making you stay there,” Dessi says. “Getting lost in Facebook can be fun, but it’s counterproductive during the day—especially when you’re trying to build that presentation for your investors.”
Many companies, in fact, have realized how checking social media during working hours can be a deterrent to employee productivity and efficiency; and have issued their own guidelines on this. It may be good to check your company’s social-media regulations, which most of the time have been crafted for your own benefit.
And while we are now on the subject, Dessi suggests that we turn off the notifications on our phone, and check our snaps during our break.
Kill your habit of thinking it’s all about you. “Your frowning boss isn’t conspiring to fire you, as much as the cashier isn’t giggling about your tie,” Dessi says. “They’re thinking about themselves, and their own problems. Not you. I promise.”
In the end, “it’s not about you. So, cut it out. Run on that assumption when dealing with every human interaction in your life, and you’ll be much happier.”
Kill your habit of multitasking. Focus is important, especially since “science tells us that only 2 percent of us really can multitask. So, don’t try”. Instead, “when attempting to get something off your to-do list, shut down every browser and app on your screen, except the ones you need.”
“Otherwise, you’ll get notifictions for LinkedIn requests, Facebook live posts and tweets. I never ending stream of distraction. So shut down everything except the program you need, and finally get things done.”
Kill your habit of comparing yourself with everyone. “You will never win this game,” Dessi says. “There will always be someone smarter, better looking, richer and [seemingly] happier. Always.”
Instead, “focus on yourself, your mind-set, your health, the state of your being, and you’ll win.”
Kill your habit of complaining. We can only sigh when we are stuck with someone who keeps on bellyaching all the time. Don’t be that complainer. “It’s not just worth it,” Dessi says. “Be aware of the words that come out of your mouth. They affect you and the people around you.”
Better still, “speak of good things, and more good things happen. Speak of negative things, and more negative things happen. Simple.”
Kill your habit of wasting time with negative people. “If they don’t love and support you, get rid of them,” Dessi shares the hard truth with us. “You don’t have to shout, kick and scream. Just stop being available to them. They won’t notice. They’re too self-centered to care.”
Kill your habit of organizing long and unnecessary meetings. “Less meeting means more doing,” Dessi observes. After all, “we’re all adults. Take the meeting, do what you need to do and go and do it. You can still be social, and have fun, and succeed in making meetings more efficient.”
Dessi suggests that in our next meeting, we “set an agenda…and have everyone share:”
- What they’re working on
- What they’ve completed
- What they need in order to complete what they’re still working on
“It works. I promise,” he says. “You’ll shave half-an-hour off your meeting time.”
We will share with you his eight other tips in next week’s column.
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the UK-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for marketing and communications of SM, is the local chairman.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.