Keep one to-do list: you only have one brain, which frets over everything from that memo you need to write, to the dentist appointment you keep forgetting to make and the day care check you that OMG-YOU-MUST-MAIL-TODAY. Your brain doesn’t keep separate “work” and “personal” to-do lists, so why do you? Consolidate all of those calendars, post-its, napkins and lists into ONE. Then, prioritize the lot. This works; trust me. My to-do list of choice is Good To Do. That said, you may be like my husband and find a paper to-do list more productive. Whatever floats your boat. Just use ONE.

Clear your inbox(es): this one always gets me the crazy-eye. But I’m serious. Your inbox is not a filing cabinet; it is not a to-do list. Watch this video or read this book. Then, take a deep breath and start taking action, delegating, filing or deleting! This one is super-empowering, though it does take a while if your inbox has 5,500 emails in it. One great way to keep the clutter from returning is to unsubscribe from all that junk email you get each day; feels so good!

Write it down: you know how you wake up in the middle of the night, freaking out over something you forgot to do that day? Some email you forgot to send? The dog’s medication you forgot to give him? Keep a notebook beside your bed. When you wake up fretting, write it down. Then, go back to sleep. You can’t do anything about it at 3:35 a.m. anyway–without looking like a crazy person. I keep a notebook in my purse, too. And for a while, when I was really stressed with work and personal stuff, I kept a notebook by the shower! Hey, we do what we need to do. When you wake up/get back to your desk/dry off, you’ll then transfer those random thoughts and to-dos to your ONE LIST. See how this works!

Create a file system: you don’t have to go 100% David Allen with your files, but you do need a system for work and home. I use colored file folders and keep two cabinets: one in my office; one in my home closet. Every project and meaningful task gets a folder. This keeps my desk clear of clutter, while enabling me to hoard relevant notes, business cards plans, receipts, agendas, etc. When the project/task is done, the folder gets filed away.

Use an RSS reader: point all those blogs, news sites, job postings, friend’s baby pictures, critics’ Tweets, Google Alerts and time wasters to ONE PLACE. I use Google Reader. But there are many others out there. This way, my inbox is free of “alert” clutter and I don’t have to spend time surfing the Internet to get caught up on news, tech, gossip and flickr feeds. This technique may or may not work for you. Some folks find an RSS reader more trouble than it’s worth, but it works for me!

What organizational tools do you swear by? Share your suggestions in the comments!

Sometimes, I’m a little late to the party. Exhibit A: I just discovered Pinterest. Even my relatively non-techish friends are obsessed with the site, yet I could not have told you what it was until this week. Anyway, I’ve set up my “boards,” have installed a “Pin It” button in my browser toolbar and am giving it a go. But lest my self-esteem suffer from the endless pictorial perfection, I will heed the good warning to peruse Pinterest in moderation. You can “follow me” here.

Tumblr

The good geek news is that I’m really enjoying getting to know Tumblr. Though WordPress will always be my first love (I’m really digging the “drag and drop” images capability in the newest WP update), Tumblr is an excellent home for my Preggers blog. Most of my posts are pictures uploaded from Instagram. It was frustrating for a while because I could not get the comments to work. But a quick change of the template theme and Disqus was working like a charm. If you are into cute baby stuff, odd things people say to pregnant women or over-sharing, check it out.

 Spotify

Okay, so when it comes to the beloved music platform Spotify, I just don’t get it at all. Maybe it’s because I am a Pandora girl and using Spotify feels like cheating. I don’t know. But I’ve tried it several times and finally just uninstalled it because I couldn’t find a use for it. Am I crazy? Folks seem to be obsessed with it; maybe I’m missing something?

What geekery and gadgets have you guinea pigged with lately? 

I have a fabulous excuse though: I am making a tiny human. Squeal! I know, I know! And it’s a girl! Squeeeeee!

