We get it. Work can be…well, a lot of work. There are often days when your brain has been reduced to mush and 5 p.m. can’t come fast enough. In the spirit of those days, I decided to ask the team at Obsidian about their favorite tips, tricks and pieces of advice that make their workday easier. They were too good not to share!

A change of scenery is a good thing

“Writer’s block is real, and I’ve found it’s best to switch up where you’re working every once in a while. If I’m struggling to write at my desk, I’ll move to our conference room or up in the front for a while!” – Gracie

Stay up-to-date and keep track of time

“My goal is to always answer each email before the day ends – even if it’s to say I’ll get back to the sender as soon as I can. It helps keep the inbox clean and my mind more clutter-free. Plus, people love getting timely responses.” – Courtney

“This is super menial, but I often write my time start in my hour log, especially if I’m about to dig into something that could take a while or if I’m heading to a meeting. So if you saw my hour log halfway through the day, the bottom line might say “since 11:30” or something so I can accurately keep track!” – Kelli

Find applications that make your job easier

“I like to handwrite my notes because I feel that writing by hand helps me remember them better. As time went on, it became cumbersome to keep a ton of notebooks around for reference. When I found Nebo, my work life changed! Nebo allows me to handwrite my notes and convert them to text very easily. I can then create PDFs and upload them to my client files. Now, all of my notes are neatly organized and easy to search.” – Taylor

The start and end of your day is the most important

“I rarely follow my own advice but it’s important to eat a balanced breakfast every morning. In public relations, we are tasked with handling several different things at the same time, so it’s important that our brain is fed and we’re alert the minute we begin our day. From writing news releases to leading client meetings to managing crises, we need to bring our A-game 24/7, and you can’t do that on an empty stomach. Also, and I’m sure 99 percent of PR practitioners will agree, a big cup of coffee with your avocado toast won’t hurt either!” – Christina

“I start with the news every morning. We are in the news business, so it’s important we know what’s going on throughout the day. And I recheck the news throughout the day. And I end with the news – usually scrolling through Twitter. That’s an amazing way to see what’s trending, what’s happening, etc.” – Courtney

Write it down

“I am an obsessive note-taker. I LOVE Post-its. In fact, I live for them. Whenever I have an idea, I just write it on a Post-it. Until I’ve put some kind of action to the Post-it, I’ll hang on to it. There’s no better feeling than being able to throw one of my Post-its away because that means I’ve accomplished something. Yes!” – Whitney

Keep yourself on your toes

“It’s easy to miss our own mistakes. We gloss over the words and sentences as we re-read them over and over again. Try reviewing your content backward to identify any mistakes. That way, we’re really reading each word on its own.“ – Courtney

Plan, plan, plan!

“I live and die by my calendar. If it’s not there, the event doesn’t exist. I even put things like ‘send valentines to school’ for my daughter, Cecilia!” – Kelli

“Meetings can definitely be a time and mind-drain. We can make the most out of them by identifying exactly what we want to accomplish beforehand. An agenda helps keep things on track. Plus, we always need to leave with action steps and identifying who will be responsible for what.” – Courtney

You-time is important

“Keep some separation. It’s so easy to get sucked in to a job like ours. I leave my phone on the counter in the evenings while I hang out with my fam, cook dinner, etc. I check my email once before I go to bed. Unless I get a client text or call about an urgent matter, I try to turn off after my business hours.” – Kelli

Hopefully these tidbits of wisdom and ideas can help make your work day a little easier! What’s your favorite trick to increase productivity in your workplace?