Indeed, the newest addition to Team Newman will arrive March 10-ish—which is like, tomorrow. Yikes. Yes, we are acutely aware this due date means we cannot attend SXSW Interactive. There’s always 2013…

Despite this awesome baby news that has taken over every fiber of my being, loyal FlackRabbiters need not worry: FlackRabbit will not become a mommy blog. I promise. I just wanted to publicly let you know that my blogging absence isn’t because I don’t love you; it is because I have been kind of busy trying not to vomit at work. Or I’ve been sleeping. I’ve also been preoccupied with red meat, oatmeal cream pies, sweet tea and Zulily.

Yet, in the spirit of “this is one of the only times I’m going to blog about pregnancy on my public relations blog,” please accept (or excuse) my tiny contribution to the Internet’s generous provision of resources for the first-time-pregnant, working gal: 

FlackRabbit’s Pregnancy Guide | Months 1—5

Read:

Alpha Mom’s Pregnancy Calendar, Zero to Forty, by Amy Corbett Storch: I will not attempt to articulate its awesomeness, because I will fail.

Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy, by Vicki Iovine: laugh out loud funny and so very helpful—but not scary. Have now read it twice.

Pregnant Chicken: informative and hysterical. Plus, there are give-a-ways!

Buy:

A fun pregnancy iPhone app: although I have seven of them on my phone, this one by Smiles Factory is my favorite. I like this one, too, by OB on the Go; it has a fun hydration counter thingy.

This maternity pillow: girl, I know it’s $100; worth every freakin penny. Do it.

Dresses: lots of them. And this from the gal who likes to wear suits every day.  But about six weeks into your pregnancy, those fitted suit pants of yours will.not.button. And there is nothing as awesome as a cotton dress when you’re pregnant. Well, besides eating an entire bag of BBQ chips…

Cocoa Butter: your skin gets dry, stretches, and itches. The cocoa butter makes it all better and you smell like summer.

Prenatal vitamins: a no-brainer, yet difficult for many women to take because they often make nausea worse. I had a good experience with these. But you should consult your doctor before ingesting something you read about on a PR blog, obvs.

Ginger Chews: saved my life (thanks, Krissi!). When the smorgasbord of smells and the heat of mass transit threaten to make you toss your cookies, pop a ginger chew.

Maternity pajamas: it never occurred to me that I’d need preggo pj’s, but by my fourth month, my ever-expanding hips and belly weren’t comfortable (or fitting) in my normal pj pants and tiny t-shirts. Same goes for maternity underwear; you’ll be so much more comfy when you buy it!

Avoid:

People with scary/negative stories: they will hunt you down—and seem nice at first—but do not engage in conversation with these people: “You are pregnant?! That’s wonderful! My daughter just gave birth—she nearly died and the hospital bills have forced her family into bankruptcy…but I’m sure you’ll be fine. Congrats!”  This was said to me last month by a well-intentioned, self-absorbed person. I just smiled and offered up prayer of thanks that I’m not her caliber of crazy.

Acidic beverages: oh, the nausea! It took me a couple of months to figure it out, but coffee (my beloved!) and orange juice (good for baby!) were nearly the death of me. Good Lord, I wish I had come to that realization before the third month of pregnancy.

The Internet: when (not if) you experience something that causes you concern, stay off the message boards. When (not if) you have a scary symptom—even if it is at 2 a.m.—don’t hesitate to call your doctor. If you Google said symptom, you’ll likely find a message board where hundreds of folks will confirm that you A) have three hours to live and B) have killed your baby. The Internet is helpful like that. Back off it, sister. It’s for your own good.

Listen to:

Your body: I know, business lady, I know! You are a go-getter. A hard-working, social media obsessed, strategic, networking, happy-hour loving professional! And pregnancy is not gonna change that! But the truth is, pregnancy does change that and there is nothing you can do about it; thank the Lord. Listen to your body; it will tell (not ask) you when it needs to eat, sleep, slow down, take a walk, avoid stress, etc. It’s magical, really. Embrace it.

Supportive, positive women: many business ladies I know prefer—or need—to keep the news of their pregnancy a secret for many months, but I don’t know what I would have done in the first trimester without the encouragement of and advice from an inner circle of co-workers. You spend the majority of your day at the office; you deserve to have a support system there—especially when you’re vomiting in an office trashcan.

And finally:

Savor every moment of your pregnancy, even the sucky ones. This is an honor and there are so many women who would give anything to have your current “medical condition,” even on your most nauseous, toilet-hugging day.  Keep those women in mind as you create this tiny miracle; I know I do.

UPDATE: the official Margie Newman: Preggers blog is over here. Enjoy!

by Dough-man

I was a Droid early adopter back in 2009 … as a Verizon subscriber and Apple skeptic, the iPhone was tempting but not really an option and the opportunity to help kick the tires on a new mobile operating system was attractive.  Over twenty months, the phone became a prized possession and all-purpose tool, used for work and personal tasks alike.

Recently, however, I found myself bumping up against the limits of Verizon’s 3G. Files took longer to download and apps began to hang; some websites wouldn’t even load. I started to look for an opportunity to upgrade to 4G. Finally, I succumbed to the hype on various Android boards and used my upgrade credit on a new Droid Bionic.

Setup is a little odd; as someone who has never dealt with SIM cards it was disconcerting to snap the 4G brains out of a little plastic card and manually insert it into my phone.

I also had a little trouble activating the phone, but I chalk that up to an avalanche of upgraders like me and in any event I was up and running 3 hours after I took the phone out of the box and about an hour after the battery was fully charged.

First blush: the Bionic is markedly bigger and lighter than the Droid, big enough, in fact, that typing on the virtual keyboard (especially in landscape) is no problem even for my big, clumsy fingers.

The display itself is much clearer and brighter as well. The 8 megapixel camera is fine, though my lousy photos (including one of the house goldendoodle as a demon) don’t really do it justice.

Call quality is excellent; antenna reception in my basement home office is substantially better than it was with the old Droid.

The biggest upside of the Bionic is the 4G performance it delivers … I never have been much into mobile streaming video, but I spent way too much time this weekend watching live action from the NFL and the US Open.  Fortunately, as a longtime customer I still have unlimited data – here’s hoping I can restrain myself. I’m genuinely afraid to click on the Netflix app.

The biggest complaint with the Bionic (as it was with my Droid) is battery life. The power management meter helpfully tells you how much time you have left on the battery, but I swear you can watch that dwindle right before your very eyes. I’ve resorted to all my old tricks – turn the brightness down, limit background data and only run wi-fi and GPS when the phone is plugged in – but it’s still a battle to keep the battery meter out of the dreaded yellow/red – when these phones get down to 30% battery you better find an outlet STAT, or you’ll have a shiny black brick in your pocket.

Fortunately, I have a new favorite weapon. The Bionic allows you to “Sleep” the phone, which puts the phone in a “low power, instant on, wireless off“ state that conserves the battery when you’re sitting at the computer or otherwise not in need of the phone’s services.

The other nice thing about the Sleep state is that when the Bionic is plugged in it gives you a visual battery meter similar to that on an iPod Touch/iPhone. It’s a little thing, but I like to know where I stand.

Sleeping or not, the battery charges up pretty fast; unfortunately, that power comes back out just as fast (if not faster) when it’s unplugged. The original Droid usually couldn’t survive a day of business travel without at least one good charge; I suspect I will continue to sit on airport floors to keep the Bionic fat and happy.

Accessories – I didn’t get any of the fancy docks or keyboards that are available, though I did spring for a car charger that allows you to share the outlet with another USB device – which will end once and for all the fierce battles with the iPod people in my family every time we take a road trip.

Overall, I’m delighted with the Bionic – the power issues were not unexpected and manageable, and the performance of the phone gives new life to the idea of an upgrade.

Dough-man is a DC-area policy wonk who loves technology, odd metaphors and baseball – not necessarily in that order. He has often shamelessly used his friendship with FlackRabbit to try out new gadgets (including his original Droid) for free before purchasing them. This post doesn’t make things even – but it’s a start.

I’m often approached by print and broadcast reporters and editors like you for tips on transitioning into a career in public relations. After years—even decades—of researching, reporting, investigating and doing your best to file balanced, accurate and timely stories, you’re contemplating making the move to the dark side.

Congrats! You’re really going to love it over here. That is, unless you take a job you have enough years, but not the experience for; assume you are still going to see your name in the paper; or negotiate a salary that does not take into account the overtime you’re about to give up. Yikes!

Never fear, I’m happy to help. Here are the pitfalls and pick-me-ups you’ll need to remember in order to rock out your new career:

Your decade of newsroom experience does not equal a decade of communications management experience.

Public relations isn’t rocket science, but it is a learned skill set. Just like “talking to reporters” everyday doesn’t make me a great journalist, “talking to PR people” doesn’t translate into mastery of project management, strategy and proposal memos, event planning, running a client’s budget, dealing with corporate bureaucracy and crafting and implementing a media relations campaign.

If you walk into a room of experienced PR folks and declare that although you’ve never done their job, you’re awesome at it, they will turn on you so fast it will make your head spin. And you need those flacks because you’ve never done this before…

Accept that you don’t know what you don’t know—then, seek out an employer who understands that.

Take a job at a public relations or public affairs firm that understands that although you come with a highly-valuable skill set, you must be trained in—and given time to learn—the actual craft of public relations.

I strongly encourage you to NOT make your first communications gig a “Communications Director” for a company, or any place that expects you to be a one-woman show.

This is critical.

Without a team of folks around you (like those you find at a firm) who have been there and done that—and who respect and understand how to most appropriately use your talents—you likely will fail. Not because you aren’t smart, but because you have no clue what you are doing and no one is there to teach you. I’ve seen this dozens of times. It sucks and is horrible for your self-esteem.

You are not telling “both sides” of the story anymore; this does not make you or the PR profession “unethical.”

You are changing careers, which means you are subscribing to another field’s code of ethics.

Your journalist code states, “…the duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues.”

The Public Relations Society of America code of ethics states, “we adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and truth in advancing the interests of those we represent and in communicating with the public.”

These points-of-view are different, but equally ethical.

You are going to be very good at this.

There are many, many former reporters just like you who cross-over and kick serious communications butt. Your news judgment, writing and editing skills, aptitude for meeting deadlines, understanding of the importance of timeliness, and ability to take a complicated subject and effectively explain it to the general public makes you invaluable to the right organization.

The bottom line: be confident in—and sell yourself as—the invaluable, strategic media relations resource you are. There are things you know and do well that those of us who have never been reporters simply do not. Humbly use that to your advantage while striving to learn all you can about the PR craft. And welcome to the family, flack!

DC Flacks Two Year Anniversary featured in The Washington Post! (September 3, 2011)

If you’re a PR, new media, communications or Web pro in the DC area, please  join the DC Flacks Meetup here! It’s free, it’s sponsored by the fabulous folks at Vocus and we’re awesome.

Happen to live in Nashville or Tallahassee? No worries; we’ve got you covered, too!

That’s right: Tallahassee, Florida, public relations, communications and new media pros now have a no-pressure happy hour of their very own. And my Best Friend in the Whole Wide World, Rachel Davis Cone, is the hostess!

Check out the #TallyFlacks and please help Rachel spread the word. Besides, when it is too freakin cold in DC to be social around January and February–and if we have been nice to her–maybe Rachel will let us relocate DC Flacks to Tally for a couple of months.  Just a thought.

Thinking about starting a Flacks Meetup in your town? Check out our Flacks affiliations page; and don’t hesitate to email me (Margie @ flackrabbit dot com) if you need help or a pep talk! 

Please join me in congratulating these amazing young professionals who have already made significant contributions to the public relations field!

2011 WWPR Emerging Leaders Awards Finalists

Veronica Brown, Gibraltar Associates

Jennifer Mastin Giglio, Ogilvy Washington

Katie Lilley, Hillenby

Amanda Miller Littlejohn, Mopwater PR

Judy Lubin, Public Square Communications

Tara Silver, SilverStrategy

The final three winners will be announced the evening of July 26 at the ELA cocktail reception. Please join us! If you’d like to learn more, volunteer or sponsor this event, email me: ela (at) wwpr (dot) org.

About the Emerging Leaders Awards

The WWPR Emerging Leaders Awards is an accolade for young women active within the communications field who are making a significant impact on the industry. The award celebrates their achievements and highlights their tremendous potential.  More at www.wwpr.com | @wwpr

Twitter hashtag: #ela2011

When I read Margie’s advice about how to succeed in PR—good stuff, by the way—it reminded me of a profile Q&A I was asked to participate in nearly five years ago for the Potomac Flacks blog. In addition to the usual bio/how-did-you-get-started questions, I got one related to being successful.

I sent the post to Margie just for kicks, and she asked me to share my answers with you. So here goes, modified only slightly from the original.

What advice would you give to people wanting to advance in PR?

1. If you can’t cope with deadlines, please do everyone around you a favor and find another line of work.
2. Don’t stress out over today’s coverage. Learn from it. Tomorrow is another day, another story, another chance to tell yours.
3. Your integrity and credibility with reporters is all you have to sell. Protect it.
4. Tell the story, tell it straight and tell it better than anyone else. If you want guidance, read Aristotle’s Poetics and Rhetoric. Some things never change.
5. Remember that, #3 above notwithstanding, you’re being paid to protect someone else’s image, not yours. So don’t take yourself too seriously (thereby making the same mistake as many reporters).
6. Okay, if anyone read past #2, I’ll be stunned and amazed, but what the hell…one more thing. If you believe that the press is the enemy, that pretty much guarantees they will be.

Disclaimer: Don’t take my word for anything. These things have helped me. Your mileage may vary.

I thought about how I might add to these tidbits of advice to reflect developments (like the explosion in social media) since I originally wrote them five years ago, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Tools will change, but principles don’t. Stick to them. You’ll do fine.

Mike Diegel, a former newspaper guy, is a communications consultant with more than 20 years’ experience in public relations, marketing, media relations and publications. Most of his PR career has been spent in associations and other nonprofits, with one exception. In a fit of spectacularly bad timing, he joined a tech start-up in March 2000, one month before the great dotcom implosion. You can imagine how well that worked out for him. In his spare time, he rescues Great Pyrenees dogs and manages the rescue group’s Facebook page. You can follow him on Twitter.

My New Year’s resolutions for 2009 were to read the Bible and learn about social media, two completely unrelated goals or so I thought.  The two goals actually couldn’t have been more related.

So I became my own client. I immediately set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter, et al.  I also started my EveryDayPR blog to have a venue to express an experienced public relations take on industry topics or current events. I was confident that people were begging to know what I thought about things.

This brings me to the single most important lesson of blogging: Be yourself. If you can’t be you, then who are you going to be?

I never started EveryDayPR to grow Hart Public Relations. The reality was that I was opinionated, a decent writer and a thinker. In my experience, effective public relations leaders from the C-Suite to department heads want thinkers on their team. Thinkers equate to problem solvers. Problem solvers mean happy clients and employers. I am rewarded on a number of levels when happiness happens.

Because my personality is part sarcasm, part wit, part knowledge, and admittedly, part offensive, so is my blog writing.  It’s who I am. Those who disagree rarely express their differences.  Although I’ve yet to understand why, I’d like to think it was because my opinion was so well measured and articulated, but who am I kidding.

This brings me to the next single most important lesson of blogging: Stay true to yourself. Stick to your values, beliefs and principles.

If you’re a remotely balanced human being with a working brain, then you have an opinion.  Don’t be hesitant to express that opinion as long as it’s grounded in your beliefs.

Enter the Bible and that New Year’s resolution to read it. There’s no single better source to learn about extraordinary human behavior, mind-boggling parables and descriptive writing. Plus, the Bible happens to be the best reinforcement of your values, and it’s those values that help define what you are as an individual.

I know 2011 is nearly half over, but it’s never too late to start a New Year’s resolution. Think about it. A well-thought-out opinion expressed according to who you are based on what you believe can be one of your best assets.

Cheers to being and staying true to you!

Susan Hart, APR, is an independent public relations consultant with 25+ years of experience. In 2001, she founded Hart Public Relations & Communications, where she provides public relations counsel with an emphasis on branding.  Susan’s blog, EveryDayPR, is for business professionals to consider a viewpoint from a public relations practitioner who has experienced it all – or at least a whole lot.